Ochún
Ochún is the oricha of the river and of all fresh water, and thereby the patroness of love, sensuality, fertility, gold, and honey. The youngest and, in Cuban devotion, the most beloved of the female orichas, she is the great enchantress whose honey (oñí) sweetens hard fates and whose mirror and brass fan express her love of beauty and pleasure. Her color is yellow, her number five, and her offerings include honey, pumpkins, sunflowers, and gold. She rules the blood and the womb, and her patakí range from the flirtatious young Ochún who saves the world by dancing to the poor and aged Ochún who owns a single ragged dress. She is sister to Yemayá and the famed lover of Changó. In Cuba she is syncretized with Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre (la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre), the patron saint of the Cuban nation.
Domains
- river and fresh water
- love and fertility
- gold and sweetness
Powers
- sweetens fortune with honey
- heals with river water
Epithets
- Yeyé Kari — gracious, generous motherCabrera, El Monte (1954) (secondary)
- Ololodí — owner of the river's depthsBolívar Aróstegui, Los Orichas en Cuba (1990) (secondary)
Relations
- sibling: YemayáSister to the sea-oricha Yemayá.Cabrera, El Monte (1954) (secondary)
- lover: ChangóCelebrated lover of the thunder-king Changó.Cabrera, El Monte (1954) (secondary)
Sources
- Ochún is the oricha of fresh river water, love, sensuality, fertility, gold and honey, syncretized in Cuba with Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of the nation.: Lydia Cabrera, El Monte (1954) (secondary); Joseph M. Murphy, Santeria: African Spirits in America (1988) (secondary)
- Ochún manifests in avatars ranging from the joyous coquette Yeyé to the aged, careworn Ochún Ikolé associated with the vulture.: Natalia Bolívar Aróstegui, Los Orichas en Cuba (1990) (secondary)