(AI modified. Briefly - the Spanish says don’t ignore or disrespect her decisions on pain of losing her blessing)
I have a digital friend in Cuba who also studies belief systems. She posted a great story about Osun - a well liked goddess. The overall pantheon is Yoruba and it has hundreds of deities. Her post was in Spanish so I jumped over to Britannica to get the overall story in English (Wikipedia also has it). My friend feels that Osun is a very sensitive goddess quite capable of revenge if she is not venerated. Britannica does not emphasize that as much.
Yoruba originated in Africa but it traveled to the Latin American areas and is still observed in Cuba, Haiti, etc.
Here is a snippet of what Britannica says:
Oshun, an orisha (deity) of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Oshun is commonly called the river orisha, or goddess, in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas, and, like other gods, she possesses human attributes such as vanity, jealousy, and spite.
Several myths exist concerning Oshun and her significance as a Yoruba deity. In most Yoruba stories, Oshun is generally depicted as the protector, saviour, or nurturer of humanity. Oshun has also been described as the maintainer of spiritual balance or mother of sweet things. One myth highlights Oshun as the central figure in the creation of human beings. The Yoruba people believe that the orishas were sent by Olodumare, who is considered the Supreme God, to populate the Earth. Oshun, being one of the original 17 sent to Earth, was the only female deity. The other gods, all male, failed at their attempts to revive and populate the Earth. When they realized they were unable to complete the task given to them by Olodumare, they tried to persuade Oshun to help them. Oshun agreed and brought forth her sweet and powerful waters, bringing life back to Earth and humanity and other species into existence. As that Yoruba myth suggests, humanity would not exist if Oshun, the goddess of life and fertility, had not acted.
(snipped - the article is quite long)
Oshun is especially important to women in West African cultures. Those who want children and who may suffer from infertility usually call on Oshun for assistance, and she is associated with the concepts of femininity and the power of women. More widely, she is sought after in times of drought or severe poverty. With the impact of the transatlantic slave trade and dispersion of Yoruba culture, Oshun is also an important figure outside Africa, where she is known by other names, such as Oxum in Brazil and Ochún in Cuba.
Here is an image NightCafe made of her. I was going to use it first but I liked my friend’s image much better. NightCafe often gets deities completely wrong but this one at least gave her dark skin.
(AI)
