Umā is the daughter of Himālaya, king of the mountains, and wife of God Śiva-Mahādeva. In Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Maharṣi Viśvāmitra was taking Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa for slaying Tāḍakā. On the way, seeing Suradhunī Gaṅgā wanted to know about the history of the origin of Gaṅgā. In that context, Viśvāmitra said, Himavāha parvata, resource of all the metals, is the king of all mountains, and Menā was his wife. He sired two beautiful daughters, born of the womb of Menā. The elder daughter was Gaṅgā, and the younger was Umā–
gaṅgā ca saritāṃ śreṣṭhā umā devī ca rāghava
At a very tender age, Umā started hard ascetic practice. Himālaya gave this daughter in marriage to the unparalleled Rudra. This Umā is respected by all the gods, demons and human beings in all three abodes–
yā cānyā śailaduhitā kanyāsīd raghunandana                                                                                                                                                                    ugraṃ suvratamāsthāya tapastepe tapodhanā
ugreṇa tapasā yuktāṃ dadau śailavaraḥ sutām
rudrāyāpratirupāya umāṃ lokanamaskṛtām.

The composers of Purāṇa(s) have maintained that the name Umā has come into its significance due to this hard ascetic practice on her part. In Kālikāpurāṇa it is said that Pārvati, a manifestation of Kālī asked for her mother Menā̍s permission to go for tapasyā. Menā, embracing her daughter said, this hardship is not for you. The hard ascetic practice which suits the sages, is unsuitable for you. But Pārvatī was determined to go for tapasyā. Then, being annoyed, Menā said to Pārvatī, “u mā”, that means, “oh, never”. In Sanskrit, ̍u̍ denotes ̍alas̍, and mā is a term of forbidding. Joining these two, her name became Umā.
yato nirastā tapase vanaṃ gantuñca menayā
umeti tena someti nāma prāpa tadā satī.

The great poet Kālidāsa, in his famous Kumārasambhava kāvya, writes that after the destruction of Madana, when Pārvatī decided to go off to the forest for tapasyā, her mother forbade her, saying “u mā” — hey, no, never. In this way her name came to be Umā–
umeti mātrā tapaso niṣiddhā
paścādumākhyāṃ sumukhī jagāma.

Wherever the name Umā appears in Mahābhārata, anf for whatever reason, it can be understood that the name is quite archaic. In Mahābhārata, too, Umā is Śailasutā (daughter of the mountain) and the wife of Śiva. Here Śiva is referred to as Umāpati, Umāpati and Umādhava or the husband of Umā —
umāyāḥ śailaputrāḥ dhavo bhartā umādhavaḥ.
umāpatirumākānta jāhnavīdhṛg umādhavaḥ.
In Vanaparva of Mahābhārata, in the upaparva concerning Tīrthayātrā (going to pilgrimage), it is said that, if one performs a yajña near the Mānasa sarovara in the month of Caitra, Śiva along with Umā comes to give a vision to the devotee.
sahomayā ca bhavati darśanam kāmarupiṇah
asmin sarasi satrairvai caitramāsi pinākinam.

Of the many names of Pārvatī, Umāis a name quite old, and in Mahābhārata, we have such an indication that Umā herself urged Śiva to destroy the yajña of Dakṣa. Dakṣa did not send invitation to Śiva for his yajña. Sage Dadhīci protested against this, and Dakṣa gave a proud response. Dadhīci feared that the yajña would be destroyed. There, in the house of Śiva, Śivāṇī expressed doubt regarsding the personality or power of her husband, because he was sitting quietly at home, remaining indifferent to the dishonour done to him by Dakṣa. Instead, he was telling his wife how all the people in three worlds worship him. Umā said, all men indulge in their self-image in front of their wives. Then God Śiva started the process of destroying Dakṣayajña. Since Mahābhārata itself mentions the name Umā, and here comes the argument that Umā became the wife of Śiva.

So, the use of the name Umā, in the provocation of the destruction of Dakṣayajña, at least indicates that one of the earliest names of goddess Bhagavatī is Umā, and this name is also associated with her love and marriage with God Śiva.
ityuktā bhagavān patnīm umāṃ prāṇairapi priyām

There are some linguistic and historical debates regarding the name, Umā. Many scholars think that the name Umā is actually an Indian extension of the prehistoric name of the Mother-Goddess ̍Amma̍. S.K. Dikshit has written in her book that ̍Ummo̍, ̍or ̍Ummi̍ as used in Babylonian, Accadian or Dravidian languages is just another morphological form of the mother-goddess called ̍Umā̍–
The Babylonian word for ̍mother̍ is Ummu or Umma, the Accadian Ummi , and the Dravidian is Umma. These words can be connected with each other and with Umā, the Mother Goddess whom Bhṛigu is said to have coveted.

Hopkins elucidates this very idea in a different manner, and gives a description of the ancient derivative forms of the word ̍Umā̍–
“All these forms of Uma (=Amma, the great mother-goddess) go back to the primitive and universal cult of the mother goddess (cf. Aditi)
Who in popular mythology appears as Kalamma and as Ellamma, that is as destructive or as kind.

But according to our ancient tradition it appears that Umā is a very ancient Sanskrit term, and the fatherly heart of the mountain-king Himālaya gets reflected in this, since the time of Kenopaniṣad.

In Kenopaniṣd, Brahman had been referred to as avāṇmanasaḥ gocara̍– that is, beyond the perception of speech and mind. While explaining the nature of Brahman, the sage narrates a legend: once, after defeating the demons in a battle, gods became full of pride. Then, the Almighty Brahman, assuming a special shape, appeared before them, but they could not recognise him. Brahman placed a blade of grass before the gods and tasted their power. Agni and Vāyu failed in the test, then Indra proceeded to show his power, and at that time he had the vision of a beautiful divine lady in the sky– Upaniṣad has referred to this lady as ̍Umā haimavatī̍–
sa tasminnevākāśe śriyamājagāma
vahuśobhamānām umāṃ haimavatīm.

Who is this Umā Haimavatī?– answering this question, Śaṅkarācārya primarily says that she is a manifestation of vidyā–
vidyā umārūpiṇī prādurabhūt strīrūpā.

 

In Purāṇa(s), the story of Umā̍s birth and coming to age has come rather straightly. According to Liṅgapurāṇa,

Through research-logic it appears that the name, ̍Umā̍ existed before Pārvatī̍s marriage to Śiva, and also after that, for some time. In two incidents in Mahābhārata, the youthful nature of Umā gets evident.

After the marriage of Mahādeva and Bhagavatī, when they were very often engaged in consummation, the gods became worried, and came to tell Umā and Maheśvara– “Both of you possess great ascetic power. The son born of your consummation, will be so powerful that he will overpower all other gods. Kindly withdraw your vital energy–

apatyārthaṃ nigṛhnīṣva tejaḥ paramakaṃ vibho.

There is no place in the world that can bear your energy, rather, if that energy falls in any place, everything will be destroyed by its power. Please withdraw your energy, so that your son may not be born. out of the womb of goddess Umā. God Rudraśiva said ̍let it be so̍, and withdrew his energy, he became ūrdhvaretā since then– .

ūrdhvaretāḥ samabhavattataḥ prabhṛti cāpi saḥ.

Here we find Umā in her destructive form. But in general, the form of Umā, in relation to Śiva, is pristine and soothing as a lovely wife. Perhaps for this reason, while speaking of several forms of Goddess Kālī, Umā has been referred to as Saumyamūti, in Kālikāpurāṇa–

umāyāḥ saumyamūrtestu tantraṃ tvaṃ śṛṇu bhairava.

The meditative conception of Umā is also notable– the colour of her skin is like gold, she has two hands, on the one hand she holds a blue lotus and a cāmara on the other, with which she fans Śiva, or sometimes keeps her arm upon the shoulder of Mahādeva. Kālikāpurāṇ further says, if one has to meditate upon Umā without Śiva, she will still bear blue lotus and cāmara in her hands, she will sit in lotus posture on a tiger skin, and she will be surrounded by eight vetāla(s)–

vināpi śambhuṃ rudrāṇīṃ bhaktastu parichintayet

dvibhujāṃ svarṇagaurāṇgīṃ  padmacāmaradhāriṇī

Mahādeva was then practicing his tapasyā in the mountain Himālaya. A beautiful natural envioronment was reigning there, and in the congregation of the Bhūta(s) nearby, Yakṣa(s), Kinnara(s), Apsarā(s) and Gandharva(s) were making merry. Mahādeva was sitting on his tigerskin, at that time, Umā came there, surrounded by the wives of bhūta(s), came to Mahādeva. She was wearing the same ascetic clothes like Mahādeva, and she was also performing vrata, but out of amusement, she covered the two eyes of Mahādeva.

When the eyes of Mahādeva got covered, the entire world  became dark. All yāga-yajñ(s) stopped. The sun and the moon got dimmed. At this condition, the third eye emerged on the forehead of Mahādeva like a fiery light. The radiance issued out of that third eye lightened up the three worlds, but the fiery energy of that light burnt the flora and fauna that inhabited Himālaya.

Seeing this dismal condition of her father Himālaya, Umā pleaded to Śiva to become pleasant. Pleased with the natural feminine grace in Umā̍s behaviour, Śiva cast a soothing look at Himālaya, and immediately the beautiful natural environment of Himālaya came back to its former self.
umāṃ śarvastadā drṣṭvā strībhāvagatamārdavām
pitu dainyamanicchantīṃ prītyāpaśyattadā girim.
Fulfilling her desire, Śiva said to Pārvatī– You covered my eyes, out of amusement, like a tender-aged boy or girl, and so this world became dark. And I had to create the third eye to preserve the world, the mountain was getting burned. But now, to see you satisfied, I have set Himālaya in the right form–
tvatpriyārthañca me devi prakṛtisthaḥ punaḥ kṛtaḥ.

In Varāhapurāṇa it has been clearly stated that, when the goddess was the daughter of Dakṣa, her name was Umā. After the destruction of the yajña of Dakṣa by Śiva, Gaurī went to the mountain Himālaya, and in order to have Śiva as her husband, and by performing great penance, she sacrificed her mortal body in the fire issued out of her own self. Then the goddess was born as Umā, but she was also known as Kṛṣṇā. Perhaps this name came, because she immersed herself in the fire out of her own body. But her skin colour did not become dark. But even when she is addressed as Kṛṣṇā, she was staying in the abode of Himālaya in a beautiful form–
svaśarīrāgninā dagdhā tataḥ śailasutābhavat
umā nāmeti mahatī kṛṣṇā cetyabhidhānataḥ.
lavdhā tu śobhanāṃ mūrtiṃ himavantagṛhe śubhām
punastapaśakārograṃ devaṃ smṛtvā trilochanam.

Purāṇa further tells us that in order to get Mahādeva as her husband, Umā again performed great ascetic practices, and Śiva, appearing in the guise of an old man, and tried to understand her mind. Finally, please with the ascetic practices of Umā, he married her, with the Mountain king̍s permission–
vidhinā somayā pāṇiṃ jagrāha parameśvaraḥ.

In Skandapurāṇ, Umā has been identified with Ekānaṃśā, another form of Gaurī-Pāvatī–
tatastavāpi sahajā saikānaṃśā bhaviṣyati
rūpāṃśena ca saṃyuktā tvamumākhyā bhaviṣyasi.

Elsewhere in Skandapurāṇa, Śiva tells Vīṣṇu– as you are, so am I, as you are, so is Umā, as Umā is, so is Gaṅgā– thus, Śiva, Viṣṇu and Gaṅgā are identified as one–
yathāhaṃ tvaṃ yathā viṣṇo yathā tvantu tathā hyumā
umā yathā tathā gaṅgā catūrūpaṃ na bhidyate.