Glossary

Oxum

Oxum is the Orixá of fresh water — rivers, springs, lakes, and waterfalls — venerated in Umbanda and Candomblé as a goddess of love, fertility, and beauty.

Character and symbols

Oxum is closely linked to gold as well as to water, and her children are described as emotional and affectionate by nature. Her emblem is the abebê, a mirrored fan, her color gold-yellow, and her element water.

Syncretism

In Brazilian Afro-Catholic devotion, Oxum is paired with Nossa Senhora Aparecida and with Nossa Senhora das Candeias — one more example of the region-specific saint-orixá pairings found throughout Umbanda and Candomblé.