Brazilian (Yoruba) Pantheon

Oxum, Lady of the River of Gold

The Sweet Waters, Keeper of Mirrors and Honey

The River of Gold

Oxum, mother of the sweet waters, you whose river carries gold and mirrors the sky, pour your honeyed grace over this house. Make me beautiful in the way that you are beautiful — patient as the river that cuts stone. Let my love be generous, my prosperity shared, and my reflection one I can face without flinching.

Offered beside flowing water or with a brass bowl of fresh water set on yellow cloth, with honey stirred in.

Ideas for Offering

  • Pour honey into a river or stream while speaking her name
  • Keep a brass mirror on the altar and polish it each Saturday
  • Offer yellow flowers at a waterfall or riverside
  • Carry a small piece of gold or brass in her honour

Accepted Offerings

  • Honey, sweet wine, and golden beer
  • Yellow flowers — sunflowers, marigolds, and yellow roses
  • Pumpkin, cornmeal, and sweet pastries
  • Brass and gold jewellery, mirrors, and combs
  • Perfume, rosewater, and yellow candles

Offering Taboos

  • Never offer her salt or anything bitter — hers is the sweet water
  • Do not mistreat a river, stream, or waterfall
  • Avoid speaking ill of women or of beauty at her shrine
  • Never break a promise made at her waters