ORISHA/ORISA OSHUN 🐝
Religious Pantheon: Ifa ( Originated in Nigeria) Candomblé Bantu & Ketu (Brazil) Santeria (Cuba, Puerto Rico & Trinidad)
Names/Avatars: Oxum, Osun, Ochun, Lady of Gold, Lady of Fertility & Moon, Oshun Ibu Kole, Ibu Akuaro, Ibu Ana etc
Catholic Syncretism : Our Lady of Charity & the Virgin of Guadalupe
Class: Elevated Ancestor, Spirit, Deity, Love Goddess
Associations: Rivers, Fresh Water, The Moon, Fertility, Femininity, Divinity, Love & Beauty. Witch Queen/Sorcery, Mermaid, Warrior Queen, Vultures, Machetes, Abebe, Honey, Bees, Mirrors
Working/Calling/Summoning:
Can only be called by her initiates.
Non initiates cannot summon or work with her without permission or guidance of a Iyanifa/Iyalawo/Orun Iyanifa/Iyanifa Balogun/Ekerin/Yeyelodu/Santero/Santera/Pai de Santo or Mae de Santo.
Additional Note:
Oshun has no connection to Haitian Vodou or the Lwa Ezili Freda or her veve.
Biography:
During the life of the mortal Osun, she served as queen consort to King Shango of Oyo. Following her posthumous deification, she was admitted to the Yoruba pantheon as an aspect of a primordial divinity of the same name.
When Olofi created the world, the heavens and earth he would communicate through the Ceiba Tree. But man defrauded the confidence of Olofi and he separated the heavens from the earth. From the beginning Olofi had given man everything to become humankind. They had not plowed nor planted anything. For this man began to die of hunger. Oshun, seeing this transformed into a vulture and took a full basket of bread and black-eyed peas to the heavens. There she found Olofi with hunger, and she fed him. Thankful for the food Olofi, asked what is it that she wanted in return for her favor. This is where she interceded for mankind. Olofi, said those that defrauded him, he could not do anything for. But, for her offering of the food, she would find halfway back down to earth a man that could help her. Upon reaching halfway down Oshun came upon Orisa Oko who farmed and saved. Oshun grabbed all she could that he had grown for hundreds of years that he gave her. She returned to the earth, with all she could carry. And fed her people. For her act of generosity, they crowned her queen.
She is the patron saint of the Osun River in Nigeria, which bears her name. The river has its source in Ekiti State, in the west of Nigeria, and passes through the city of Osogbo, where Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, the principal sanctuary of the deity, is located. They say she lives in a cave that still exists today in Ijesa, Nigeria north towards the river Nile. Although this Goddess is adored in many parts of Yorubaland, it is in the City of Osogbo, where her river passes, where she has a larger group of believers.
Considered the owner of all rivers, she was raised on the bosom of Yemaya, who gave her the fortune of the sweet waters to be her home. This is found in the Odun of OseChe, where Oshun, in her efforts to help the world loses her fortune. After this she began to wash clothes at the river and people would pay her with coins. One day, her coin fell in the water and the current took the coin to the sea. She began to beg Yemaya and Olokun to return her last coin, for it was all she had to buy food for her children. The gods were moved by her story and pulled the great seas back till Oshun could see the riches at the bottom of the seven seas. But Oshun only picked up her coin that she had lost and turned away. The Gods not understanding why she would only take her coin and nothing else, said;
"For your honor and honesty, we will give you part of our riches and the river as your home, but never again give it all away."
Oshun also gained the power of Egun in the Odu Irete Yero . Oshun lived with Ayaguna, but she left him because of the Igbin he would eat , this was a taboo for her. She also lived with Osain, Shango, Shakuana, Orunmila, Agayu, Orisha Oko , Oduduwa and Inle. Oshun is the only one that can go as well to Oru.
She is the second wife of Chango and despite being the goddess of love suffers much heartbreak when Chango will not leave Oya, who some consider to be his true love.
