OGUM BEIRA-MAR

Sea, war, navigation

Ogum Beira-Mar is a manifestation, or quality, of the orisha Ogum as venerated in Brazilian Umbanda and Candomblé. Ogum, inherited from the Yoruba tradition, is the master of iron, of war, of labour and of the roads one opens. Under the name Beira-Mar, literally seashore, he is associated with the salt waters and works in close bond with the orisha Yemanjá, sovereign of the ocean. He is described as a tireless warrior, defender of the law and of the weakest, whose energy evokes the constant movement of the sea — now calm, now powerful, never still. He protects workers, travellers and those who must overcome obstacles. This figure belongs above all to the living devotion of the terreiros, where each quality of Ogum receives its own songs and rites. The sources concerning it are essentially religious and popular rather than academic.