Ọya is an Orisha of winds, lightning, and violent storms. As a river deity she is also regarded as a deity of children, able to provide children to her devotees or those who come to her banks at the Niger river.

Orishas - correct spelling: singular - òrìṣà, plural - òrìṣàs - are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The preferred spelling varies depending on the language in question: òrìṣà is the spelling in the Yoruba language, orixá in Portuguese, and orisha, oricha, orichá or orixá in Spanish-speaking countries.