Oya

For the name, see Oya (name). For the Spanish village, see Oia, Spain.

Iansã Sculpture at the Catacumba Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Oya (known as Oyá or Oiá; Yansá or Yansã; and Iansá or Iansã in Latin America) is an Orisha. She is either syncretized with the Virgin of Candelaria or St. Therese of Lisieux.

Name

In Yoruba, the name Oya literally means "She Tore". She is known as Ọya-Iyansan – the "mother of nine." This is due to the Niger River (known to the Yoruba as the Odo-Ọya) traditionally being known for having nine tributaries.

See also

• Egungun-oya

References

• OYA, Judith Gleason, Harper, San Francisco, 1992 (Shamballah, 1987), ISBN 0-06-250461-4
• Charles Spencer King.,"Nature's Ancient Religion" ISBN 978-1-4404-1733-7