OYA: Who is it?, history, characteristics, offerings, and more

Discover everything about Oya, a deity of the Yoruba Pantheon, related to cemeteries. Let her know her ways, her characteristics, her rituals and what offerings this Orisha likes to receive, to keep her happy and count on her favors, any time she needs it.

Introduction

Oya is one of the goddesses of the Yoruba religion, which is an important part of its mythology, being the representative of storms, storms worthy of representing this cult within its Pantheon. She is also considered the mistress, lady and owner of the cemetery doors, which is why she dominates all the dead who are called Eggunes.

She is the wife of the great god Shango, and a being of great influence within the Yorubas; She is also the one who controls the presence of the four winds.

The Yoruba religion is made up of a series of beliefs and traditions of spiritual origin that originate in the people of West Africa, represented by Nigeria and Benin and whose influence has passed to the rest of the world, through the syncretization of its saints through the Santeria.

The slaves during their time of captivity decided to keep their cultures and traditions intact. Reason why they looked for a way to worship their deities without being controlled by their masters. For this reason, they began to worship certain images of Catholicism, to which they associated the qualities presented by each of their saints and worship them in this way, without being stopped by their owners.

For this reason, the goddess Oya has been syncretized through the image of the Virgin of Candelaria and Saint Teresa of Jesus, being venerated through Santeria in Umbanda, with the attributes of dominating the winds, sparks and the dead, and patron saint of all. the cemeteries.

This faculty has been granted to him by Babalú Ayé, dominating the four winds in the company of Eleggúa, Orula and Obatalá. She is a very special goddess who, according to legends, never stopped loving Oggun, even though she joined Shango.

For all this and many other important things about the life and legend about this Orisha, we have decided to write this article, with the aim that all our readers know the life and career of the Goddess Oya, since they can face the time of her death, as she is responsible for directing all spirits towards the light, thereby preventing them from remaining trapped in pain in the earthly world.

Who is Oya?

Oya is a goddess considered an osha, who is closely linked to Ikú, which is a divinity that symbolizes death, and Oya is precisely the owner of the doors of cemeteries and the lady of the dead. She also dominates storms, winds, hurricanes and lightning.

Her representation within the Palo Mayombe cult is Centella Ndoki and this goddess is syncretized mainly with the Virgin of Candelaria, whose festivities take place on February 2 of each year. This Orisha represents a great intensity of gloomy feelings, due to her close relationship with the egguns or dead.

Its symbol is the sparkle and it is responsible for the control of the four winds, a role it performs together with Eleguá, Orunla and Obatalá. To invoke it, the sound of the Flamboyán pod is usually used, and it is the representation of the entire reincarnation of dead ancestors.

It is also a symbol of pure feelings, and of the deepest regret that can be manifested in women, with their typical clothing that represents many colors, except black. Her number is nine, because the Niger River has nine tributaries, and she was born there and is also the mother of nine eggs.

She has been a lover of war, even though Yoruba women are considered not to participate in armies or battles. But she fought alongside Oggun and Shango, in many campaigns.

Her name comes from Yoruba and whose meaning is darkness, but she is also known as Yansá, and is usually greeted with Jekua Jey Yansá! (We recommend you see the article on Prayer to Elegua)

History

In order to understand the meaning of this Orisha goddess, it is necessary to previously know her story, since it is told through many stories known as Patakíes. And she is presented initially following an ideal that was considered far from Yoruba traditions, since women could not belong to armies and even less participate in battles.

It is a divinity related to atmospheric phenomena. Which helped her begin to manifest the character of an Amazon, or warrior woman, being at all times both voracious and brave, and since she was not allowed to participate in war she was worshiped as queen of the winds.

The existence of the air we breathe is attributed to her, and also helps to maintain life present in the waters, with the support of Oshun and Yemaya herself; that in some stories or Patakíes, they are presented in their legends as three sisters. (You can also see the article about Elegua)

She introduces herself as Shangó’s concubine, whom she always accompanies, and fights alongside him, using two swords; she being considered at that time as the representation of the bad wind, waterspout, whirlpool and devastation itself; Well, that’s how great her combative power is.

Legends say that she was Oggún’s wife, and that Shangó himself took her from him as an act of revenge. She is considered a noble woman, but at the same time she has a lot of violence and irritability. Her abode is at the doors of the cemeteries and Fridays of the week are dedicated to her.

In a Patakíes about her story with her sisters Yemaya and Oshun, it is said that she was kidnapped by the chief of a Yoruba tribe, and he asked for a ransom, which was met by her sister Oshun, who loved her and wanted to protect her. , because it is the smallest of the three.

When Oshun appears with the ransom, the chief changes it, to which the Orisha asks at that moment what his new price was for freeing Oya; and the chief of the tribe responds that what he wants is Oshun’s virginity, since he was in love with her, to which Oshun pays the price, since he holds his sister’s life in high esteem, and after surrendering to the chief, he He releases her and the two of them can return to their house, where their older sister Yemayá is waiting for them.

By this time, the creator of the entire world and supreme lord of the Orishas and God Olofin, had already distributed his earthly goods, and granted Yemayá all the seas, making Oshun the lady of the rivers and fresh waters, as well as of the metals present in them.

But Oya was left with nothing, so Oshun prays on Oya’s behalf before Olofin and asks for a small part of the goods for her. The great Olofin, after meditating, thinks that the only thing he has left to distribute are the cemeteries and that is why he grants to little Oya, since he makes her the owner and mistress of all the Cemeteries, with the dead of she.

Characteristics

The goddess Oya physically has great beauty, she is represented by a slender woman with dark skin and an enviable body. Although as we have indicated she had dark skin, her physical features, especially her face, were those of a white woman.

She may be a gentle woman, but when she gets angry she is as dangerous as Shango himself; That is why she follows him in all combats and faces him holding swords in each hand. This goddess is usually represented with the color brown, and another like red wine, but never with the color black, she is a goddess who is usually celebrated on February 2 of each year.

That day being precisely that of the Virgin of Candelaria, which is its syncretization; His favorite metals are lead, copper and iron. He is also known by the name Yanzán.

Its symbol is represented by the sword and its elements, the air with all its manifestations of being in constant movement.

She has dominion over storms, lightning, winds, sparks and death. She has a nature that is restless and authoritarian, with all of her energy being channeled through the winds, circulating sensually throughout the space. That is why she usually stands out among the female Orishas.

The dances performed to this Orisha have a great meaning of war, since their movements give the idea of ​​a combat in the middle of a battle, all accompanied by strong movements like that of tornadoes over the sea.

The dance is usually performed with arms extended and hands facing forward, as a symbol of rejection against the Eggun; This is a type of dance that is quite interesting, striking and especially symbolic, for all those who follow the Yoruba cult of this deity.

Oya as Orisha

The orishas are the emissaries of the Supreme Omnipotent God, sent to earth with the purpose of governing the forces of nature and all matters concerning the development of the lives of human beings. Each of these orishas has been entrusted with a domain or kingdom, where they act as masters and lords, and have devotees who offer offerings and keep them happy.

In the case of Oya, she is considered an Orisha who has a light and power that is reflected on the lives of human beings, she dominates the elements of nature, such as rain, winds, tornadoes and sparks. She also controls the entrance of the dead to the cemeteries.

She has intense gloomy feelings, for being immersed in the world of the dead, being summoned with the flamboyant pod, and being the reincarnation of all human ancestors, being considered the mother of 9 egguns or dead people.

She is an Orisha who is firm and tenacious in her purposes, she does not stop when it comes to sacrifices and works on whatever the circumstances demand, but without abandoning her sensual touch. She is ideal in marriage alliances, since she represents absolute, faithful, strong and captivating love.

This Orisha usually differentiates herself from others, due to the fact that she has a strong and just temperament, who detests lies, and who considers individual freedom to be very important. For this reason, we will leave you the following Patakíes about Oya and Osaín.

One day this Orisha was walking freely through the forest, where she met Osaín, who was collecting medicinal leaves as usual, and kept them in a gourd, which she carries on the tip of a branch. Oya asks for her leaves, but Osaín refused, so she makes use of the wind and with a whirlwind it surrounds him, thereby making all the leaves fly, and thus taking some of them.

In another of the important legends regarding this Orisha, it is said that due to her bravery, she became Shango’s favorite, since both she and Oshun were the wives of this king, and they fought violently; One day Oya even attacked Oshun with lightning, causing her to hide in a hole in the Osogbo River.

But Shango scolds Oya, so she, upset, leaves him alone and hides at the bottom of the ocean, where Olokun was. This was reason enough for Shango to unleash a storm full of lightning and it is at this moment that Eshu decides that it is…