Orunmila is the name of another of the primordial deities in Yoruba land. Orunmila is a shortened form of a whole expression Orun lo meni to maa la, which could translate as only the heavens know who will succeed.
Orunmila was one of the sixteen gods that descended from heaven. He was formerly with Olodumare in heaven learning and witnessing the creation of human and was as well present at the sealing of human destiny before the beginning of human earthly sojourn.
Hence, he is nicknamed eleri ipin (the witness to human destiny).
His experience while staying with Olodumare gave him a rare body of knowledge and also made him the custodian of Ifa (the knowledge of everything created by Olodumare).
He is called akerefinusogbon (the small one with bodies of knowledge) because of his short stature and pecular wisdom. As the most knowledgeable among the Orisa, Orunmila was the natural choice for divination.