One of the chants of the xirê of Oxum, the orixá (orisha) of fresh waters and love. Listen in the video above and follow the lyrics below.
Yeye, yeye, yeyê ô
Ya oro mi wa
ni axé toru efón
é Oba Koso ayaba o
Ya oro mi wa
ni axé toru efónYia omi ni ibu
odomi ro orixá o lele
The lyrics and meaning
The spelling is phonetic. Some terms are recognizable and help understand the praise:
- Yeyê (“little mother”) repeated at the beginning is the affectionate greeting to Oxum, the root of the well-known “Ora yêyê ô!”.
- Ayaba means “queen” Oxum is greeted as the sovereign of the waters.
- Omi is “water” and ibu refers to the depths of the river; odô is the river itself. The final verses evoke Oxum as the orixá who inhabits the deep waters.
- Efón refers to Ilesa/Ijexá, a region linked to the oldest qualities of Oxum (such as Oxum Opará and Oxum Ijimu).
In the set, the chant praises Oxum as the queen of fresh waters, asking that she bring her axé to the circle.
Who is Oxum
Oxum rules fresh waters, love, beauty, fertility, and gold. She is the welcoming mother of the pantheon and also a warrior queen. Greeting: “Ora yêyê ô!”. See the complete profile of Oxum with colors, day, syncretism, herbs and offerings.
When this chant is sung
It is part of the xirê, the sequence of chants that greets each Orixá. It is sung in the ijexá rhythm, a slow and elegant rhythm traditionally linked to Oxum, at the moment when the community calls and celebrates her.
Frequently asked questions
What does “ayaba” mean in the chant?
Ayaba means "queen" in Yoruba. In the chant, Oxum is hailed as the queen of the sweet waters.
What is the ijexá rhythm?
The ijexá is one of the rhythms of Candomblé, with a slower and more rhythmic pace, traditionally associated with Oxum and other Orixás of the waters. The name comes from the Ilesa/Ijexá region, in the Yoruba land.
