Yemọja (also: Yemaja, Yemanjá, Yemoyá, Yemayá; there are many different transliterations in other languages) is the major water spirit from the Yoruba religion. She is the mother of all Orishas. She is also the mother of humanity. She is an orisha, in this case patron spirit of rivers, particularly the Ogun River in Nigeria, and oceans in Cuban and Brazilian orisa religions. She is often syncretized with either Our Lady of Regla in the Afro-Cuban diaspora or various other Virgin Mary figures of the Catholic Church, a practice that emerged during the era of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Yemọja is said to be motherly and strongly protective, and to care deeply for all her children, comforting them and cleansing them of sorrow. She is said to be able to cure infertility in women, and cowrie shells represent her wealth. She does not easily lose her temper, but when angered she can be quite destructive and violent, as the flood waters of turbulent rivers. She is the creator of “human bodies” along with her partner Obatala.Yemoja might be an evolution of the Orisha Yemoo.
Yemọja is often depicted as a mermaid, and is associated with the moon (in some diaspora communities), water, and feminine mysteries. She is the protector of women. She governs everything pertaining to women; parenting, child safety, love, and healing. According to myth, when her waters broke, it caused a great flood creating rivers and streams and the first mortal humans were created from her womb.
Name variants
Yoruba: Yemọja, Yemaja, Iyemọja, Yemọnja, Iyemọnja, Iyemẹja or Yemẹja in some Yorùbá dialect variants Portuguese phonetic spellings of Brazil: Yemanjá, Iemanjá, Janaína, Mãe da Água Spanish phonetic spelling of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other Spanish speaking countries: Yemojá, Yemayá, Yemallá> French terms for mermaid spirits: La Sirène, Mère de L'Eau Pidgin/Creole Languages: Mami Wata Trinidad Orisha: Yemonjá
Africa
In traditional Yoruba culture and spirituality, Yemọja is a mother spirit; patron spirit of women, especially pregnant women; She is the patron deity of the Ogun river (Odò Ògùn) but she has other rivers that are dedicated to her throughout Yorùbáland. In addition, she is also worshipped at almost any stream, creek, springs in addition to wells and run-offs.
Her name is a contraction of the Yoruba words Iye, meaning "mother"; ọmọ, meaning "child"; and ẹja, meaning "fish"; roughly translated the term means "mother of fish children". This represents the vastness of her motherhood, her fecundity, and her reign over all living things.
The river deity Yemoja is often portrayed as a mermaid, even in West Africa, and she can visit all other bodies of water, but her home and the realm she owns are rivers and streams, especially the Ogun River in Nigeria.
River deities in Yorubaland include Yemo̩ja, Ọ̀ṣun (Oshun), Erinlè̩, Ọbà, Yewa, etc. It is Olókun that fills the role of sea deity in Yorubaland, while Yemoja is a leader of the other river deities.
Americas
In West Africa, Yemoja is worshipped as a high-ranking river deity, but in Brazil and Cuba she is worshipped mainly as a sea/ocean deity.
Brazil
In Candomblé and Umbanda Yemanjá is one of the seven Orixás. White roses are used as a ritual offering. She is the Queen of the Ocean, the patron spirit of the fishermen and the survivors of shipwrecks, the feminine principle of creation, and the spirit of moonlight. Saturday is the consecrated day of Yemanjá.
Colors: light blue and crystal
Ritual garment color: light blue
Ritual jewelry or necklace: crystalline beads
Ritual salutation: Odô-Iya, Erù-Iya, Odôfiaba
Symbols: shells, sea stones
Syncretism
In Brazil, Yemanjá is syncretized with Our Lady of Navigators (Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes) and Our Lady of the Conception (Nossa Senhora de Conceição).
Sacred objects
Sacred objects associated with Yemanjá that are placed in the pegi, the room or space dedicated to an orixá, include:
Dishes and porcelain
Earthen basins
Fruits: obi (Cola acuminata) and the bitter kola nut (Garcinia kola) White jars or pitchers White medals or coins
Ritual sacrifice
Guinea fowl, ducks, hens, she-goat are sacrificed ("orô") on festival days associated with Yemanjá in the Candomblé tradition. Animals sacrificed to Yemonja must be thrown in the water for their disposal.