Yemoja — Ocean, Motherhood, the Great Water

Yemoja (Yemọja, 'Mother Whose Children Are Fish') is the Orisha of okun (ocean), ìyá (motherhood), and the primordial omi iyọ̀ (salt water) from which all life emerged. As documented in Britannica's entry on Yoruba religion, Yemoja is the mother of numerous Orishas and governs the vast depths that simultaneously nurture and endanger. Her domain is distinct from Oshun's fresh water — Yemoja rules the boundless, unfathomable deep. Her worship teaches that the same omi (water) that gives life can take it, and that the àṣẹ of motherhood includes both protective embrace and the terrible power to withhold.

Cross-Tradition Resonances