Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
The Many Faces of Oshún

The Many Faces of Oshún

Last updated on: June 9, 2020 at 2:52 pm by Lilith Dorsey

The Many Faces of Oshún 2020-06-09T14:52:27-05:00 Lilith Dorsey

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Oshún is an orisha that manifests in many different traditions. Even within Santeria she has many paths, or different incarnations, where she shows herself beautifully. There is a path where she is seen as an old woman who sits at the bottom of the river knitting and complaining; there is one where she is always crying and hoping things were different; there is one where she is always laughing and seeing the truth in life (some say when she is laughing you should watch out).

“River-side Shrine and Sacred Grove Of Oshun” by Muyiwa OSIFUYE. From WikiMedia, CC 4.0 License

Some paths are aligned with the orisha Chango, lord of fire; some are connected to Ogun, the orisha of smiths and war; and one is even seen as revolutionary and has a special connection to the orisha Ochosi, who wears his ceremonial arrow on her crown. There are many more. Each one delightfully mimics the exact character of Osh.n’s children. Through proper initiation and divination, the particular path that is guiding you will be revealed.

The Myth and the Reality of Oshún

In the tradition of La Regla Lucumi, one of the ways spiritual lessons are taught is through patakis, or sacred stories. They are told as part of one’s divinations, or just when elders feel that others in the religion need to hear them. There is simultaneously only one right way to tell these tales, and a million right ways to tell them. Such is the nature of the religion, which is richly based in oral history and legend that leaves itself open to personal interpretation. There are fortunately elaborate stories to illustrate almost every principle and message the orisha Oshún has set out to teach us. One of the most popular reminds us just how strong she is, and shows that strength is not always defined just in physical terms.

The strength and power of this warrior orisha lie not only in her physical strength, but in her intelligence and boundless powers of persuasion. The Ashe (sacred energy) of Oshún is that of the sweet river. It is both magnetic and irresistible. The following well-known story tells of how in many situations she is stronger, and more successful, than any of the other orishas.

It came to be, many years ago, that a group of very powerful witches hiding in the woods had the intent to take over the world. These were menstruating females, whose moon time had increased their strength and ability. This made them virtually unstoppable. The orishas all gathered and discussed how to best put an end to the witches’ plans. First the orisha Ogun, in charge of war and iron, was sent to discourage them. The witches, however, were too powerful, and despite his massive size and battle skills, he was unsuccessful.

Many of the other orishas tried too, but they had no luck. Finally, Oshún took charge. She mesmerized the witches with her sensual dances and sweet power. They immediately fell in love and began to follow her. She then took on an aspect as queen of witches, and they are still following her today. Oshún, as illustrated, has the ability to command and control almost any situation.

One area that is always of interest to Oshún is love and relationships. There are stories of her being romantically involved with other orishas, such as Chango, Orula, Ogun, Inle, and others. Her interactions with her suitors are legendary, and one story explains this part of her history beautifully.

Long ago, Oshún lived in her mother Yemaya’s house. Each day she would go deep into the woods and dance and sing. Even far removed from people, she still attracted them with her sheer sensual power and magnetism. Every time a hungry suitor got close enough to speak to her and ask her to marry him, she would turn her back and dance away. Soon, scores of admirers followed her all day and all night. They would even appear at her mother’s house, looking for attention.

Day after day, more and more appeared. They began to intrude on the space, trampling the garden, ruining the crops, and disturbing the household. Finally, Oshún’s mother could stand it no more, and she burst from the house yelling,
“Stop it! This is unacceptable. I know my daughter is captivating, but this must come to an end.”

Oshún’s mother decided to devise a clever contest. She told the desperate crowd, “All of you wish to have my daughter as your wife, but how can you do that if none of you even know her name? The one who learns her name will have my permission to truly be with her.” The potential lovers did everything in their power to discover her secret name. They asked everyone in the village, to no avail.

One of the suitors was Orunmila, the orisha of divination. Again and again he tried to use his psychic powers to learn her name but had no luck. In the end, he turned to his friend Eleggua to help him learn the secret. Eleggua is an orisha known for his ability to open doors, find lost things, and create clever solutions to any problem. He accepted the challenge to find the name of the most beautiful woman in the land.

Eleggua tried every trick he knew to learn the name. First he disguised himself as a young child and played beneath Oshún’s window, hoping to hear someone inside speak her name. When that tactic was unsuccessful, he turned himself into an old homeless man and slept all night on her doorstep, all in the hopes of learning her name. He did this for many nights. Just when he was about to give up hope, he heard a large crash and yelling coming from the house. He looked inside to find the two women yelling.

Oshún had been practicing a new dance move, and one of her turns had broken a soup pot. Her mother screamed, “Oshún! Be careful.” Eleggua quickly went back to his friend with this knowledge. Orunmila was so excited to hear the results. “Tell me, tell me!” He pleaded.

Eleggua described the hardships he had undergone to learn the name. “I had to be a child and run around under their window all day, and then I had to be an old beggar and sleep on their uncomfortable doorstep for many nights,” Eleggua said.

“Please, please, please I must know,” Orunmila responded. He was almost begging.

Finally, Eleggua said her name. Orunmila ran to Oshún’s house and told her mother the secret name. Shortly after, they were married. It is said that for a great number of years they were happy together.

________
Adapted, and reprinted with permission from Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens by Lilith Dorsey is available wherever books and ebooks are sold or directly from the publisher at www.redwheelweiser.com or 800-423-7087

Uncategorized

Orisha Oshun

Orishas Goddesses and Voodoo Queens

Oshun

About Lilith Dorsey

Lilith Dorsey M.A. , hails from many magickal traditions, including Celtic, Afro-Caribbean, and Native American spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University and the University of London, and her magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo.Lilith Dorsey is a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,’ choreographer/performer for jazz legend Dr. John’s “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show, and author of Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism, 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic and the newly released Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

June 4, 2020

Riots, Racism, Representation, Rights, and Reparations ... A Rant

Next Post

June 29, 2020 Listen To Black People ! Advice and Resources for Allies !

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ancestors astrology Candomble Crystals Divination Entertainment Goddess Herbs Hoodoo Ifa Pagan Ritual Recipes Santeria Spells Uncategorized Vodou Voodoo Witchcraft

Select a Month May 2025 January 2025 September 2024 August 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 September 2023 June 2023 March 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 January 2022 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the name of the garden where Jesus prayed before His arrest?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Eden Gethsemane Golgotha Bethany