The translation of her name, “The Mother Whose Children are Fish” has dual implications:
- 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. ...
- Anything possibly considered a “woman’s issue”
- Fertility and reproductive issues
- Protection from domestic violence, which she despises
Full Answer
What is Yemayá the goddess of?
She is depicted as a mermaid, capable of venturing into any body of water freely. The Yoruba see Yemayá as the patron spirit of pregnant women. She watches over them and protects them, ensuring a safe labor. She is also associated with amniotic fluid, keeping her children safe against the harsh dangers of the world.
What does Yemaya control in the sea?
Yemaya controls the parts of the sea that a human knows. She controls the part of the ocean where there are plants, fish and other marine life that humans can use for food. 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.
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.
Who are the orishas of Yemaya?
Different roads of Yemaya have had relationships with many of the male orishas including: Orunmila, Ogun, Inle, Orisha Oko, Obatala and Aggayu. She is one of the four pillars of the Santeria religion along with Obatala, Oshun and Chango.
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 known for?
She is the orisha of fertility as well as of bodies of water and has under her protection dockworkers, boatwrights, fishers, sailors, swimmers, and others who work, live, or travel around water. Yemonja is the patron of the Gelede Society (“Society of Mothers”).
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.
What month is Yemaya?
She does not easily lose her temper, but when angered she can be quite destructive and violent, as the flood waters of turbulent rivers....YemọjaDay2 February 31 December 8 December 7 SeptemberColorBlue and White/Crystal beadsRegionYorubaland, Brazil, CubaEthnic groupYoruba people,7 more rows
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.
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.
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).
Where is Yemaya from?
NigeriaYemaya, 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 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 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.
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.
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 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.
What is the name of the river orisha?
Yemaya, also known as Yemoja, Yemanja, Yemalla and others, was the river or sea orisha of the Yoruba people, one of the largest ethnic groups of southwestern Nigeria. In Yoruba religion, she was considered as the mother of all living things and was among the most powerful and loved deities of all, and was also known as the Queen of the Sea.
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 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.