9 - Oshun

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 · 2 years ago

Name of a river in Oxogbô, region of Nigeria, in Ijexá. It is considered the mythical abode of the Orisha. Despite the common association between rivers and female Orixás in African mythology, Oxum is highlighted as the owner of fresh water and, by extension, of all rivers. Therefore, its element is the water in discreet movement in the rivers, the semi-still water of the non-swampy lagoons, as the predominantly muddy ones are destined for Nanã and, mainly, the waterfalls are from Oxum, where votive ritual foods and gifts from their saint-children.

Oxum dominates the rivers and waterfalls, crystalline images of its influence: behind an apparently calm surface there can be strong currents and deep caves.

Oxum is known for its delicacy. Legends adorn her with rich clothes and objects for personal use orixá female, where her image is almost always associated with motherhood, being common to be invoked with the expression "Mamãe Oxum". Likes to wear necklaces, jewelry, everything related to vanity, perfumes, etc.

Favorite daughter of Oxalá and Yemanjá. In the myths, she was married to Oxossi, whom she deceives, to Xangô, to Ogun, from whom she suffered mistreatment and Xangô saves her.

He seduces Obaluaiê, who becomes hopelessly in love, thus getting him to drive the plague away from the kingdom of Xangô. But Oxum is unanimously considered to be one of Xangô's wives and a rival of Iansã and Obá.

Second wife of Xangô, goddess of gold (in Africa her metal was copper), wealth and love, she was queen in Oyó, being her favorite for her youthfulness and beauty.

The woman's womb belongs to Oxum and at the same time controls fertility, so children belong to her. Motherhood is her great strength, so much so that when a woman has difficulty getting pregnant, it is Oxum that she asks for help. Oshun is essentially the Orixá of women, presides over menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth. It plays an important role in initiation rites, which are pregnancy and birth. Orixá of motherhood, loves children, protects life and has healing functions.

Oshun showed that menstruation, instead of constituting a reason for shame and inferiority in women, on the contrary proclaims the reality of female power, the possibility of having children.

Fertility and fertility are, by extension, abundance and plenty and in a broader sense, fertility will act in the field of ideas, awakening the creativity of the human being, which will make its development possible. Oxum is the orixá of wealth - owner of gold, fruit of the bowels of the earth. She is cheerful, laughing, full of dengos, intelligent, woman-girl who plays with dolls, and woman-wise, generous and compassionate, never getting angry. Elegant, full of jewels, she is the queen who refuses nothing, gives everything. She has the title of iyalodê among the Yoruba peoples: the one who commands the women in the city, arbitrates disputes and is responsible for good order at the fair.

Oxum has linked the concept of fertility to her, and it is to her that women who want to get pregnant go, being her responsibility to take care of both the fetuses in gestation until the moment of delivery, where Iemanjá supports the child's head and delivery. to your Fathers and Mothers. Oxum still continues to watch over newborn children, until they learn to speak.

It is the orixá of love, Oxum is seductive sweetness. Everyone wants to get her favors, taste her honey, her charm, and for that they please her by offering perfumes and beautiful artifacts, all to satisfy her vanity. In the mythology of the orixás, it presents itself with specific characteristics, which make it quite popular in cults of black origin and also in artistic manifestations about this religiosity. The orixá of beauty uses all his cunning and extraordinary charm to conquer the pleasures of life and perform various feats. Lover of fortune, splendor and power, Oxum does not measure efforts to achieve his goals, even through extreme acts against those who stand in his way. She uses her seductive gift to satisfy her ambition to be the richest and most revered. Her greatest desire, however, is to be loved, which makes her take great risks, taking on difficult tasks for the good of the community. In her adventures, this orixá is both a brave warrior, ready for any confrontation, and a fragile and sensual amorous nymph. Determination, malice to deceive enemies, tenderness towards her loved ones, Oxum is, above all, the goddess of love.

The Orisha lover attacks the competitors, so that they do not steal her scene, as she must be the only one capable of centering attention. In the art of seduction there can be no one superior to Oxum. However, she gives herself completely when hopelessly in love, after all, romanticism is another mark of her. From tribal Africa to Brazilian urban society, the muse who dances in terreiros with mirror in hand to reflect her stunning beauty is as loved as the divine mother who bestows valuable fertility and gives herself for her children. For all her attributes, the beautiful Oxum could not be less admired and loved, it is not by chance that her color is the shining yellow gold, because as Caetano Veloso sang, “people are to shine”, but Oxum is the brightness itself in orixá.

Oxum's face is eagerly awaited by her mother, who takes ebó (offering) to the river to get pregnant. And such despair is not that of Iemanjá when she sees her little daughter bleed right after birth. To cure her, the mother mobilizes Ogun, who resorts to the healer Ossãe, after all, the first and so dear daughter of Iemanjá could not die. A spoiled daughter, Oxum is guarded by Orumilá, who raises her.

Nanã is the old, surly matriarch, a grandmother who once had power over her family and lost it, feeling relegated to the background. Iemanjá is the adult and mature woman, in her fullness. She is the mother of legends – but in them, her children are always adults. Despite not being the age of Oxalá (being the second wife of the Orixá of creation, and the first being the elderly Nanã), she is not young. It's the one that tries to keep the clan together, the one that arbitrates disagreements between contrasting personalities, it's the one that cries, because the adult children already come out from under its wing and run the worlds, moving away from the basic family unit.

For Oxum, then, the position of the young mother was reserved, the woman who still has something of a teenager, coquettish, malicious, at the same time that she is full of passion and objectively seeks pleasure. Her responsibility in being a mother is restricted to children and babies. It starts before, even, in the fertilization itself, in the genesis of the new being, but not in its development as an adult. Oshun also has as one of its domains, sexual activity and sensuality itself, being considered by legends one of the most beautiful physical figures of the Yoruban mystical pantheon.

His pursuit of pleasure implies sex and also the absence of open conflict – he is one of the few Yoruba Orixás who absolutely does not like war.

Everything that comes out of the mouths of Oxum's children must be taken into account, as they have the power of the word, teaching spells or revealing omens.

It plays an important role in the game of cowries, because it is her who formulates the questions that Exú answers.

In Candomblé, when Oxum dances, she carries a sword and a mirror in her hand, revealing herself as a warrior of seduction. She bathes in the river, combs her hair, puts on her jewelry and bracelets, all in a languid, teasing movement.

Features

Assignments

It encourages marital union, and favors the achievement of spiritual wealth and material abundance. It acts in the lives of beings stimulating in each one the feelings of love, fraternity and union.

The Characteristics of the Children of Oshun

Oshun's children love mirrors, expensive jewelry, gold, they are impeccable in their attire and do not show themselves publicly without first taking care of their clothes, their hair and, for women, their painting.

The people of Oxum are vain, elegant, sensual, they love perfumes, expensive jewelry, beautiful clothes, everything related to beauty.

Perhaps no one has been so happy to define the daughter of Oshun as the researcher of African religion, the Frenchman Pierre Verger, who wrote: "the archetype of Oshun is of graceful and elegant women, with a passion for jewelry, perfumes and expensive clothes. women who are symbols of charm and beauty. Voluptuous and sensual, but more reserved than those of Iansã. They avoid shocking public opinion, to which they attach great importance. Under their graceful and seductive appearance, they hide a very strong will and a great desire for social ascension".

Oshun's children are more discreet, because, just as they appreciate social prominence, they fear scandals or anything that can denigrate the image of harmless, kind people who build cautiously. The sweet image, which hides a strong determination and a very striking ambition.

Oshun's children tend to get fat; they like social life, parties and pleasures in general. They like to get the attention of the opposite sex.

Sex is important for Oshun's children. They tend to have an intense and meaningful sex life, but different from the children of Iansã or Ogun. They always represent the type that attracts and is always pursued by the opposite sex. Appreciates luxury and comfort, is vain, elegant, sensual and likes change, and can be unfaithful. They arouse jealousy in women and engage in intrigue.

In fact, Oshun's children are too narcissistic to like anyone other than themselves very much, but their facility for sweetness, sensuality and affection can make them seem like the most passionate and dedicated beings in the world. They are good housewives and companions.

They are very sensitive to any emotion, calm, calm, emotional, normally they have a great facility for crying.

The psychological archetype associated with Oshun is close to the image one has of a river, of the waters that are its element; appearance of calm that can hide currents, holes at the bottom, caves, everything that is neither straight nor direct, but unclear in terms of shape, full of meanders.

It's part of the type, a certain coquettish laziness, a persistent but understated irony and, on the face of it, just inconsequential. You can be self-seeking and indecisive, but your biggest flaw is jealousy. One of the most common defects associated with Oshun's superficiality is understandable as a deeper manifestation: their children tend to be gossips, but not for the mere pleasure of talking and telling others' secrets, but because this is the only way they can get information in return. .

He is very suspicious and has great intuition that is often put to the service of cunning, getting everything he wants with imagination and intrigue. Oshun's children prefer to deftly circumvent an obstacle rather than face it head on. Their attitude resembles the movement of the river, when the water goes around a very large stone that is in its bed, instead of colliding violently against it, for this very reason, they are very persistent in what they seek, having strongly defined objectives, even reaching to be incredibly stubborn and obstinate.

However, sometimes they seem to forget a goal that was once so important, not caring about it anymore. In reality, it will be acting in other ways, using other strategies.

Oxum is like this: hit, took. He doesn't tolerate what he considers unfair and loves a tantrum. From beauty to dexterity, from fragility to strength, with a
feminine touch of kindness

Ritualistic cuisine

Omolocum
Cooked black-eyed peas, passed in palm oil with chopped parsley and dried shrimp, also chopped or grated. Place in a white earthenware bowl, adding boiled eggs on top.

With white hominy
White hominy cooked in pure water without salt and black-eyed peas cooked in pure water without salt. In a white ceramic bowl, place a layer of hominy,
a layer of black-eyed peas and, on top, 3 boiled eggs cut into slices.

Legends of Oshun

How Oshun managed to participate in the meetings of the male Orixás

As soon as all the Orixás arrived on earth, they organized meetings in which women could not participate. Oxum, angry at not being able to participate in the meetings and deliberations, decides to show her power and importance by making all women sterile, drying up the sources, thus making the land unproductive. Olorum was sought out by the Orixás who explained to him that everything was going wrong on earth, despite everything they did and deliberated in the meetings. Olorum asked them if Oshun participated in the meetings, that's when the Orixás told him no. He then explained to them that without the presence of Oxum and his power over fertility, nothing would go right. The Orixás invited Oxum to participate in their work and meetings, and after much insistence, Oxum decides to accept. Immediately the women became fertile and all the enterprises and projects had positive results. Oxum is called Iyalodê (Iyáláòde), a title given to the person who occupies the most important place among the women of the city.

How Oxum Created Candomblé

It was from Oxum the delicate mission given by Olorum to reconnect the orum (the sky) to the aiê (the earth) when they were separated by the indifference of men. Such was the annoyance of the orixás in not being able to live with humans anymore that Oxum came to the aiê (the earth) to prepare them to receive the gods in their bodies. He gathered the women, bathed them with herbs, shaved and adorned their heads with an Ecodidé feather (a sacred bird), decorated their necks with threads of colored beads, their wrists with idés (bracelets), finally made them beautiful and ready to receive the orixás. And they came. They danced and danced to the sound of atabaques and xequerês. For the joy of the orixás and humans, Candomblé was invented.

Oxum is fearless in the face of the difficulties faced by her

1. Oxum is fearless in the face of the difficulties faced by her

   She uses her sensuality to save her community from death. She dances with her handkerchiefs and honey, seducing Ogun until he returns to producing instruments for agriculture. Thus the city is free from hunger and misery.

2. Oxum faces danger when Olorum, supreme God, offended by the rebellion of the orishas, holds the rain in the orum (Sky), letting drought and hunger strike the aiê (the Earth). Transformed into a peacock, Oshun flies to the greater god taking an ebó, to beg for help. On the way, she doesn't hesitate to share the ingredients of the offering with the old Oxalufã and the children she meets. Even becoming a vulture by the heat of the sun, which burns her, blackening her feathers, she reaches the house of Olorum. And achieves his goal by the commotion of Olorum.
3. Oxalá has his staff thrown overboard and his leg injured by Iansã. Oxum comes to help the old man, healing him and recovering his belongings. She is adored by Oxalá.
4. With great compassion, Oxum intercedes with Olorum so that he resurrects Obaluaiê, in exchange for the sweet honey of the beautiful orixá.
5. And she also guarantees the lives of others by welcoming Princess Ala, pregnant, thrown into the river by her father. Oxum takes care of the newborn, dear Oiá.

The Wealth of Oshun

With her jewelry, mirrors and fine clothes, Oxum satisfies her taste for luxury. Ambitious, she is capable of ingenious stratagems to succeed in life. He goes in front of Oxalá's house and there begins to make a scandal, screaming slander, until he receives the desired fortune from him, and then he shuts up. And so Oxum becomes "lady of as much wealth as no other Yabá (female Orisha) has ever been".

The Loves of Oshun

Oxum fights to win Xangô's love and when he gets it, he is able to spend all his wealth to keep his beloved.

She frees her dear Oxossi from danger and gives him wealth and power to become Alaketu, the king of the city of Ketu.

Oxum provokes a fierce dispute between two brothers for her love: Xangô and Ogun, both famous and powerful warriors, the type she prefers. Xangô is her husband, but regardless, if one of the two brothers doesn't treat her well, the other feels entitled to intervene and win her over. After all, Oxum wants to be loved and everyone knows that she should be treated like a queen, that is, with fine clothes, jewelry and good food, all to her liking. Beauty is the greatest asset of the orixá of love. As Xangô's wife, alongside Obá and Oiá, Oxum is the favorite and is always attentive to remain the most beloved.

How Oxum Got The Secret Of The Buzios Game

Oxum wanted to know the secret of the buzios game that belonged to Exú and he didn't want to reveal it to him. Oxum went to look for him. Upon arriving close to the kingdom of Exú, this suspicious asked her what she wanted there, that she should leave and that he would not teach her anything. She then challenges him to find out what's between his fingers. Exú bends down to see better and she blows a magic dust over his eyes that when falling into Exú's eyes blinds him and burns a lot. Exú screamed in pain and said;

- I can't see anything, where are my shells?

Oxum, pretending concern, replied:

- Buzios? How many are they?

- Sixteen, replied Exú, rubbing his eyes.

- Oh! I found one, it's big!

- It's Okanran, give it to me.

- I found another one, it's smaller!

- It's Eta-Ogundá, come over here...

And so it was until she knew all the secrets of the game of cowries, Ifá the Orisha of divination, by the courage and intelligence of Oxum, decided to also give her the power of the game and share it with Exú.

Another legend tells us that to learn the secrets and mysteries of the art of divination, Oxum went to look for Exú. Exú, very sly, told Oxum that he would teach him the secrets of divination, but for that, Oxum would stay on Exú's domains for seven years, passing, washing and fixing his house, in exchange he would teach her.

And so it was done, for seven years Oxum was learning the art of divination that Exú will teach him and consequently, fulfilling his agreement to help with the household chores at Exú's house. At the end of seven years, Oxum and Exú, had become very attached to their common life, and Oxum decided to stay in the company of this Orisha. On a beautiful day, Xangô, who was passing through Exú's properties, saw that beautiful maiden who was combing her beautiful hair on the bank of a river and with immediate pleasure, he went to declare his great admiration for Oxum. It went to the point that Xangô found himself completely in love with that beautiful woman, and asked if he would like to live with her in her beautiful castle in the city of Oyó. Oxum rejected the invitation, as the company of Exú was very good for him. Xangô then annoyed and upset, kidnapped Oxum and took her with him, imprisoning her in the dungeon of his castle. Exú, immediately felt the lack of his companion and went out to look, in all regions, in the four corners of the world, his sweet pupil of years of coexistence. Arriving in the lands of Xangô, Exú was surprised by a sad and melancholy song that came from the direction of the palace of the King of Oyó, from the highest tower. There was Oshun, sad and crying for his arrest and stay in the city of the King. Exú, smart and cunning, sought the help of Orumilá, who gladly gave him a transformation potion for Oxum to get rid of Xangô's domains. Exú, through magic you can make your companion's hands reach such a potion. Oxum took the magic potion in one gulp and turned into a beautiful golden dove, which flew and can then return in the company of Exú to his address.