Nanã

Nanã

The aged goddess of rain, swamp, and mud. These words describe Nanã wife of Oxum mother of many children. She is the goddess that represents the universal and the Earth. Her well known children: Omolu and Oxumare. Although her first born child was infected with a disease known as smallpox she was unable to cure her own child. Her next step was to abandon her son she did so by putting him in a basket and letting him flow by the seashore. As anguished as a mother is she was struggling to do what was best for her son so she felt pressured. Crone, this was her social role since she gave up her baby which later on Yemanjá, the orixá of the ocean found this baby and raised it as one of hers. Nanã walks the streets with a mace since she is old and has a grown man on her back. The grown man on her back is believed to be Oxum. The types of colors that represent Nanã is pink and brown. Naña, being the goddess of the earth she is full of blessing’s which although she is old she can definitely kill. She uses her ibiri, which all males are forbidden to touch it. She is the essence of the Earth and the entire planet.

She is the goddess that is referred as being the god of soil which makes this world a better place with nature. This goddess loves her children and regrets having to do what she had to with her beloved son Omolu who was raised by Yemanjá. Nanã had a gift of distributing her best of wishes to the people because she was considered the mother of all children. Nanã had many grandchildren which she considered being her own because she shared her love with them and the earth. Although having this gift she also had a curse which was based on having to carry a grown man on her back. She is a Guardian deity that protects the rest of her children. Nanã represents a valley, with her strength she defends herself from evil and protects her love ones. She suffers at the time because she can’t see her child who doesn’t forgive her for abandoning him in the river.

She dances with strength and intensity because of the weight that she has on her back. Although she is one of the oldest deities she is still able to dance her dance without getting tired of the weight she carries. As she dances she shows the strength that she has throughout her body when she is in seeking of her child. She steps on the ground with intensity since she is the goddess of the Earth and she represents the soil and grounds that we step on. Then again she can also represent evil and death to many. Many people believe that when she is dancing the man on her back is her husband Oxum. Many people identify that person to be Oxum because she is his wife and when both are together they are stronger and can defeat whatever appears to them.

Being old of age, Nanã can still defend herself and do some incredible dances which sometimes are hard to believe. Since she is always bent over very low she depends on her mace to balance herself from reaching the ground. With all her hard work to protect everyone that surrounds her she forms a trio of a family with her two sons Omolu and Oxumaré. Nanã is the goddess of the earth and everything that is within the world. The way that she controls the Earth is based on her way she dances, close to the ground and near the dirt. Nana, goddess of the lagoons and the mud that surrounds it. She is the one who many people dislike and have placed her as a crone. She lives with the curse of being tormented as an anguished mother because she suffers for her child.

Nana, lives her life on her own creation of the earth, although she lives among many of her children she is old but very wise, never underestimate her wisdom. She offers all the great things that are available in this world, from back in time to now in time.

Claudia Flores