Oya: Yoruba goddess and Orisha of Storms, Winds, and Death

I'll start by saying that Oya (also called Iansa, among other names) is seriously one of the coolest goddesses I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. I mean, for me she's up there with Hel, Kali, Inanna, and Artemis. She's often described as flat out fierce in the mythology - as ferocious as the thunderstorms she helps make.

Oya is considered to be one of the most powerful Orishas (a bit of an oversimplification, but Orishas are a type of god or spirit in Yoruba mythology), and she controls thunder, winds, and tornadoes. She has a strong connection to the dead, as she's a guardian of cemeteries and helps souls transition from this life to the next. Not only that, but it's also believed she can shape-shift into a buffalo.

Before she became an Orisha, Oya was a regular mortal woman. Her first husband was Ogun, Orisha of War and Blacksmithing, but she eventually left him to be with Shango, Orisha of Storms, Fire, and Dance.

According to some sources, Oya obtained her power over thunder when she consumed an enchanted mixture she found in a pot in Shango's home. The concoction gave Shango the ability to control lightning and thunder, unbeknownst to her. Ever since then, it's said that Oya and Shango create storms together.

While Oya was married to Shango, and while Shango served as the King of Oyo, Oya convinced Shango to pit two of his advisors (or generals, depending on the source) against each another because they'd challenged his authority. The hope was that they'd kill each other in battle, but one of them survived. Shango threw the surviving advisor/general into a fire, but the fire did nothing. The advisor/general rose from the flames, alive and well, and he demanded that Shango give up the throne.

Despondent and ashamed, Shango abdicated the throne and hung himself from a tree. After he died, however, he transformed from human to Orisha. Overcome with grief at the loss of her husband, Oya drowned herself in the Niger River. She too ascended and became an Orisha - and the goddess of the Niger River.

Later on, Oya married yet again: this time to Oko, Orisha of Farming and Fertility. Some sources say that Oya could never have children, and that she gave birth to nine stillborns. Others assert that after being unable to conceive throughout her life, she was finally able to have nine children with Oko. This is why she's sometimes called the "Mother of Nine."

I hope you enjoyed June 2021's Myth of the Month!