In Yoruba culture, Ọlọrun is credited with creating the universe and all living things. Ọlọrun is frequently perceived as a compassionate entity who protects its creations and is thought to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. People do not worship Olorun directly; there are no sacred areas of worship, no iconography. Ọlọrun's ordained are known to be
Oriṣa, divine beings of whom
Obatala is King, who govern, regulate and sustain the physical realm (
Ayé). Olorun is outlying, distant, and does not partake in human rituals. There are no shrines or sacrifices dedicated directly to them, although followers can send prayers in their direction. For Yoruba traditions, there is no centralized authority; because of this, there are many different ways that Yoruba people and their descendants or orisha-based faiths can understand the idea of Ọlọrun. It is generally believed that Ọlọrun is manifest in all of existence, and the believer is therefore bound to be grateful and loving towards all beings. However, there are those who also worship them directly, believing the deity to be the origin of virtue and mortality, and bestower of the knowledge of things upon all persons when they are born. Ọlọrun is omnipotent, transcendent, unique, all knowing, good, and evil. The Yoruba have a
dialectical view and understanding of evil, and believe its existence is necessary for cosmic balance; without evil (), there cannot be good (). Thus, the Yoruba thought does not face the
problem of evil. The deity's manifestations are supernatural beings, both good ('
) and bad ('), who represent human activity and natural forces, and who maintain universal equilibrium. == Trinidad Orisha ==