Who is the goddess Yemaya?
Often depicted as a queenly mermaid, Yemaya is considered the Ocean Mother Goddess in Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion practiced around the world. With anchored roots in the Yoruba religion, Yemaya was brought over to the New World by enslaved Africans as early as the 16th century.
What is Yemoja the goddess of?
Each year, the Yoruba people in Nigeria offer thanks to Yemoja, goddess of the river and mother of all other Yoruba gods. It is an important way for them to remember and celebrate their traditional roots and beliefs.
What is Yemaya symbol?
YemọjaVenerated inYoruba religion, Umbanda, Candomblé, Santeria, Haitian VodouSymbolriver stones, cowrie shells, fans, cutlass, fish, multi-stranded crystal clear water-like beaded necklace, white cloth, indigo cloth, wood carvings of a stately nursing mother carried on the heads of devotees, mermaids9 more rows
Is Yemaya a deity?
Yemaya, queen of the sea, first emerged in Yorubaland (now in modern Nigeria). A primordial deity, considered the mother of all, some perceive her to be at the root of numerous ancient goddesses, including Isis.
Who is Yemaya married to?
AganjuIn Yorùbá mythology, Yemoja is a mother goddess; patron deity of women, especially pregnant women; and the Ogun river. Her parents are Oduduwa and Obatala. There are many stories as to how she became the mother of all saints. She was married to Aganju and had one son, Orungan, and fifteen Orishas came forth from her.
Who is the husband of Yemoja?
Yemonja is frequently portrayed as the wife of various male personified orisha, such as Obatala, Okere, Orisha Oko, and Erinle. She is also said to be the mother of Ogun, Sango, Oya, Osun, Oba, Orisha Oko, Babaluaiye, and Osoosi.
How do you know if you are a daughter of Oshun?
She is one of the most popular and venerated orishas. If you see the number 5 a lot (my two most recent apartments were on the 5th floor), are attracted to the color yellow or gold and enjoy sweets, specifically honey, then you too may be a child of Oshun.
Who is the mother of Yemoja?
Yemoja is notably addressed as mother of all the gods in the Yoruba pantheon, in which over three hundred gods and goddesses abound. She is the creatrix-fountainhead of their existence....Author:Agbo FolarinTitle:Maternal goddess in Yoruba art: a new aesthetic acclamation of Yemoja, Oshun and Iya-Mapo5 more rows
Who are the African goddess?
Goddess Africa, also known as Dea Africa, was the personification of Africa by the Romans in the early centuries of the common era. She was one of the fertility and abundance deities to some. Her iconography typically included an elephant-mask head dress, a cornucopia, a military standard, and a lion.
Are Yemaya and Oshun sisters?
Orishas Oshún and Yemayá are syncretized as Our Lady of Charity and and Our Lady of Regla in Cuba. These sister deities reign over the river and ocean bodies and are identified by the colors yellow and blue, respectively.
What does Yemanja mean?
the Great Mother of the Sea(Chuckles) “The image of the Virgin Mary is actually a representation of a Yorubá Orisha who, in Brazil, is called Yemanjá, meaning the Great Mother of the Sea. She is a divine character praised by my religion, the Umbanda, alongside many other African-rooted religions, cultures and places.
Who is Yemaya to Chango?
Yemaya is the only one who can keep Chango in check. He has to obey her because she is one of his two mothers. He is said to have two or three wives, his favorite being Ochun. This beautiful goddess is identifed with the Catholic La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Cuba's patron saint.
What does Yemaya do?
Yemaya will help you and comfort you as a loving Mother. She will cleanse and clear your energy and help you to let go of anything that is holding you back with her powerful cleansing waters. She will help you heal deeply with her loving embrace and help you emotions to flow, unblocking anything that may be stuck.
What does Yemaya say in the song "I am Yemaya"?
Looking around, you see a great big woman hovering over the Sea. It is Yemaya. She looks at you and smiles. ‘I am Yemaya, Mother of all. I am so glad you have connected with me. Come child, let me show you who I am.’.
Who is the goddess of the ocean?
Yemaya is an African Goddess and is the Goddess of the Ocean, the womb of creation. She is the Mother of all and is considered this as she is the ruler of all water and all life is thought to have began in the sea, therefore began with Yemaya. She governs the Moon, all female cycles and childbirth.
What do devotees send to the goddess Yemaya?
Devotees send gifts of jewelry, fabric, soap, perfume, and letters along with floating candles that are set adrift in the moonlit sea as gifts to the goddess Yemaya. Yemaya is a mother goddess, the goddess of home, fertility, love and family.
What was Yemaya's first gift?
According to legend, Yemaya's first gift to her beloved humans was a sea shell in which her voice could always be heard. To this day we honor Yemaya when we hold a shell to our ear in order to hear her voice, the ocean. Yemaya is a goddess of comfort and inspiration.
What is the goddess of comfort?
Yemaya is a goddess of comfort and inspiration. She reminds us that even the worst catastrophes can be endured and that, with her help, we can learn to negotiate the ebbs and flows of change in our lives with her wisdom, courage, and grace.
What is the name of the goddess of the ocean?
YEMAYA: Goddess of the Ocean and of the New Year. Yemaya was the river goddess of the Yoruba in Nigeria. When her people were hoarded onto the slave ships, Yemaya went with them, thus becoming their Goddess of the Ocean.
Where did the Yoruba travel?
She traveled with them from Yoruba to distant lands, comforting them in the holds of the slave ships that took them far away from their homeland in Africa. Known by other names, her traditions continue in the countries to which her people were dispersed.
What is the name of the Virgin Mary?
Today she is also celebrated under many other names, including the virgin Mary (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception ), Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), and Our Lady of Regla to name but a few. She is often honored by celebrations on the eve of the New Year.
Myths and Stories of Yemayá
Yemayá was born to Oludumare, the Supreme Being in the Yoruba religion. Oludumare tasked Yemayá with assisting the Orisha Obatala with the creation of humans. Leaving the dwelling place of Oludumare, Yemayá slid down a rope with sixteen other Orisha and engaged in the creation of mankind.
Yemayá: Characteristics
Yemayá serves as the patron of the Ogun river (in Nigeria), although she is not limited to that particular body of water. Her followers may worship Yemayá at any feature of running water. She is depicted as a mermaid, capable of venturing into any body of water freely.
Yemayá and Olokun
Yemayá has another deity associated with her. Olokun is another Orisha associated with water and androgyny. While Yemayá has dominion over the surface of the ocean and the life thereupon, Olokun is the Orisha of the depths. They complement one another. While Yemayá is the goddess of life, none may return from Olokun’s depths alive.
Worship of Yemayá
After slavers brought slaves to the New World via the Middle Passage, Yemayá’s presence increased in the Americas and the Caribbean. Again, Yemayá was originally known as Yemọja, with Yemayá being one of her names she came to be known by in the New World.
Yoruba Childbirth Goddess
Her stylish blue and crystal skirts billow in wave-like motions. One of the Orishas, she is a sensuous, slow-moving figure, just like the water she represents. Very calm and soothing for birthing situations. But she has a curious aversion to salt — so she will float over the ocean but not in it.
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How beautiful is Yemaya?
Whether manifesting as woman or mermaid, Yemaya is always spectacularly beautiful. She can be sexually provocative with a rolling, hip-swaying walk that evokes the sea. Her traditional costume includes seven skirts. Her hair, clothes, and body may be ornamented with crystals, pearls, coral, or tiny bells.
What is the meaning of the name Yemaya?
Yemaya. Yemaya. Holy Queen Sea. Yemaya, Queen of the Sea, epitomizes motherhood and rules all issues pertaining to women. She is among the most powerful and beloved of the Seven African Powers, the sexy matriarch of the Yoruba spirits known as orishas. The translation of her name, “The Mother Whose Children are Fish ” has dual implications:
What is the name of the Red Sea Queen?
The Red Sea is her official hideout, but she sails where she chooses. (To complicate matters further, Yemaya and her daughter, love goddess Oshun, may be alter-egos of Lady Asherah, another Red Sea Queen and her daughter, love goddess Astarte.) She is also known as Yemaya Ibu Okoto.
What is Yemaya Okoto's crown?
Yemaya Okoto, the Pirate Queen, causes shipwrecks and drags ships and treasure down to the ocean floor. Her name means “the one who lives amongst the seashells.”. Her crown is a shark’s jawbone. She clenches a dagger between her teeth.
What color is Yemaya's path?
Yemaya’s different paths are symbolized by different shades of blue (and sometimes by unique attributes). The particular hue represents each path’s specific natureand home. Thus the aspects of Yemaya who live closest to land or the water’s surface are represented by paler shades than those dwelling in the depths.
How to decorate Yemaya's shrine?
Yemaya’s shrine should evoke the sea. Decorate it with nets, seashells, sea stars, and sea horses. Add salted water to a crystal glass containing small seashells.
What does Yemaya eat?
Yemaya’s favorite food offerings include wet seedy fruits like pomegranates and watermelon plus fish, duck, and lamb dishes. She likes to snack on pork cracklings, plantain or banana chips and pound or coconut cake.
What is the meaning of Yemaya?
Yemaya is a mother Goddess. The Goddess of home, fertility, love and family. She also represents change and consistency - bringing forth life, protecting it, and changing it as is necessary. Yemaya is the daughter of a mortal god-human, Obatala, and his wife. Yemaya and her brother, Aganyu had a son together.
What does Yemaya like?
Yemaya likes sea shells, fish, net, sea horses, anchors and everything related to the sea. She is generally kept in a blue flowered porcelain soup tureen full of water. She is also associated with stars and the full moon, ducks and peacocks. Yemaya controls the parts of the sea that a human knows.
What is the name of the river goddess of the ocean?
Originally, Yemaya was a river Goddess of the Yoruta in Nigeria, which is far from the ocean. She was a nature spirit, an orisha. An orisha shows itself as a force of nature. When her people were loaded on the ships, she went along, becoming the Goddess of the ocean.
What is the difference between Olukun and Yemaya?
Yemaya statue www.amazon.com. Yemaya stays in the uppermost part of the ocean while Olukun is the orisha who resides in the dark depths. Olukun is respected for his ominous power that has no perceived limits or boundaries while Ye maya is associated with life, fertility and creation. Therefore, they balance each other.
How did Yemaya learn divination?
She's also associated with the creative and nurturing forces of the sea. She learned how to do divination by watching her husband, Orula, do consults. Women weren't supposed to do consults but Yemaya was so good at it, her husband made a pact with her that she could use cowry shells to divine.
What does the tide represent in the story of Yemaya?
By rocking the world as a cradle, the tides represent Yemaya's desires to protect and nurture all her children. With Yemaya considered to be the greatest mother there is no surprise that she is very sexual. Since nothing can resist water, she is respected for her strength. Those who hurt her children, Yemaya drowns.
What do the seven seas represent in Yemaya?
Those who worship her wear necklaces of clear and blue beads as well as a blue dress complete with seven layers to represent the seven seas. In a ceremony for Yemaya, everyone dances in a circle and the altar is in the form of a circle. The circle represents the eternal cycle of life.
Who is Orisha Yemaya's sister?
Orisha Yemaya gives children to the barren and offers support to those who worship her. She has a special relationship with Oshun; who is said to be her sister and Chango who is said to be her child.
What can you call on Orisha Yemaya?
You can call on Orisha Yemaya to grant you: Healing, Fertility, Protection, Safe journey while traveling on sea, Security in finances, job, love, marriage, home, Good health and luck into your home , Safe child delivery, Marriage partner,
Who is the goddess of fertility?
Orisha Yemaya: The Goddess of Fertility. Yemayá is the mother of all living things. She is the goddess of fertility who resides in the ocean and gave birth to the stars and moons. She rules over motherhood and owns the earth and waters. She is known to be a protective, fruitful and nurturing mother but kills anyone who tries to harm her children.
When to wear Yamaya Camino necklace?
Always wear a Yamaya Camino necklace while you are expecting to conceive a child. When you have conceived, offer sacrifices to her and ensure to dedicate the child to her when he is born. Image Source: http://psychicwayne1.com/orisha-yemaya/. The General Uses of Oilban.
Why is Yemaya so sensitive?
Because of her fierce love for her daughter's and her connections with the waters , she is very sensitive, and just like any mother is with her daughter, Yemaya is ferocious when it comes to keeping her children safe. And, all well-behaved daughters always remember to thank their Mother's for petitions granted.
What do you pray to Yemaya?
Petition Yemaya if you are a woman. You may pray to her with matters of the home, fertility, family, and love. In her kind state, Yemaya is the giver of life, so if you are seeking to have a child, pray to Yemaya.
What is the name of the Queen of the Sea?
And, in Cuba she has three names, depending on which part of her personality you wish to speak with: Yemaya Ataramagwa, The Wealthy Queen Of The Sea, this is her stern persona. Yemaya Achabba, violent, and, The overpowering, Yemaya Olokun who is said to only be seen in dreams.
Who is Mama Watta?
Mama Watta, as she is also known presided over the Ogun River that she called home. Her breasts are full and large from birthing so many creations. It is said that Yemaya gave birth to all the world's water. Petition Yemaya if you are a woman. You may pray to her with matters of the home, fertility, family, and love.
Do daughters of Yemaya remember to thank their mothers?
And, all well-behaved daughters always remember to thank their Mother's for petitions granted. Daughters of Yemaya, this is very important, always, always remember to Thank Yemaya for what she does for you. Yemaya has many other names.