Moremi

Moremi Ajasoro, Princess of the Yoruba, was a figure of high significance in the history of the

Yoruba peoples of West Africa. She was a member-by-marriage of the royal family of Emperor

Oduduwa, the tribe's fabled founding father.

Excerpts From The Oral Records Of Ife

The Olori Moremi hailed from Ile Ife, a kingdom that is said to have been at war with an

adjoining tribe who were known to them as the Forest people (Ìgbò in the Yoruba language,

though the said tribe is believed by scholars to have had no relation to the contemporary Ìgbòs of

modern Nigeria). Scores of Ife citizens were being enslaved by these people, and because of this

they were generally regarded with disdain by the Yoruba city-states.

Moremi was a very brave and beautiful woman who, in order to deal with the problem facing her

people, offered anything she had to give in sacrifice to the Spirit of the river Esimirin so that she

could discover the strength of her nation's enemies.

In a manner that has certain parallels with the biblical stories of Moses, Miriam and Esther, she

is then said to have been taken as a slave by the Igbo and, due to her beauty, married their ruler

as his anointed queen. After familiarising herself with the secrets of her new husband's army, she

escaped to Ile-Ife and revealed this to the Yorubas who were able to subsequently defeat them in

battle.

Following the war she returned to her first husband, King Oramiyan of Ife (and later Oyo), who

immediately had her re-instated as his Princess Consort. In order to fulfil the pledge she made to
Esimirin before embarking on her mission, her son Olurogbo was given in sacrifice to the Spirit

because this is what it asked her for when she returned to its shrine.

The Edi Festival is said to have then been started as a means of celebrating the sacrifice the

princess made for the people of Yorubaland. Furthermore, a number of public places are named

after her in contemporary Nigeria, such as the Female Halls of Residence in the University of

Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University.