In Yoruba mythology, Yemoja is the mother goddess associated with oceans and the moon.
Yemoja—also spelled Yemọja, Yemaya, or Yemanjá—is a major Yoruba water orisha and a protective mother spirit. In traditional Yoruba religion, she is especially connected with rivers, including the Ogun River, while Yoruba-derived religions in Cuba and Brazil more strongly associate her with the sea and ocean.
Her name is commonly explained as a contraction involving “mother,” “child,” and “fish,” reflecting her vast maternal nature. Stories describe her as nurturing and protective, particularly toward women, children, and pregnant people. Some traditions also credit her waters with helping shape humanity.
A common mix-up is Olokun, who is more specifically the sea deity in many Yoruba traditions. Yemoja’s ocean role became especially prominent in the African diaspora, and her lunar symbolism appears in several modern religious descriptions. She is often portrayed as a mermaid and is sometimes syncretized with Catholic representations of the Virgin Mary.