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Queen Bey reached for the most authentic African sounds on her latest album for the Lion King soundtrack, but it also seems she is reaching for that level of authenticity in her visuals too as the video for her powerfull album cut, ”Spirit” suggests.
Beyonce enlisted a number of Nigerian artists on her album, but it seems she also reaches towards our most mythical elements for inspiration too, as the video for “Spirit” pays homage to Yoruba deity, Yemoja — who is known as the goddess and protector of all living things in the sky, earth and water.
Basically, in Yoruba mythology, Yemoja is the Beyoncé of all the goddesses, making her inclusion a no-brainer. Using scenic imagery and specific wardrobe, Beyoncé depicts the Yoruba goddess in many different ways, showing how committed she was to the narrative.
We take a look at the ways she drew inspiration from the goddess.
Mother Of Fertility
Yemoja is the protector of women, childbirth, conception, parenting, child safety, love, and healing. Beyoncé’s music certainly addresses all these things, and since her self-titled album, she has definitely become a feminist icon.
The Cowries
In the “Spirit” video, one of Beyoncé’s looks has her adorned in cowries, pearls and jewels, which pays direct homage to Yemoja. Being the queen of the entire world, Yemoja was usually depicted to appear wealthy and elaborate, and as we can all see, Beyoncé nailed it.
Yemoja & Oshun
Yemoja has a very special relationship with two orishas in particular: Osun and Sango. Osun is often depicted as Yemoja’s sister, with the two usually sporting their distinct colours, yellow and blue. Beyoncé pays homage to their relationship with a standout shot in the video.
Yoruba mythology gets a bad rap amongst Nigerians because of its close similarities to traditional worship, which people believe is evil and diabolical. Greek and Roman mythology is widely popular all over the world and is even taught in schools overseas as Classical Civilisation.
Just like other kinds of mythology, Yoruba mythology is rich with interesting stories about our heritage and culture, and it’s a shame that it’s not as popular in these parts. Well, at least Beyoncé has brought this into our consciousness, and we’ll definitely be looking up all these stories.
