All about Obá – Origin, characteristics and syncretism

Warrior Orisha, yay is known for its strength and for being the queen of the Niger River, considered the main river in West Africa and the third longest in all of Africa. With a sword and shield in hand, she is always ready to fight for what she believes and stands for is right. Understand better about this powerful Orisha below:

The origin story of Oba

Daughter of Oxalá and Iemanjá, Obá is considered the lady of the revolting fresh waters. In addition, she is recognized for acting in the search for balance and defending justice. In religious syncretism, the Orixá is related to the Catholic Saint Joan of Arc.

As Obá is the lady of the raging waters, she can be found in strong freshwater breaks, waterfalls and pororocas. The Orixá is always accompanied by Nanã and, together, they have control over the floods and the mud. In addition, it is she who has the power to transform food from its raw state to its cooked state.

The physical strength for which the Orisha is known represents female power in the struggle. In both Umbanda and Candomblé, she is a feminine archetype that exudes life, strength and energy. These characteristics make her feared by all the other Orixás. Legends about this figure say that, as long as the dispute is honest, she can defeat anyone.

About Obá – The warrior Orixá and lady of the revolting fresh waters

Her connection with the feminine brings her closer to women and it is the Orixá that they seek when they need strength and protection. Obá is recognized for being a mother who understands the pain her daughters face.

Her appearance is not what one would expect from a woman. By having this stereotype of battle, it does not meet the standards of femininity. Her beauty goes beyond the physical. Obá is beautiful in the way she acts as a warrior and fights injustices.

In his relationship with Xangô, Obá was always by his side during disputes, to contribute to his victory. As a proof of love for him, the Orisha cut off her own ear, so she always appears with her hand covering the region or wearing a turban. The day of the week dedicated to Orisha is Wednesday, the colors that relate to her are brown, red and yellow, and her greeting is “Obà Siré!”.

Obá and her syncretism with Joan of Arc

The strength of the Orixá is the reason for its syncretism with the Catholic figure. Like Obá, Joana D’Arc is recognized for being a warrior. Both the warlike nature and the masculine traits are common characteristics between them. In addition, the two entities are honored on May 30.

Joan of Arc is a controversial and striking figure in the Catholic tradition. Of French origin, the daughter of peasants and very religious, she claimed to have heard the voices of saints at the age of 13. According to her, São Miguel, Santa Catarina and Santa Margarida would have appeared and assigned four missions to her.

The story of Joan of Arc – Understanding her comparison with Obá

The missions were: to end the English siege of Orleans, to take the new king to be crowned, to expel the invaders from Paris and to free the Duke of Orleans. For this, the young woman became a warrior. Although it is not common for women to make war, Joan of Arc did not measure efforts to fulfill her missions.

The girl dressed like the soldiers and fought alongside the French against English domination. She was known for earning the trust of soldiers. With a lot of dedication, she accomplished the first two goals. When she was working for the third, she was injured, arrested and sold to the government of England.

According to the story, there were more than 100 experts and judges who participated in the trial of the young woman for witchcraft. For many people, Joan was a witch infiltrated into the French army to wipe out the English. She was interrogated for a month before being convicted.

The End of Joan of Arc and Her Holiness

Two reasons were decisive for his conviction. The first was that the magistrates believed they heard the voices of the devil during the defense of the young woman and the second was the fact that Joana wore men’s clothes, which was something unthinkable for a woman at the time. Thereupon, she was burned alive and killed at the age of 19 on May 30, 1431.

The end of Joan of Arc was never accepted by many people. In 1920, she was canonized and, considered a symbol of French resistance against invasion, became the patron saint of France.

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