Oxum-Orisha of Love

Oxum- Orisha of Love

The Mythology

Oxum is the orisha of love, fresh water, and fertility. She is classified under one of the orisha’s in the Brazilian Condomble. Brazilian Condomble is a religion that originated from Africa. This religion was developed in Brazil with a few enslaved priests. Condomble is the mixture of their African mythology and culture. Lastly, Condomble was mostly originated in Salvador, Brazil which is the capital if Bahia. In this religion God is worshiped but so are other individuals known as orishas. One of the orisha’s is Oxum. Oxum is a beautiful woman defined as the god of love and money. She is often confused with a different orisha named Onus. Osun happens to be the protector of the Ori. When looking at a picture of Oxum, one might notice how beautiful she is. She is illustrated as a beautiful woman. She has long dark hair and her physic is in great shape. She is always wearing yellow and in one hand she carries a mirror. Personally this mirror to me suggest that she might be vain and just concerned about her looks. This blog will help you understand the mythology behind this important orisha known as Oxum. In addition this blog will also focus on the dances Oxum presents and the importance to them as well.

Oxum carries many powers with her. She is the orisha of love, fresh water, and fertility. All these characteristics give her power over many people. As the orisha of fertility she is out under the protection of all the pregnancies. According to the Condomble she loves to become pregnant but she dislikes raising them. Believers also believe that she gives her children to one of her siblings, which is Oryx. She is the owner of gold and she likes to be in every location where gold will definitely be. Therefore there is no surprise that her colors are yellow and gold. She is always seen wearing yellow clothing, which symbolizes the power she has over gold. Oxum also lives where there is water. This will be a place like springs, creeks, and rivers. She also believes that the sweets things like honey, wine, and perfume should be offered to her. She is loved and some tales entail that she is a mermaid with a tail of a fish.

Oxum takes importance in every culture and it seems someone even wrote about this enchanting orisha and her daughter Matilde. In Osun Across the Waters, Joseph Murphy tells the story of a Swedish man who instantly falls in love with Matilde. The man first sees the Oxum and she “herself [was] dancing, Oxum beauty, owner of all wealth” (Murphy 81). As Oxum was there so was Matilde. Matilde falls in love with this man as well but the “orixa’s do not accept the romance, especially Xango, Oxum’s husband. Matilde, as a priestess, had seen in the cowries that she would be mortally punished if she followed her heart’s command...she was waiting for him. Her fate was, since her birth, linked to his...she knew that she would have a very short life if she went to him”(Murphy 81). When I first saw this book, I was very surprised because this shows that orishas are very important to people who are not even Brazilian. This small story seems quite interesting because I have never heard about it before. In addition to this book I found a fascinating fact about Oxum in present day. A magazine editor of Marie Claire states that in “northeastern Brazil, women rely on Oxum, she goddess of love, to help them find a mate...[woman use a] key chain honoring her with ‘magical’ herbs bagged in Oxums color...locals often tie in three knots as they make three wishes, then [they] wear around their wrist”. This shows the modern manifestation of Candomble. People deeply believe in orishas and Oxum is one that is followed because she is the goddess of love, fresh water, and fertility.

A Bailar!

Her mythology is incredible but her dances are a story that needs a lot of explaining. Oxum usually starts her dance slowly with hand motions. She is usually always dancing in the middle of the dance floor with her feet closely together because it was said that she lived in the river like a mermaid. The dance Oxum dances and performs focuses in moving the chest, neck, arms, and stomach. Her dance is very complicated because the sternum must be in command since Oxum lives in the waters. The hands should always be at the side of the body with palms up. The body is “require [d] that the shoulders do slight contradictions up as the elbows move away from the body and down as they close in. This set of movement is repeated on the other side”(Choreostories).

Her mythology suggests that her feet are close together because she is a mermaid. Therefore she has no feet choreography. She makes small dance steps and she usually slides across the floor “rather than step”(Choreostories). Her lack of dance steps makes us focus more on her arm movements. According to Professor Anna Scott of the University of California, Riverside Oxum has a “particular choreostory where she moves, she is a rain shower coming back to join the river who in turn rushes to the sea as mermaid. The arms open wide above the head in the same rhythm and movement of the base step. The palms remain cupped, but they gather (as the arms swing wide) it as rain. The feet slide across the floor with one long, initial slide of the right again. Beginning on the left, the movement travels forward and backward”(Choreostories).

She dances with grace and she constantly drops to the floor to collect water. Oxum’s arms go up and she slides her tail. She uses her mirror, which is one of her objects. She also “takes out lipstick, then rouge, then finally she combs her hair...the mirror is still in effect and the arms are still swung from one side to the other, slowly and gracefully as the knees continue to bounce” (Choreostories). Her dance is accompanied with music that is right at the beat with her dances.

Conclusion

Overall Oxum is an important orisha and she has many fanatics. She is as beautiful as Brazilian Condomble. Brazilian Condomble can be best described as a movement that grew due to slavery. Oxum is a part of Brazilian Condomble and she is the orisha of love, fresh water, and fertility. Woman pay great respect to her and her qualities are very well depicted in her dance movements. She lacks foot movement but her mermaid tail moves makes her unique in her representation.

Stephanie Flores

guess who Oxum is? Not to hard to spot right?