Yemoja (Yemoja, Yemaya, Iemanja)
Great Mother Orisha of the Ocean, Rivers, Fertility, and Motherhood
The universal mother who gave birth to many of the Orisha, Yemoja is the great nurturer and protector. Her realm is the ocean and the Ogun River in Nigeria. She embodies the deep, mysterious, life-giving power of the waters. Yemoja fiercely protects women, especially pregnant women and mothers, and all who dwell near the sea. Her embrace is like the ocean - vast, nurturing, and capable of tremendous power when her children are threatened.
Yeye Omo Eja - Mother Whose Children Are the Fish
Yemoja's name derives from "Yeye omo eja" - "Mother whose children are the fish." As fish are countless in the sea, so are her children countless among humanity. She represents the primordial womb from which all life emerged - the salt water of the ocean that mirrors the salt water of the womb.
Attributes and Domains
Mythology and Pataki (Sacred Stories)
Yemoja's pataki reveal her as the primordial mother, the source of life, and a fierce protector. In Nigeria, she is associated with the Ogun River; in the diaspora, she rules the ocean itself - the great waters that carried her children to new lands.
Yemoja Gives Birth to the Orisha
In one origin story, Yemoja's body swelled until it could contain no more. When she burst, the waters flooded forth to create the rivers and oceans. From her womb came many of the major Orisha - Shango, Ogun, Oshun, Oya, and others (the specific children vary by tradition). Her body became the earth, and her breasts became two hills from which flow the source of the Ogun River. This myth establishes Yemoja as the primordial mother from whom life itself flows.
Yemoja and Orunmila - The Origin of Divination
Yemoja was once married to Orunmila, the Orisha of wisdom and divination. She was his first wife and helped him establish the Ifa system. However, Orunmila forbade her from touching his sacred divination implements. One day, curious about her husband's powers, Yemoja secretly used the ikin (palm nuts). When Orunmila discovered this, he banished her. Heartbroken, Yemoja went to live in the river, taking with her knowledge of divination. This is why women can become Iyanifa (female diviners) and why water is used in many divination rituals.
Yemoja's Protection of Women
A young woman was being pursued by an evil spirit who wished to steal her unborn child. She ran and ran until she reached the river's edge with nowhere to go. Crying out to Yemoja, she threw herself into the water. But instead of drowning, she felt the Great Mother's arms embrace her. Yemoja carried her downstream to safety and killed the evil spirit with her waves. When the woman gave birth, Yemoja blessed the child. This is why pregnant women pray to Yemoja for protection, and why births in Yoruba tradition are often accompanied by offerings to the water.
Yemoja and Olokun - The Depths and the Surface
Yemoja and Olokun (Orisha of the deep ocean) have a complex relationship. In some traditions, Olokun is Yemoja's mother or father; in others, they are aspects of the same force. Olokun rules the unfathomable depths - the mysteries beyond human comprehension. Yemoja rules the surface and the waters that touch the shore - the aspect of the sea that interacts with humanity. Together they represent the full power of the ocean, from sunlit waves to the abyss where no light reaches.
The Middle Passage - Yemoja's Grief
When her children were stolen from Africa and forced onto slave ships, Yemoja wept. Her tears filled the Atlantic Ocean with her sorrow. But she did not abandon her children - she followed them across the water, protecting those she could, receiving those who died at sea into her watery embrace. In the Americas, she is honored as the spirit who accompanied the enslaved across the ocean and who continues to protect her children in the diaspora. This is why she is so powerfully venerated in Cuba, Brazil, and throughout the Caribbean.
Children of Yemoja
Yemoja is called the mother of many Orisha, though which Orisha are her children varies by lineage:
Worship and Offerings
Traditional Offerings (Ebo)
Primary offering
Her sacred creatures
Her favorite fruit
Sweet offerings
Especially white roses
Obi
White corn
Floral scents
Sacred Sites
In Nigeria, Yemoja's primary sacred site is the Ogun River in Ogun State, where an annual festival is held. The river's source at the hills is considered especially sacred. In the diaspora, the ocean itself is her shrine - devotees make offerings at the beach, especially at sunset or during the full moon.
Festivals
The Yemoja Festival in Abeokuta, Nigeria, is a major annual celebration featuring processions to the river, offerings of food and flowers, and prayers for fertility and protection. In Brazil, Festa de Iemanja on February 2nd sees millions of people at beaches offering flowers, perfume, and mirrors to the sea. In Rio, boats carry offerings to be thrown into the ocean.
Relationships
Consorts
- Obatala: Considered her husband in many traditions. Their union represents the union of water and land, creation and form.
- Orunmila: Her husband in some stories. Their separation explains aspects of divination tradition.
- Olokun: In some lineages, not a spouse but closely connected - representing different aspects of the sea.
Relationship with Oshun
- Yemoja (salt water/ocean) and Oshun (fresh water/rivers) are often considered sisters or mother and daughter.
- Where rivers meet the sea is sacred to both - a place of special power.
- They represent different aspects of feminine water power - Yemoja the deep mother, Oshun the sweet lover.
Yemoja in the Diaspora
Yemoja is one of the most beloved Orisha in the Americas. Her image as the nurturing mother who crossed the Atlantic with her children gives her special significance in diaspora communities. She represents the connection to Africa that survived the Middle Passage.
Santeria / Lucumi (Cuba)
Called Yemaya. Syncretized with Our Lady of Regla (a Black Madonna whose church is at Havana's harbor). She has many "caminos" (paths) - Yemaya Okute (warrior aspect), Yemaya Olokun (deep ocean), Yemaya Asesu (messenger). Colors: blue and white. Initiation involves elaborate ceremonies near water.
Candomble (Brazil)
Called Iemanja. Queen of the sea, one of the most popular Orixa. February 2nd (Festa de Iemanja) is a national celebration. Offerings of flowers, mirrors, and perfume are sent to sea on small boats. Syncretized with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The mermaid image is strongly associated with her.
Haitian Vodou
Known as La Siren (The Mermaid) and Agwe's wife. She represents the sea itself. Ceremonies include offerings to the ocean. She may possess devotees during rituals, causing them to move as if swimming. Her songs are among the most beautiful in the tradition.
Trinidad Orisha
Called Yemanja or Emanja. Associated with the sea and motherhood. Ceremonies for her are held at beaches. She is called upon for fertility, protection of children, and safe sea travel. Her colors are blue and white.
The Protective Mother
Yemoja is called upon for:
- Fertility - Women who cannot conceive pray to Yemoja
- Safe pregnancy and childbirth - She protects mothers and newborns
- Protection of children - All children are under her care
- Emotional healing - She soothes grief and depression
- Dreams and intuition - She rules the unconscious depths
- Protection at sea - Sailors and fishermen honor her
- Abundance - As mother of fish, she provides sustenance
But Yemoja is not only gentle. Like the sea, she can be terrible in her wrath. Those who harm children or mothers may feel her fury in drownings, floods, and storms. The ocean that nurtures can also destroy.
Related Across the Mythos
Yemoja embodies the Great Mother archetype - the nurturing, life-giving force who protects and provides for all her children.
See parallels: Isis, Demeter, Danu, GaiaRuler of the ocean's vast power, both nurturing and destructive.
See parallels: Amphitrite, Ran, Sedna