Oya: The Goddess of Many 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPGdoFiGq0M
Link to a video on a brief history of Oya.

Oya, whose name literally means "she (who) tore" in Yoruba is an Orisha in Southern Nigeria which means she is an African Goddess. Shango, God of thunder and lightning stumbled upon a buffalo one day and attempted to kill it but this very buffalo transformed into Oya and he instantly fell in love, making her his wife, his favorite wife at that.  Oya is an Orisha of the Niger River who was born in Ira in the sixteenth century and is also known as the mother of nine because she can communicate with nine spiritual ancestors from the dead who are referred to as egguns. Not only can Oya communicate with the dead, she is an unbeatable female warrior whose power lies and is rooted in the natural world making her also the Goddess of lightning, thunder, tornadoes, hurricanes, rainstorms, and wind. Oya is responsible for bringing strength, change,  and truth to her people and does so successfully in a multitude of ways. 

Oya emphasizes the beauty and great power. 

              Oya, All-Powerful
         Oya is a female warrior for she utilizes every one of her skills in order to create rapid change and protect her people, women especially. The protector and leader of feminine leadership, Oya is both loved and feared all for good reason due to her passion for truth and justice. Oya is important to African culture and is well respected because of her intelligence, strength and overall unpredictability as a powerful woman. On one hand, Oya is the protective mother, loving and caring to all yet at any time she may become the savage, destructive warrior who will destroy villages in order to seek justice and find the truth for her people.  Oya is empowering to me as an advocate for women because she could solely use her powers to destroy but instead, she only utilizes them for the greater good and the protection of her people from any corruptness that may occur. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbdkrZ6H0no
Link to imagery and the dance of Oya.

      Powerful Image 

Oya is a tall, thin, elegant, brown-skinned Goddess who is known to be dressed in a beautiful burgundy dress with a grass skirt containing nine different colored cloths that symbolize the mother of the nine. Oya's main colors are purple and brown and you will never see her in anything black. Oya also wears nine copper bracelets at all times to represent her number and symbol. When Oya dances it is said to be the most beautiful site as her colorful skirt flies in the wind and she dances with an iruke, a horse haired whip that displays even more elegance. This God is to be prayed to in times of change or discourse in your life but Oya is also praised when your life has taken a positive turn and she is to provide reassurance and stability through it all. With the power and ability to sweep away all negativity and create change for all people, Oya is a Goddess that is worth being knowledgeable of and is without a doubt a female warrior. 

Works Cited

"Oya." Blogspot, Yoruba Religion, 24, October 2018, https://cubanyoruba.blogspot.com/2018/06/oya.html#targetText=Oya%20is%20an%20Osha%20and,the%20violent%20and%20impetuous%20character.&targetText=Oya%20is%20the%20Orisha%20of,Oya%2C%20by%20its%209%20tributaries

"Oya: Lady of Storms", http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/oya-storms/Oya.html

“Ọya.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Oct. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ọya.