Yemoja

The Mother of Waters

Domain: Oceans & Motherhood
Alignment: Lawful Good
Element: Water
Relics of Power: Silver Abebe of Tides

Speak with Yemoja

The People

People

Yoruba people

Region

West Africa & the diaspora

Period

c. 1000 AD – present

The orixás are worshipped by the Yoruba people of present-day Nigeria and Benin, with Ile-Ife as their spiritual center. Through the slave trade, their faith crossed the Atlantic and flourished in the Americas as Candomblé, Santería, and Vodou. It is today one of the most living and widespread African religious traditions in the world.

The Osun festival in Osogbo, Nigeria, draws thousands to the sacred grove of the Osun river, a UNESCO heritage site. The Ifá oracle guides decisions through the odus, and in Brazil the Candomblé terreiros honor each orixá with their own drums, dances, colors, and foods.

The Sacred Scrolls

The queen of salt waters and mother of many Orishas. Protector of fishermen and family harmony with her deep motherly love. As The Mother of Waters, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the iorubas pantheon. Their domains over Oceans & Motherhood reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

Blue and white, the starfish, the abebé (mirrored fan) and seashells

Divine Lineage

Mother of many Orishas; daughter of Olokun, lord of the deep ocean.

The Legendary Myth

Queen of the salt waters and a generative mother, from her are said to have sprung rivers and several Orishas. She protects fishermen and calms sea storms with her motherly love.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the iorubas recounts the journey when Yemoja intervened directly in the lives of mortals.