Oshun reigns over love, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy.

Oshun is beneficent, generous and very kind. She does, however, have a horrific temper, one which she seldom ever loses. When she does, it causes untold destruction. Oshun is said to have gone to a drum festival one day and to have fallen in love with the king-dancer Shango, god of lightning & thunder. Since that day, Shango has been married to Oba, Oya, and Oshun, though Oshun is said to be considered his principal wife.


Names: Ọṣhun, Oxum, Ochun, Ochún, La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Oshun Ana, of luxury and love; Oshun Telargo, as the modest one; Oshun Yeye Moro, as the coquette; Oshun Yeye Kari, "Mother of Sweetness"


Number: 5

Colour: yellow/amber

Metal: Gold/Bronze

Possession: Fan or mirror

Element: Water

Symbols: sun

Associations: Femininity and fertility


Gemstones: Amber, Diamonds, Imperial Topaz, Rutilated quartz, Citrine, golden beryl, yellow flourite


Gifts: Flowers, honey, peacock feathers, mirrors, shells, mead, white wine, oranges, sweets, or pumpkins, as well as perfume. cinnamon, lemons, coconut, yams, chicken, Goldschlager Liquor.


Oshun in a reading indicates sweetness and good cheer, beauty and flowing joy. She is the sweet or fresh waters (as opposed to the salt waters of Yemaya). She is known for healing the sick and bringing fertility and prosperity, and She especially watches over the poor and brings them what they need. As Orisha of love, Oshun is represented as a beautiful, charming and coquettish young woman. In some tales She is said to be a mermaid, with a fish's tail.

Oshun is the Goddess of the river of the same name, and She is especially worshipped in river-towns. During Her yearly festival, She is said to choose one or more women dancers to descend into (much like participants in Vodou ceremonies may be "mounted" or "possessed" by a Lwa). These women then take new names in honor of Oshun and are thereafter consulted as healers. 

Oshun was taught divination with cowrie shells by Obatala, the first of the created Orishas, and then She brought the teaching to humans. She was at one time the wife of Shango, the Orisha of storms, as was Oya, the Orisha of the winds and tempests. Oshun is also said to be the mother of the birds or fishes. The peacock and the vulture are sacred to Her.

Oshun meaning 'Sweet Water'  is a deity of fertility, love, beauty and sensual pleasures, the patroness of artists, witches and diviners. Hers are all the feminine powers and her symbols are the sacred drum which represents her womb, the crescent moon, the colour yellow, mirrors and cowrie shells.



She is usually depicted as a tall coffee coloured woman, with seven bracelets, a mirror at her belt, carrying a pot of river water and honey, and accompanied by a peacock.


Her dance movements represent beauty and grace. She is extremely flirtatious and excitable with her gestures, as she is consistently smiling and giggling with laughter. Certain movements represent her gazing into her own reflection, through waters or mirrors, whilst other movements include her stroking or brushing her hair, and washing herself with water.


The fan represents her beauty, and plays on her coyness and seduction as she sways the fan back and forth in a flirtatious mannor.


- Ochun Dance -- Marta Ruiz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w0o9ekOiEM




Oshun and Ogun forest story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvAYXsxq3fA


Written by Ffion