Yemayá is the orisha of motherhood, and queen of the sea. She is the mother of all living things and the owner of all waters. Yemayá (also spelled Yemoja, Iemoja, or Yemaya) is one of the most powerful orishas in Santeria
Santería
Santería, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla de Ifá, or Lucumí, is an Afro-American religion of Yoruba origin that developed in Cuba among West African descendants. Santería is a Spanish word that means the "worship of saints". Santería is influenced by and syncretized with Roman Catho…
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What is Yemaya the orisha of?
Yemaya is maternal, dignified and nurturing, the spiritual mother of all. She is also an orisha of mystery, reflected in the depths of her waters. She is also often understood to be the older sister of Oshun, who oversees the rivers.
What is Oya the Orisha responsible for?
Oya rules the dead and is involved with the ancestors, cemeteries, and the wind. She is a rather tempestuous, commanding orisha, responsible for windstorms and electrocution.
Where did Yemaya come from?
With anchored roots in the Yoruba religion, Yemaya was brought over to the New World by enslaved Africans as early as the 16th century. This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
What is the significance of Yemaya in Hinduism?
• Yemaya’s children are innumerable: she is the mother of most of the orishas. • Her generosity and benevolence have also garnered her countless human devotees, equivalent to the innumerable fish of the sea. Yemaya has profound associations with the sea and saltwater.
What is Yemaya known for?
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.
What is Yemaya the goddess of?
Yemaya, Iemanja, Mother of Water, Mother of all Orishas, Patroness and Protector of Children and Fishermen.
How old is Yemaya?
In SHALLOW WATERS, though, Yemaya is a 17-year-old mermaid who knows she's different from the humans but doesn't know exactly what she is. The one thing she is sure of is her inexplicably magnetic connection to Obatala (more on that later).
Who was Yemaya married to?
AganjuShe was married to Aganju and had one son, Orungan, and fifteen Orishas came forth from her. They include Ogun, Olokun, Shopona and Shango. Other stories would say that Yemaya was always there in the beginning and all life came from her, including all of the orishas.
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 is Yemoja associated with?
Yemonja, also spelled Yemoja or Yemaja, Yoruban deity celebrated as the giver of life and as the metaphysical mother of all orisha (deities) within the Yoruba spiritual pantheon.
What is a daughter of Yemaya?
Lisa, she's the daughter of Yemaya, who is the sea, and I'm daughter of Shango, who is thunder. And it's really us. Our characters are really like that. Lisa-Kaindé: In the Yoruba religion, you are chosen by an orisha, which is a divinity. And Naomi was chosen by Shango, who is the orisha of the thunder.
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.
Who is the youngest orisha?
Ayagunna is the youngest path, or avatar, of the undergod Obatala in the Lukumi (Santería) pantheon. In this manifestation, Obatala is a youth who battles with a scimitar. He is credited with having spread gunpowder throughout the world.
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.
How do you know 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 two orishas in Yemaya?
Yemaya has a very special relationship with two orishas in particular: Oshún and Chango. Oshún is often depicted as Yemaya’s sister, and Yemaya allows Oshún to take residence in her rivers.
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 are the colors of Yemaya?
Number: 7. Sacred Place in Nature: the ocean, lagoons and lakes. Colors: blue and clear .
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.
How to pray to Yemaya?
Invoke, petition, or pray to Yemaya. • Sprinkle the water over your naked body from head to toe using your fingers or a roseMary branch. • Let the water remain on your body for a little while, and then gently pat yourself dry with a brand-new clean white towel or cloth. • Put on clean clothes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Mother of the Fish
In the Yoruba language, Yemayá’s name means “mother of the fish.” The association with the sea is incredibly astute. Amniotic fluid, which we are all born in, is basically sea water. One of the stories is that Yemayá’s own water broke over the primordial Earth. From this, the rivers and seas, and life itself began.
Celebrating Yemayá
The orishas are part of a rich oral tradition, so traditions vary by region, community and even by family. In the Spanish-speaking world, we know her through the Cuban traditions, but Haiti, Brazil and many other places in the Americas have their own celebrations. They are all unique, but share common roots.
Symbols of Yemayá
She is associated with the number 7. Her colors are blue and white. Saturday is her day.
Un Encuentro
Soy Keith, el editor. Yemayá is in my life. The creative part of a man is his anima, his female aspect. I encountered her on the beach in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 2020 on September 7. I was doing my morning walk (1 mile door to door) and felt the need to keep walking off the sea wall onto the beach which I don’t usually do.
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 Yemaya associated with?
For practicing witches, Yemaya has a fierce, nurturing, gentle energy often associated with the moon and sorcery.
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 are the paths of the Orisha Yemaya?
The paths of the Orisha Yemayá and its characteristics. The paths of each Orisha represent their facets of life, where their personality and qualities change, and they are also the different situations in which the deity can help us in the development of our existence.
What is the way of Yemaya?
When the ways of Yemayá are known, it is known what tools it carries to fight each battle, as well as its elements and attributes of power. Each Yemayá has a different interpretation, of some very little is known in religion, being part of the great Yoruba secrets and mysteries.
What is the Yoruba Goddess' name?
She is one of the greatest deities of the Yoruba pantheon, since all things on this Earth are born from her power and life is born. Her name means IYA MO ELLA which translates as Mother of Fishes and it is said that she was born with the moon, as Obatala was born with the sun. When the ways of Yemayá are known, ...
How many paths are there in the Yoruba pantheon?
De Yemaya Mother of the World, 26 paths are known. She is one of the greatest deities of the Yoruba pantheon, since all things on this Earth are born from her power and life is born.
Where does Yemaya live?
It lives in the deepest parts of the Ocean. The Yemayá that lives in the foam of the propellers of the ships. He is a poet and gets tangled up in flax and seaweed. This is the Yemayá road that the calm sea grants. It is reflected as Oduduwa female and here the true crown of Yemayá is born.
Who is the messenger of Olokun?
She is wise, willful, and even dangerous. Their moorings are never untied. It represents a woman of faith. 16. Yemayá Asesu. The messenger of Olokun. She is very powerful and she was the one who broke all ties with the earth. She is the queen of ducks, geese and swans.
Who is the mother of Shango?
Wife Orisha oko the god of crops. He lives both in the river and in the sea and fights alongside Oggún the owner of the mountain. He lives on the surface of the sea and fights with Oggún and Shango the king of fire. In this way she is the mother of Shango. He lives in a jar and makes a crown of snails.
Why is Yemoja represented as the All?
One is represented as the All, because everything is one . Yemoja represents the interconnectedness of all things because all things come through her passageways. She is the one who brings things from the unseen to the seen. This is the power that all women have.
What chakra is Yemoja?
YEMOJA. Yemoja is the great orisha mother who works through the second chakra, the sacral chakra. She represents the qualities of regenerative healing and instant curing. Having the internal ability to heal a cut on your hand, or bringing forth physical realities from the unseen world, falls into her realm. Yemoja’s physical attribute on planet ...
What does "ye/yeye" mean in Yoruba?
When we break the name Yemoja down, we have “Ye/Yeye”, which means mother, and “Moja” which means fishes in Yoruba. Interestingly enough in Bantu “moja” means one. So, Yemoja is the Mother of one. One is represented as the All, because everything is one.
Is the Orisha of the ocean correct?
Most people consider to be the orisha of the ocean, which is not totally correct. She is the orisha of saltwater rivers. Saltwater rivers also deals with the saltwater within your body. More specifically in dealing with this Mother energy, she rules over the amniotic fluid.
What are the orishas?
Updated January 23, 2018. The orishas are the gods of Santeria, the beings that believers interact with on a regular basis. The number of orishas varies among believers. In the original African belief system from which Santeria originates, there are hundreds of orishas.
Who is Yemaya Oshun's sister?
Yemaya is maternal, dignified and nurturing, the spiritual mother of all. She is also an orisha of mystery, reflected in the depths of her waters. She is also often understood to be the older sister of Oshun, who oversees the rivers. She is also associated with tuberculosis and intestinal disorders. Cite this Article.
Why did Oshun turn into a peacock?
To save the parched world Oshun transformed into a peacock and ascended to Olodumare's realm to beg his forgiveness. Olodumare relented and returned the water to the world, and the peacock transformed into a vulture.
What is the meaning of Oshun?
Oshun is associated with Our Lady of Charity, an aspect of the Virgin Mary focused on hope and survival, particularly in relation to the sea. Our Lady of Charity is also the patron saint of Cuba, where Santeria originates.
What is the purpose of Orunla?
Orunla was present at the creation of humanity and the forging of souls. Thus Orunla has the knowledge of the ultimate destiny of each soul, which is an important facet of Santeria practice. Working toward one's destiny is to promote harmony.
Who is Osain in the Bible?
Osain is a nature orisha, ruling over forests and other wild areas as well as herbalism and healing. He is the patron of hunters even though Osain himself has given up the hunt. He also looks out for the home. Contrary to many mythologies showing nature gods and wild and untamed, Osain is a distinctly rational figure.
Does Orunla have a path?
While other orishas have different "paths," or aspects to them, Orunla has only one. He is also the only orisha to not manifest through possession in the New World (although it does sometimes happen in Africa). Instead, he is consulted through various divination methods.
Who is the next Orisha to manifest on earth?
Ogun is revered as a mighty god, called upon by warriors for strength in battle. Aganju was the next Orisha to manifest on earth. He embodies the power of the sun, essential for the growth. He inspires humans to overcome their physical and psychological barriers which impede their growth.
What is Kokou's role in the Orisha?
Kokou is a warrior god, renowned for his violence and ferocity. He is the most feared of the Orisha.
What did Oduduwa do to the people?
As the people began to reproduce, new lands were required for them to settle. Olorun sent them Ogun, god of crafts, to find a suitable habitat.
Why did Obatala get a shell?
Olorun agreed and gave Obatala a shell to help fashion this new world. The shell contained a magical soil and a divine cloth. Using these sacred materials, he created fields, forests, hills, and valleys. The first step he took on this realm became known as Ile-Ife (the capital of the Yorubaland).
What is the Yoruba mythology?
At the beginning of Yoruba mythology, the universe was composed of two elements, the ethereal sky above and a watery chaos below. Two gods rule over both these primordial realms. Olokun presides over this watery abyss, an aquatic realm populated by sea spirits. As master of the deep, he has a great insight into the mysteries of nature.
What did Ogun teach his followers?
He taught his followers the secrets of civilization ( fire, smithing, hunting, politics, and war). After passing on his secrets and guiding humanity for many years, Ogun grew old. As an immortal, he was unable to die, so he chose instead to descend into the earth’s surface, in a place named Ire-Ekiti.
Who is the Yoruba god?
The heaven realm is the domain of Olorun, a sun god. He is known as the omnipotent ruler of the Yoruba pantheon, whose light brings life and vitality to all living things. He takes an active role in the affairs of both heaven and earth. Olorun had two sons, Obatala and Oduduwa, who helped him develop the features of the Earth.
The Mother of The Fish
Celebrating Yemayá
- The orishas are part of a rich oral tradition, so traditions vary by region, community and even by family. In the Spanish-speaking world, we know her through the Cuban traditions, but Haiti, Brazil and many other places in the Americas have their own celebrations. They are all unique, but share common roots. For example, in Nigeria, Yemayá is often...
Symbols of Yemayá
- She is associated with the number 7. Her colors are blue and white. Saturday is her day. She adorns herself with things from the sea like seashells, sea stones, nets and so on. We offer her watermelon, molasses, coconut. If you see white roses or flowers floating in the sea, that’s an offering to Yemayá.
Un Encuentro
- Soy Keith, el editor. Yemayá is in my life. The creative part of a man is his anima, his female aspect. I encountered her on the beach in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 2020 on September 7. I was doing my morning walk (1 mile door to door) and felt the need to keep walking off the sea wall onto the beach which I don’t usually do. When I got to the end of the beach, I found some doves …