Iejemanja is the Queen of the Ocean or 'La Diosa del Mar'. She rules the water and oceans, is the essence of motherhood and a fierce protector of children. She is seen as the mother of fishes, the patron deity of the fishermen, the survivor of shipwrecks, the feminine principle of creation and the spirit of moonlight.


Names: Iejemanja, Yemanjá, Iemanjá, Yemaja, Imanja, Yemayá, Yemana,   Yemonja, La Diosa Del Mar, Iemanya.

Also called: Mama Watta, "Mother of the Waters"

Element: Water

Colour: White and blue


Possession: Fan or mirror

Gifts: Flowers, perfume, jewellery, combs, lipstick, mirrors, shells, seawater. These offerings are either given directly into the sea or taken out by local fishermen and made in the hope that she will grant them their requests for the coming year.


Symbols: Crescent moon


Associations: Femininity and fertility



Iemanja takes the form of either a mermaid or a woman with long black hair wearing either a flowing blue or white dress, often rising out of the sea. She wears a veil or crown with beaded fringes and holds a fan or mirror to represent her beauty.











Iemanja can be seen as vain as she is beautiful and knows it however at the same time she is motherly, loving and strongly protective. She cares deeply for all her children, comforting them and cleansing them of their sorrow. She has a compassionate healing force and is said to be able to cure infertility in women.

She is the Sea Mother bringing fish to the fishermen, protecting boats travelling on the sea and rules over the surface of the ocean. She plays the role of provider, teacher, and possessor of the secrets of the depths of the ocean. Her connection with the ocean and waves ties in with her connection with the moon.

She does not easily lose her temper, but when angered she can be like the Sea in a storm- wild, violent and destructive.


Her dance movements represent the sea's tumbling waves, these moves resemble the art of sewing nets, but also represents the salty water cleansing the distressed soul, or a newborn. There is a lot of emphasis on the hands and the legs in Iemanja's dance. The hands alternate with palms that are neither flat nor round and there is a shifting of weight from one knee to the other.

She also dances using her skirt- usually a silver blue dress resembling a fishing net- or her fan. The ensemble varies only slightly consists of a silver-coloured metal crown often fringed with beads, beaded necklaces, a blouse, fan, crown, sword, heavily-starched underskirts, silver-coloured metal bracelets, armlets, and skirt bangles. She is said to wear a dress with seven skirts that represent the seven seas.

The fan, which is silver-coloured metal, represents her beauty. With the swaying of the fan back and forth, Iemanja has the power to bring peace and coolness to the universe. This motion of the fan can also represent the fanning away of negative forces.


Written by Christina