Fable Friday: Oshun

Oshun, in the Yoruba religion, is the goddess associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is also called the river orisha, which means goddess. She is also reminiscent of a mother earth/nature type figure, and is the nurturer of humanity. Her myth involves that she was sent to Earth to populate the land by their supreme god Olodumare, and sixteen other gods/goddesses. She is also one of the wives of Shango, the god of thunder. While she is able to give life, she can take it away easily through drought and floods when angered. She is usually depicted wearing long gold robes in some fashion. The Yoruba religion’s homeland is in the southwestern region of Nigeria, but is practiced throughout the western region of the African contingent.