Ewa

Known for her exotic appearance, Ewá is also a symbol of beauty and sensuality, but she never gave herself to any man, remaining chaste and becoming the protector of everything that is virgin and pure, from human beings to forests and rivers.

Don't confuse purity with naivety, because this Orisha is very astute and smart, so don't ever want to awaken your wrath. Sometimes she is confused with Oxumaré, so she is usually worshiped along with her brother and the two are responsible for the rainbow energy. She also has the serpent as her symbol, but in a smaller size than that of Oxumaré.

Ewá is a more traditional Orisha in Candomblé than in Umbanda. His main strength comes from Nigeria, where there is a river named after him. She is regent of mist and mists, and those who challenge her often get lost in life and can never find their way back to her. A warrior woman with great wisdom, Ewá is not afraid of death and has already deceived her several times. Some of her legends say that she also inhabits cemetery regions, where she feels at peace and manages to stay away from Ifá and Xangô.

It is also a tradition that it only rises on the heads of women, so it appears only on the children of female saints. Her most common symbols are: the Ofá used in war, the harpoon, the snake and the lyre.

One of Ewá's legends tells that one day she was washing clothes by the river, which she carried in a giant trough (igba), and noticed that a man was running from afar, desperate for something. Feeling willing to help him, she threw the clothes in the river and hid him inside her igba. Soon after, Ikú appeared (death) and asked her if she had seen a man, she calmly replied saying that he had run down the river, so Ikú went unnoticed. Upon leaving the igba, the boy introduced himself as Ifá and fell madly in love with Ewá, taking her away with the purpose of marrying her. She learned the gift of clairvoyance from Ifá, but she did not become his wife.