The orixá Oxum: its qualities, syncretism, symbol and more!

Oxum is the Lady of fresh and calm waters, but waterfalls are also part of her domain. Orisha of love, she is the young and seductive mother, who takes care of all pregnant women, women who want to get pregnant and also children, from the womb until the moment she learns to speak.

Beautiful and intelligent, she is always represented with golden robes and many jewels. She carries her mirror in one hand and a sword in the other, even though she is one of the few deities in the African pantheon who has no affinity for war. Despite this, she fights until the end to defend the one she loves and prove her love.

Lady of waterfalls, she overflows with femininity, delicacy, intuition and magic. Her words are powerful and full of wisdom. However, Oxum can be more self-centered than other Orixás, which is not a bad thing, just a feature. But it is clear that she will go to great lengths to help those she loves and deserve her love.

Understand better what they say about this powerful Iabá, whether in Candomblé or Umbanda. Also take the opportunity to find out about its syncretism with the most diverse religions, its qualities, main elements and, of course, the characteristics of the daughters and sons of Oxum could not be missing.

African legends or Itãs tell many stories about the beautiful, intelligent and prosperous Oxum, the only one who managed to deceive Exu and the first Iabá (female Orisha) to be part of the council that discusses humanity.

In both Itãs, she uses her sweetness, intelligence and strength to win, showing that she can be both the warrior who wields the sword, and the skittish maiden, who, like the calm water of the river smoothes the stone, holding her abebé (mirror ).

Understand better who this sweet mother, powerful Orixá is, both in Umbanda and Candomblé. Also understand her origin, according to her Yoruba descent.

■

Both in Umbanda and Candomblé, Oxum is very similar, being one of the few Orixás who achieves this feat. Iansã, for example, has several divisions and even mixes with other archetypes, such as Oyá or Ewa. The big difference between the two religions is in the way they perceive the Orixás.

While for Candomblé, the deities are directly related to the 4 elements and are our ancestors, in Umbanda there is a strong connection between the archetypal image and spiritual guides or entities of light, acting in tune with the vibratory frequency of the Orisha.

In this way, Oxum is also the beautiful and wise Iabá of fresh waters, with an important difference: in Umbanda, she is master of her phalanx, commanding various spirits that accompany and serve her. Each phalanx is a path or quality of Oxum, leading entities that are incorporated in terreiros and tables around the world.

In Umbanda, both the Orisha and its phalanges and workers connected to it can be incorporated into the medium – duly prepared and initiated in the terreiro with the herbs of Oxum. Furthermore, altars are prepared for Oxum on her day and, if she is the regent Orisha of the terreiro, she will always have an altar for herself.

■

Candomblé also differs from Umbanda in that it does not use altars for Oxum or another Saint, in general, its religious practice being carried out in the terreiro, usually in a circular shape and with a pole in the center. Oxum brings all its energy baggage through its relationship with the water element, considered from the mineral kingdom.

There is also no incorporation, as they do not believe in spirits, but eguns – which are the souls that are lost and have to be directed back to heaven. That is, they cannot have access to the practitioners’ magnetic field, and there are no incorporations, neither of Orixás, nor of guides or wise spirits, as this is not part of their belief system.

In this way, the manifestation of Oxum during the dance in the terreiro, for example, happens from the inside out, from the heart, as something that already naturally inhabits the son or daughter of Oxum. After all, for Candomblé, there is a direct descendant of this powerful Iabá, even if its origin is fundamentally based on creed.

Osun is the name of the Orixá in Candomblé, as well as the name of the river located in Oxogbô, in the region of Nigeria, in Ijexá, where its cult was born. That’s where she dwells and provides plenty, fertility and movement. Unlike other Orixás in Candomblé, she was not an incarnate queen or a great warrior, having always been the daughter of Oxalá and Yemanjá.

She is the Lady of love, skittish, intelligent and sweet as the water that runs smoothly along the river. However, when he wants to be, he is also persistent, trimming the edges of the stones and digging new paths. And make no mistake, it can be as strong as the waterfall that hits the rocks and takes with it everything that is not good, purifying through strength and persistence.

■

According to Yoruba mythology, Osum or Oxum is the river that nourishes, brings beauty, life, fertility. Oxum is the river itself, manifesting itself in the form of a beautiful woman with black skin and dressed in gold. Originally, it was related to copper, considered the most noble metal, and later it was dressed in gold, when this metal was valued.

Oxum is the daughter of Oxalá – one of the most important orixás who represents the very creation of nature and spirituality – with Yemanjá, the maternal, protective and generating force, also the Lady of salt waters. There are Itãs who claim that Oxum is the result of an extramarital affair by Yemanja, being lovingly welcomed and raised by Oxalá.

Regardless of the situation, she is the apple of Oxalá’s eyes, being very attached to her father as well. Smart, persuasive and full of energy, she gets what she wants from Oxalá and she also does everything for him. So much so that, even though she used her magic skills and intelligence to deceive Exu and know the game of Búzios, she was not only forgiven but she also shared this skill with him.

Your bond with your mother is one of equality and union, both being Mistresses of fertility and abundance, each in their own vibrational and acting field. More linked to conquest, passion and sensuality, Oxum also refers to fertilization, pregnancy and childbirth. Yemanjá, on the other hand, is linked to the family, as well as to childbirth and directing the baby’s head to its regent Orisha.

Religions originating from our African matrix had to go through many adaptations to survive the slavers. Among them is the adaptation of the creed to the Christian pantheon, so that they could praise their Orixás, even using Catholic names. In this way, syncretism with the Catholic Church was born, which remains to this day.

On the other hand, syncretism can occur among the most diverse religions, as the archetypes are often extremely similar. In other words, you can syncretize Oxum with other deities that have similar characteristics, after all, what is a deity if not the archetypal representation of elements of nature – natural or human – applied to an end?

In Catholicism, Oxum is syncretized with several Nossa Senhoras, such as Aparecida, Conceição, Candeias and Prazeres. In other pantheons, she is associated with deities of prosperity, fertility and love, as is the case with Aphrodite, in the Greek pantheon, Venus, in the Roman, Hattor in the Egyptian, Laksmi in the Hindu and Freya in the Norse.

■

Both Nossa Senhora Aparecida and Oxum are mothers dedicated to their children. Black and sensitive women, they are easily moved by the pain of their loved ones and seek to help, with their sweetness and intelligence, even acting in seemingly impossible causes.

Just as Oxum is the Lady of fresh waters, Our Lady of Aparecida was found in a river, bringing an abundance of fish never seen before at a time when scarcity was driving its people to despair. Likewise, Iabá is associated with abundance and prosperity.

Loving mothers, both Santa and Orisha, are representations of the greatest love, detached and that spares no effort to dry the tears of those who suffer. Sensitive, generous and crying, they are strong and proud women, who never leave their children abandoned to suffering.

■

Nossa Senhora da Conceição is the patron saint of Aracajú, in the Northeast of the country, and is also the protector of the first chapel created by Tomé de Souza, in Bahia. Mainly in the Northeast, she is syncretized with Oxum, giving rise to a beautiful festival on her day, with the union of rites and symbols of both pantheons.

Our Lady of Conception is the one who conceived Jesus, without having original sin, thus remaining immaculate. In other words, she is essentially the great mother, the one who takes care of, teaches and guides along the paths of life, always with unconditional love for her child.

■

Nossa Senhora das Candeias, da Luz, da Purificação or das Candelárias is the patroness of Curitiba, being worshiped throughout the country. She is the Mary who takes care of the baby Jesus, teaching him the ways of God, through love and kindness.

It was an ancient custom to present the newborn to the high priest 40 days after birth. When Mary took Jesus, he announced Jesus as salvation, as it reads in the Book of Luke: “Now, Lord, let your servant go in peace, according to your word. For mine eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the eyes of the nations: a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Oxum has a direct connection with Nossa Senhora das Candeias in Bahia, where the Saint is also represented in black and is a symbol of a zealous mother who fights for the health and growth of her child. In the city of Candeias, there is even a source of fresh water named after the Saint, whose waters are considered miraculous, bringing hundreds of faithful and tourists to the place.

■

Our Lady of Pleasures could also be called Our Lady of the Seven Joys, portrayed by the Franciscans as the Annunciation, Elizabeth’s Salutation, Jesus’ Birth, Visitation of the Magi, Meeting Jesus in the Temple, Appearance of Jesus Resurrecting and the Coronation of Mary in the sky.

It was unexpectedly found above a freshwater spring, and from then on it became a source of healing for anyone who drank from it. An important man took the image and took it to his home, but it mysteriously disappeared days later, reappearing in another source of fresh water, where a chapel was built in his honor.

Both Oxum and Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres are related to care, mysteries and, above all, love for their children, evidenced by care. Both originate from fresh water and their powers are related to it, strengthening the bond between these two deities.