Oshun, the riverine Orisha* of the Yoruba people. Born in the ancient town of Oshogbo, Nigeria, where her principal shrine is decorated with brass figures, she presides over love, prosperity, beauty, dance, and fertility, transcending her power across parts of Africa and the diaspora.
Together with her mother/sister, Yemaya, she symbolises the essence of all existence and potential.
She is fully aware that a reputation for captivating beauty precedes her. Her dark skin is as smooth as velvet, her headdress adorned with vibrant feathers, her body draped in resplendent yellow silk, she wears five golden brass bracelets while holding a golden mirror to admire her divine beauty. Like the river, she is constantly moving, eternally pursuing a path.
Owner of brass, jewellery is her healing medicine. In death, she reigns at the bottom of the river, fully aware that her wealth of treasure invites ripples of jealousy. Sometimes, she is seen crowned, wielding a lethal sword, ready to punish immoral persons who threaten her children and provoke her wrath.
In Haiti, she reemerges as Maistresse Erzulie, the divine mistress. All jewellery and fine arts belong to her. Although her affairs are short-lived, her mission is to spread the love of life and passion. Using her feminine lure, Erzulie perfects the art of luring men into her grasp and receiving whatever she wants from men and male gods.
*(Yorubian deity/ divine messengers of the creator Olodumare)