Goddess: Oba (Nigerian: Yoruba) [pronounced o-BAH] Oba, goddess of the river, is still worshipped by the Yoruba people as a nurturing mother, who gives them water for drinking and bathing, for use in sacred ceremony, and for crops. Once long ago, Oba tricked her sister Oya into believing that the handsome god of thunder treasured the delicacy of a cooked ear! Eager to please him, Oba’s gullible sister cut off her own ear and served it to the god. He was disgusted and turned away. To this day, in Nigeria, the waters of the Oba and Oya rivers are always turbulent where they intersect. Source:    Mutén, B. Goddesses: A world of Myth and Magic. Barefoot Books, 2003 Page last updated 23 Apr 2006 Website Design and Myths & Magic logo by Míchealín Ní Dhochartaigh Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN All Rights Reserved.