Full Answer
Who is Yemaya the ocean goddess?
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 does Yemaya mean spiritually?
For practicing witches, Yemaya has a fierce, nurturing, gentle energy often associated with the moon and sorcery. As the "Mother of All," she is said to help in matters of self-love, fertility, emotional wounds, trauma, and healing work.
How do you honor the goddess Yemaya?
She is often honored by celebrations on the eve of the New Year. 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.
What is Yemaya Agana?
An eleke for Yemaya Agana, distinguished by the use of royal blue, clear, green and coral beads. Tools: oars, boat steering wheel, anchor, life preserver, machete (for Ibú Ogunte), a scimitar (for Ibú Okoto) Yemaya has many caminos or “roads”. Each road has a slightly different temperament and is found in a different place in nature.
What do devotees send to the goddess Yemaya?
What was Yemaya's first gift?
What is the goddess of comfort?
What is the name of the goddess of the ocean?
What is the name of the Virgin Mary?
Where did the Yoruba travel?
See more
What is Yemaya the goddess of?
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 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 black?
Originating in the Yoruba religion, Yemaya or Yemoja is a West African water spirit known as the goddess of the ocean, who's associated with positive qualities to help regulate social and spiritual practices.
How can I meet Yemaya?
Yemaya is often depicted as a mermaid or as a woman standing among the waves crashing on the shore. You can connect with her by holding a seashell up to your ear and hearing her echo. Visit the ocean and walk through the waves. and allow yourself to be cleansed and comforted by her embrace and her gift to all life.
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.
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.
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 Yemaya associated with?
For practicing witches, Yemaya has a fierce, nurturing, gentle energy often associated with the moon and sorcery.
Where did Yemaya come from?
As an oral tradition, Yemaya’s attributes, manifestations, and origin stories can vary depending on where you are in the world (especially between Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and the US), including the pronunciation and spelling of her name.
What is the name of the ocean goddess?
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 does Yemaya mean when she says "bathe in the blood of her enemies"?
The story of Yemaya was originally brought over to Cuba via the transatlantic slave trade.
What is Yemaya's energy?
For practicing witches, Yemaya has a fierce, nurturing, gentle energy often associated with the moon and sorcery. As the "Mother of All," she is said to help in matters of self-love, fertility, emotional wounds, trauma, and healing work.
When was Yemaya brought to the New World?
From the Yoruba religion, Yemaya was brought over to the New World by enslaved Africans as early as the 16th century. By Amber C. Snide r. July 9, 2019.
Is Yemaya a white woman?
Although the Virgin Mary is traditionally depicted as a white woman (a mis representation in history, but that’s another story), Yemaya is depicted as a woman of color. Radiantly rising from the sea, her dark skin shining under the moon, Yemaya rules over her domain with grace, beauty, and maternal wisdom.
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.
Where does Yemaya live?
She gave birth to the stars, the moon, the sun and most of the orishas. Yemaya makes her residence in life-giving portion of the ocean (although some of her roads can be found in lagoons or lakes in the forest).
What are the colors of Yemaya?
Number: 7. Sacred Place in Nature: the ocean, lagoons and lakes. Colors: blue and clear .
How do Oshun and Yemaya relate?
Yemaya and Oshun relate to one another like typical sisters; they love each other and also have a bit of sibling rivalry. Chango and Yemaya are inseparable. Some followers of Santeria say Yemaya is Chango’s mother. The two of them eat together and Chango shares his wealth with Yemaya.
What is Yembo's color?
Her color is navy blue. Yembo – this road of Yemaya is an orisha funfún (white orisha) that many consider in the court of Odudua. She gave birth to all of the orishas and in many ways is the cosmic mother of all things. She is the calm sea at the seashore. Her color is pale blue and white.
What is the road called in Yemaya?
Yemaya has many caminos or “roads”. Each road has a slightly different temperament and is found in a different place in nature. All roads of Yemaya are called “Ibú” and each takes a slightly different shade of blue in her eleke. Here is but a sampling of her caminos.
What is the best addima for Yemaya?
Watermelon for Yemayá. A great addimú for Yemaya is a whole watermelon. Buy a large watermelon with seeds, and wash it clean. Place a grass mat (estera) on the floor, place Yemaya’s pot on the grass mat, and place the watermelon on a white plate beside her.
What is Yemaya's camino?
Some of Yemaya’s caminos are fierce warriors who fight with sabers or machetes and bathe in the blood of fallen enemies.
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 was Yemaya associated with?
Yemaya was strongly associated with the sea, in which she lived. Like the sea, she was beautiful and filled with generosity but if anyone crossed the goddess by disrespecting her terrain or hurting one of her children, her anger knew no bounds.
What is the meaning of the name Yemaya?
Yemaya was known by many names including Yemalla, Yemoja, Yemaja, Yemalia and Iemanja. Her name, when translated means ‘the Mother Whose Children are Fish’ and this could have two meanings. She had innumerable children. Her benevolence and generosity gave her many devotees, equivalent to the fish in the sea (also innumerable).
What was the name of the river that Yemaya was a part of?
Her benevolence and generosity gave her many devotees, equivalent to the fish in the sea (also innumerable). Originally, Yemaya was a Yoruba river Orisha and had nothing to do with the ocean. However, when her people boarded the slave ships, she didn’t want to leave them so she went along with them.
What is the Yoruba story called?
The Yoruba people often created stories to help them make sense of the world around them and these stories were known as the patakis. According to the patakis, Yemaya’s father was Olodumare, the supreme god. Olodumare was known as the Creator of the Universe, and Yemaya was said to be his eldest child.
Why was Yemaya angry at Olokun?
Olokun was angry because he thought he wasn’t being appreciated by humans and decided to punish all of mankind for it.
How did Yemaya bring life to the world?
Some legends tell of how Yemaya brought life to the world by creating the first mortals. The story goes that her waters broke, causing a great deluge, creating all the streams and rivers on earth and then, from her womb, the first humans were created. Yemaya’s first gift to her children was a sea shell which contained her voice so that it could always be heard. Even today, when we hold a sea shell to our ear and hear the ocean, what we hear is Yemaya’s calm voice, the voice of the sea.
How many gods came out of Yemaya's body?
She jumped to her death from the top of a high mountain and as she hit the ground, fourteen gods or Orishas came out of her body.
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.
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.
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.
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.