OYA
Oya is a goddess of the Yoruba in western Africa. Her name means
"tearer," for her tornadoes and floods tear up the calm surface
of the Niger River. Dressed in blood red and using lightning as a
sword, Oya is a terrifying figure. A warrior goddess, she is also
a patron of female leadership.
In one story, Oya does not allow
herself to be excluded by an all-male ancestral cult. She storms
in and demands to be placed at the top of the great god Chango's
staff so that she may go everywhere he goes. And he permits it,
recognizing that he must appease her to retain his own power.
Legends describe Oya as a beautiful, violent, and utterly
fearless warrior and say she is a daughter of Yemoja, goddess of
the sea.