One of only two suspended lakes perched atop a mountain in the world is Iyake Lake. It is located in Oyo state, Nigeria, in a local settlement ‘Ado Awaiye Iseyin’.
No one is thought to be able to survive if they venture into the supposedly bottomless lake. According to history, there is a parallel world beneath the lake that is governed by a fertility goddess who resides there.
Agbómofúnyaké (a Yoruba term for “collects child and gives to iyake”) is a hole near the lake, and it is said that if someone puts their foot in the hole when it fills with water, they will be pulled to the bottom.
Locals claim that during the time of the ancient Oyó Empire, a barren woman from Ota, Ogun State, moved to Oyó. Although she was adored by many, some residents made fun of her infertility.
She fell into the lake to end her life because she was unable to bear the ridicule. Thus, the moniker “Iyake Lake“.
Sources claim that ever since lady Iyake fell and perished in the lake, the lake has been thought to treat infertility. Additionally, locals there held the belief that if you pray with the lake water, bathe in it, or drink it, you will become fertile; if you are a woman who is infertile, it will cure your infertility.
The meaning of its name, lyake, is “woman cry” and It has a fascinating history and remains a great destination for tourism.
The video below shows a more detailed view of the lake and it’s environs;
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