Oshun of Yoruba Voodun

 

The one Orisha who is never mentioned among these plots is Oshun. She is the youngest of the Orishas and is either the daughter of Yemaya or her younger sister according to different versions of her story. At the beginning of creation, after Obatala was done with the initial work, Olodumare sent 17 Orishas to earth to set things in order and bring Obatala’s (or Oduduwa’s) work to completion. 16 of these were males, and the seventeenth was Oshun.

Oshun wore a gold dress and jewelry. She was dark, beautiful, and quite flirtatious. While they admired her beauty, the male gods didn’t think that they needed Oshun’s help to create a world. Frustrated that she wasn’t getting the reverence she deserved. 

As a matter of fact, the males ignored her suggestions on how to make life beautiful, meaningful, and sweet, failing in their mission. They were forced to humble themselves and return to Olodumare with the bad news and were asked where the seventeenth Orisha was. When they admitted to ignoring her, they were told they could not complete the work without her and so again had to humble themselves and ask her forgiveness. Oshun gave the world love, fertility, and beauty, instilling the need for these things in all people, and so creation was completed.

 Oshun left this boy’s club and went to the moon, where she lounged and admired herself in the mirror. Oshun didn’t try to convince the male gods of her value or demand reassurance that she was worthy — she just left. She knew they wouldn’t get far without her.