Jahsun Edmonds talks about the evolving role of Yemonja (also spelled Yemaya, Yemoja, or Yemanja) within Yoruba tradition and the African diaspora. While Yemonja is traditionally a river divinity in Nigeria associated with motherhood, nurturing, and healing, she is often seen in the diaspora as a powerful ocean deity, shaped by the historical context of the transatlantic slave trade. Edmonds highlights the distinction between orisha—elevated human spirits remembered for their good character; and Irunmole—primordial divinities. He notes that these categories often blend in diasporic practices.