Yemaya, River of Life
Symbol: ocean, all waters
Yemaya is a major water spirit (often depicted as a mermaid) and the mother of all orishas. In the Yoruba language, Yemaya’s name is Iye (meaning mother), ọmọ (meaning child), and ẹja (meaning fish), making her the “mother whose children are fish, representing the vastness of her motherhood, fecundity, and reign over all living things. Other orisha river deities include Ọbà, Oshun, Erinlẹ, etc. She is often known as Olókun’s wife (or husband) or even as their sister (or brother). Olókun is androgynous, and sometimes Yemaya is seen that way too. While Olókun is ruler of the ocean’s depths, Yemaya presides over the surface of the waters.
In Nigeria, she is the patron of the Ogun River, while in Cuba and Brazil, she is the goddess of the oceans. She of often syncretized with Our Lady of Regla in the Afro-Cuban diaspora and Virgin Mary of the Catholic Church. Yemaya is a motherly and extremely protective, caring deeply for all her children, comforting, and cleansing them in their sorrow. This was especially poignant during the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, particularly the Middle Passage. While does not lose her temper easily, when she is angered, her rage can be destructive and violent, as floods and turbulent rivers could cover the earth. As such, she is also the patron of dockworkers, boatwrights, fishermen, sailors, swimmers, and anyone who works, lives, or travels by water.
As the protector of women, Yemaya is also said to cure infertility, aid in parenting, child safety, love, and healing. According to mythological stories, when she was pregnant and her water broke, it caused a great flood, creating rivers and streams, as the first mortal humans were created from her womb. She is often likened to amniotic fluid, as she, too, protects her children against the predatory nature of the world. In many itans (Yoruba mythological stories), Yemaya is either described as having birthed many of the orisha (Ogún, shango, Oya, Oshun, Oba, Oko, Babalu-Aye, Oshosi), or never having given birth at all. The itans also describe her as having long breasts, because of the many children she either birthed or nurtured. What seems consistent in these stories is that Yemaya was particularly sensitive to the frequent teasing from other orisha, turning herself into a river in response.
In Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda traditions, Yemaya is one of the seven orishas in their pantheon. The others include Elegua Obatala, Ogún, Shango, Oshun and Orunmila (or Babalu-Aye). Yemaya is the feminine principle of creation, Queen of the Ocean, the patron of fishermen and survivors of shipwrecks, and the spirit of the moonlight. She is syncretized with Our Lady of Navigators (Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes) and Our Lady of the Conception (Nossa Senhora de Conceição).
In Havana, Cuba, Yemaya is celebrated on the 7th of September. In Uruguay among Montevideo devotees, her festival is celebrated every February 2nd, where hundreds of thousands gather by the ocean with offerings to launch out in small boats into the waters.
Like all the other orishas, Yemaya is known across the diaspora by many names:
Yoruba: Yemọja, Iyemọja, Yemọnja, Iyemọnja, Iyemẹja or Yemẹja
Brazilian Portuguese: Yemanjá, Iemanjá, Janaína, Mãe da Água
Spanish: Yemayá, Yemallá, Madre del Agua
French: La Sirène, Mère de L'Eau
Pidgin and Creole languages: Mami Wata
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References:
The Afro-Cuban Orisha Pantheon
Yemaya, Oshun, and Olokun: Water Gods of Yoruba Mythology and their Influences
