The Sacred Aare Crown

The sacred Aare Crown is the only physical symbol of authority the Ooni of Ife  inherited from his ancestors. It is believed to have been made from many items, such as cutlasses , hoes and 149 other undisclosed objects.

The Ifa oral tradition reveals that the Aare crown is very heavy and it is believed that the Ooni of ife is spiritually empowered to wear it during the Olojo festival; the crown is too heavy for him to bear on any other day. Historically it is known  that there is a strong relationship between the sacred crown and Ogun deity, the god of iron, due to the crown’s iron components. The crown must be brought before the Ogun deity at OkeMogun shrine during the annual Olojo Festival celebration in Ile Ife.

According to Ifa oral tradition, corroborated by Chief Tewogbade (Chief Priest of Aare Crown), the crown is believed to attract people to itself when the Ooni dons it. During the Olojo festival people often troop out to behold the crown and on sighting the crown, they offer prayers because the presence of the sacred crown symbolises peace, unity, blessing and prosperity.

History dictates that the reigning Ooni must not look inside the crown because any attempt to do so, would result in him joining his ancestors. It is believed that when the Ooni dons the mysterious crown, He is instantly transfigured into his true nature, Orisa(Deity) whose visage has been said to become too dreadful to behold.  The crown serves as a traditional legacy from one reigning king to another and this particular sacred Aare crown was the inheritance of Ooni from his progenitor, Oduduwa. All other reigning kings in the Yorubaland have their distinctive crowns assigned for social functions; but none of them possess the powers of the Aare crown. The Aare crown is very unique and symbolic in the sense that its components are spiritually inclined.

The sacred Aare crown is kept in a separate room in the palace under the watchful eyes of Chief Tewogbade and sacrifices are offered on regular basis as tradition calls for it.