ShortHand: Haitian Vodou

Summary

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RedHanded: ShortHand – Haitian Vodou

Date: May 1, 2026
Hosts: Saruti and Mabel
Episode Theme:
An engaging, myth-busting deep dive into Haitian Vodou—its origins, evolution through colonization and slavery, misunderstood beliefs and practices, key spirits (Loa), and enduring influence on Haitian identity and culture.

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Overview

This episode of RedHanded’s “ShortHand” series unpacks the real story behind Haitian Vodou—not the voodoo dolls and Hollywood horror, but the creolized, deeply spiritual religion that grew from West African roots and survived centuries of oppression. The hosts strip away misconceptions, show how Vodou adapted to survive both Christian colonization and internal forces, and spotlight its core beliefs, rituals, and revered spirits.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Origins and Evolution of Haitian Vodou

• Vodou's West African Roots

  • The religion “Vadun” began in the kingdom of Dahomey (now Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana), practiced by the Aja, Ewe, and Fon peoples.
  • [04:41] Host 3 (Mabel): “Haitian Voodoo is a creolised version of an ancient West African religion, Vadun... This religion was practiced widely by the Aja, Ewe and fond people of this area for generations.”

• Colonization and the Slave Trade

  • From the mid-17th century, Europeans trafficked West Africans to the Caribbean and Americas, bringing their beliefs with them.
  • Forced Christian conversion led to the merging of Vadun, Catholicism, and indigenous Caribbean beliefs into syncretic religions—Haitian Vodou included.
  • [05:45] Host 2 (Saruti): “These enslaved Africans took with them their belief systems, their folklore and their traditions to the New World. Once there, slaves were often forced to convert to Christianity by their captors... forming these new... hybridized religions of which Haitian Vodou is one.”

• Distinction From Louisiana Voodoo

  • Spelling notes: Haitian Vodou (Vodou), Louisiana Voodoo (Voodoo)—two different but related religions, often conflated in Western pop culture.
  • [03:19] Host 2 (Saruti): “How it's spelt depends on whether you're referring to Haitian Vodou. So that's V O D O U or Louisiana Voodoo, which is the typical V O O D O O that you're maybe more familiar with. But they are two different religions.”

• Survival Through Syncretism

  • Enslaved Haitians found parallels between Catholic saints and the Loa in Vodou. This allowed for the secret endurance of their own beliefs while appearing to convert.
  • [09:24] Host 2 (Saruti): “Okay, this saint is related to this... it kind of sounds like this particular Lua. Oh, maybe they're the same person. Maybe they're the same spirit, same entity. So it didn't feel that alien to them.”

Vodou Beliefs and Structure

• Monotheism and the Role of the Creator

  • Vodou recognizes a single, remote creator—Grand Met or Bon Dieu (“Good God”)—who doesn’t interact directly with the world.
  • Intermediaries are powerful spirits or demigods called Loa (or Lwa/Luar).
  • [07:09] Host 2 (Saruti): “It’s essentially a monotheistic religion which recognizes a single and supreme spiritual entity or God, known in Haiti as Grand Met or Bon Dieu... somewhat aloof... doesn’t get involved with this world.”

• Loa as Intermediaries (Analogous to Catholic Saints)

  • Each Loa has a unique role, powers, and personality. Devotees pray to different Loa for specific needs, echoing Catholic practice.
  • [08:36] Host 3 (Mabel): “Different Lua have different roles and powers and are prayed to for different things, just like you pray to St. Anthony if you lose your car keys.”

• Colonial Power Play: Vodou vs. Catholicism

  • The episode recounts how Haitian dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier ousted the Catholic clergy and handed their churches to Vodou priests, leveraging Vodou as a tool for power and national identity.
  • [11:13] Host 2 (Saruti): “Papa Doc also kicked out of the country... all of the foreign priests... and so, of course, the Pope kicked back by excommunicating Duvalier... Not that Duvalier cared too much, because soon he handed power of these churches to voodoo priests to do with as they pleased.”

Breaking Down Misconceptions

• Vodou is Neutral, Not Inherently Dark

  • Western media suggests Vodou is malevolent and rife with “demon summoning”; in reality, Vodou is neutral, oriented around reciprocity.
  • [19:29] Host 3 (Mabel): “In the west especially, we've been Hollywood brainwashed into believing that voodoo is a dark religion filled with demon summoning and sacrifices. And that just isn't true. Voodoo is a religion of reciprocity.”
  • You can use its rituals for good or bad—like any belief system.

• Sacrifice and Offerings

  • Offerings to the Loa include food, drink, and sometimes animal sacrifice, but this is part of a communal meal, not a gratuitous or bloodthirsty practice.
  • [21:18] Host 2 (Saruti): “She says clearly that the sacrifices are not gratuitous. The animal is killed as an offering to the luar, yes, but its body is then eaten by the village.”

• Spirit Possession and Community

  • Possession (being “mounted” by a Loa) is desirable, not feared. It enables devotees and the community to interact directly with divine spirits. The person possessed is called the “chwal” (“horse”), temporarily transcending to a spiritual realm while the Loa experiences the pleasures of the physical world.
  • [21:48] Host 3 (Mabel): “There is no denying it. Possession is a very important part of voodoo worship, but it's also probably the part... which is the most misunderstood. Firstly, possession by a lua is a desirable thing, like speaking in tongues... The person being possessed... is referred to as the chwal, or horse.”

Main Families of the Loa

• [19:29] Host 3 (Mabel): “There are three major families of the the Gede, the Petro and the Rada. Gede Luar are associated with the dead and sexy time. Petro luar are the evil luar, and rada luar are the good luar.”

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The “Heavy Hitters”: Key Loa of Haitian Vodou

Baron Samedi ([24:33])

• Head of the Gede family (masters of death), depicted as a tall figure in a black hat, skull face.
• Controls the line between life and death, can be called for help with the dead and with conception.
• Offerings: black coffee, rum, cigars.
• Popularly (and inaccurately) presented as a villain in pop culture but is neutral, sometimes benevolent.
• [25:30] Host 2 (Saruti): “He is, again, like the lord of death, which is neutral. It comes for everybody at some point. And actually, one of the key things they always say about Baron Samedy is that he has a real soft spot for children and he doesn’t like taking them until they’ve had a full life.”

Papa Legba ([26:27])

• Master communicator, can speak all human languages; the most powerful Loa.
• Depicted as an old man with rags, cane (which is also considered a gateway between worlds), always with a dog, has a limp (“he walks in two worlds at once”).
• [27:00] Host 2 (Saruti): “The cane that he carries is no ordinary cane. It’s actually the gateway between the human world and the heavens.”

Erzulie (Azuli) ([27:10])

• Loa of beauty, love, fortune, health, motherhood—AND jealousy and vengeance.
• Deeply dualistic feminine spirit; can be seen as compassionate or wrathful.
• [30:45] Host 2 (Saruti): “She is... the embodiment in many ways of the positives of femininity and then the perceived... toxic femininity ideals... But she’s also got a wrathful side to her.”
• Appears in many forms, from Black Madonna to wealthy lady.

Dambala ([31:30])

• Important creator Loa, helps Bon Dieu shape the cosmos.
• Depicted as a giant serpent, benevolent and paternal, loves white foods (especially eggs), doesn’t speak.

Aizan ([32:11])

• Oldest Loa, selects and teaches new Vodou priests (“hungans”).
• Depicted as an old woman, guardian against evil, maternal but punishing to abusers of power.
• [32:28] Host 3 (Mabel): “Aizahn is very maternal in her presentation. She is a good and loving Lua who, if you treat right, will take great care of you. But she also punishes those who take advantage of their power.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Syncretism and Survival:
  [10:00] Host 2 (Saruti): “For us, it was like, okay, I could just pretend in my head that I was talking to this particular Lua. So when I was forced to pray in a Catholic Church... it felt like it was okay. Like, kind of like I have my fingers crossed behind my back. Like, I could tell myself I knew who I was really speaking to.”

• On Vodou's Enduring Role in Haiti:
  [12:11] Host 2 (Saruti): “He can’t do any of that [build power] while using a coloniser’s religion... He has to make himself the big boss—and voodoo is the only way to do that.”

• On Misconceptions:
  [19:29] Host 3 (Mabel): “Crucially, it's not good or bad, it's neutral.”

• On Possession:
  [21:48] Host 3 (Mabel): “The person being possessed is referred to as the chwal, or horse. And the act of possession itself is called mounting, because the luau rides that person like a cavalier.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Vodou’s Distorted Western Image & Intro: [03:19]–[04:39]
• African Origins & Slave Trade: [04:41]–[06:28]
• Formation in Haiti & Syncretism: [06:28]–[09:59]
• Papa Doc, Catholicism, Vodou Power Struggles: [09:59]–[12:37]
• Catholic Church’s Accommodation: [12:37]–[18:31]
• Misconceptions & Reality—Vodou’s Beliefs: [19:29]–[22:54]
• Rituals: Sacrifice & Possession: [21:18]–[22:54]
• Major Loa Rundown: [24:33]–[33:02]
• Summary & Reflections: [33:02]–[33:53]

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Final Thoughts

The essence: Haitian Vodou is a vibrant, evolving faith shaped by suffering and resilience. It survives as a living testament to the endurance of culture in the face of colonialism, forced conversion, and historical misunderstanding. The Loa, rituals, and syncretic traditions reflect an adaptive spirituality—one that turns deep trauma into community, connection, and meaning.

Further Exploration:
For more, the hosts recommend listening to the main RedHanded episode on Papa Doc and reading/watching resources in show notes for deeper dives into Vodou and its practitioners.

Sign-off:
[33:53] Host 3 (Mabel): "Goodbye.”
[33:54] Host 2 (Saruti): “Bye.”

Transcript

[Host 1]

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[Host 2 (Saruti)]

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[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Hello.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

I'm Saruti. Did we say this?

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

I don't know. And woof. I'm Mabel. Got a very small dog in the studio with us?

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

We do indeed.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

But she's asleep so she's very Quiet, very well behaved. I mean, don't jigs it, but I'm enjoying it.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

If my words do that, I am going to feel as powerful as the people we talk about in this particular rap. Queen of the Segway strikes again. Ka pow. Ka chow. We do also have the soundboard in the studio today. So there you go. Right, today we are going to do an episode of Shorthand that I am very, very excited about. So, as the saying goes, Haiti is 70% Catholic, 30% Protestant and 100% voodoo. I love that saying. I actually forgot to put it in the Papadoc episode, so I had to start it here with that. But what is Haitian voodoo? Where did it originate? And what do practitioners of this hugely misunderstood religion really believe? Because, of course, you lovely people don't need me to tell you, the voodoo is massively confusing in terms of how it's portrayed. Firstly, let's start with the word voodoo itself. How it's spelt depends on whether you're referring to Haitian Voodoo. So that's V O D O U or Louisiana Voodoo, which is the typical V O O D O O that you're maybe more familiar with. But they are two different religions. We've just kind of smashed random bits of these belief systems together, sensationalising and exploiting them for cheap horror movies, Halloween specials and novelty Pina Me Etsy, voodoo dolls.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

What does your other one say? It's like severe genital discomfort or something.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

I do have one that I got as part of a Secret Santa and it is very funny. It's just like a white doll that you can. It has like a plastic thing where you can put someone's face into it, like a picture of their face, and it's covered in all these little pins. And it just says, like severe genital discomfort. And it's all like quite mild things. And it's like on the face, it's like pimple. It's just. It's great. But yes, that's wrong and not at all connected with the actual religion of voodoo, especially not Haitian Voodoo. So what do we really need to know about Haitian Vodou? Because that's what we're going to focus on today. We're not going to go near Louisiana Voodoo. That's another story for another day. But let's get on with it because

[Host 1]

this is the shorthand.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Haitian Voodoo is a creolised version of an ancient West African religion, Vadun. And so how Haitian Voodoo came to be is a fascinating story, a story which, to really understand, we have to start with the root religion itself, Vadun. The religion Vadun originated in the kingdom of Dahomey, which is modern day Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana. This religion was practiced widely by the Aja Ewe and fond people of this area for generations. I wonder if old Dalian Udofo is

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

very, very possibly, very possibly.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

To find out who that is, go and listen to Filthy Ritual, available now on GlobalFair. So then, in the mid 17th century, us bloody Europeans travelled to Africa, attracted by the gold, the ivory and the abundance of other natural resources that are all in your iPhones. And as demand for cheap labour increased rapidly across various European empires, and particularly in the us, the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade began.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

People from West Africa were abducted and transported as commodities to places like the Caribbean and the plantations of the us. And these enslaved Africans took with them their belief systems, their folklore and their traditions to the New World. Once there, slaves were often forced to convert to Christianity by their captors. So what happened was traditional African animistic religions became fused and intertwined with Catholicism and also with indigenous Caribbean beliefs, forming these new sort of hybridized religions of which Haitian Vodou is one, as is Louisiana Voodoo. But again, we're not going near that today.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

So obviously we should make it clear that generalizing the religions brought to the New World by enslaved people is just that, a generalization. African religions in air quotes is a hugely vague term and we understand why. If you take that without a pinch of salt, it suggests that all African cultures and religions are the same, which of course is not true. Africa is an enormous continent and each of its countries has a very distinct set of cultures, languages, beliefs and traditions. But what we can say is that Haitian Verdu evolved very specifically in Haiti and is therefore very tied to the Haitian people and the country of Haiti itself. You're not really going to find it anywhere else.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

No, what happens is like, yeah, the West African enslaved people are taken to Haiti forcibly and they bring with them Vadun, because it was just a group of people that happened to be taken to this particular part of the island of Hispaniola. And what happened is then Haitian slaves were taken to Louisiana along with other West African slaves. So Haitian Voodoo and Louisiana Voodoo aren't totally different, but they evolved in two separate places from what is probably a very similar or the same root religion. So what is Voodoo? Haitian Voodoo, it's essentially a monotheistic religion which recognizes a single and supreme spiritual entity or God, known in Haiti as Grand Met or Bon Dieu. And Bonjour actually comes from the French Bon Dieu, which means good God. So this creator deity in Voodoo is somewhat aloof, I would say. It doesn't get involved with this world or communicate directly with humans. But there is, we could say, a second tier made up of powerful spirits and demigods known as Luar. These Lua serve as intermediaries between man and Bonjour, whose existence is far beyond human comprehension, which is why we cannot communicate with Bonjour.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

So literally. Exactly like the disciples and the saints.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Yes.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Different Lua have different roles and powers and are prayed to for different things, just like you pray to St. Anthony if you lose your car keys. We'll get into the examples of the Lua in a moment, but it's a good point here to pause and come back to the colonial roots of Haitian Vadou. When the enslaved people brought from West Africa were forcibly converted to Christianity, they could see a connection between Vadun and other African religions. And Catholicism, mainly. The similarity is very obvious. There is the one creator God, but of course, there's also the overlap between the Lua and Catholic saints. And the enslaved people could see the connection and even started to link certain saints with specific Lua, which I think is so intrinsically human. Like, we all want the same stuff, you know?

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Yeah. It literally was like, okay, this saint is related to this and is patron saint of xyz. That kind of sounds like this particular Lua. Oh, maybe they're the same person. Maybe they're the same spirit, same entity. These people are just using a different name for it, so it didn't feel that alien to them. I'm not saying it was a comfortable transition, but they could start to see

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

connections, and that made the transition into Christianity quite a bit easier for the enslaved people. They could still hold onto their traditional beliefs and practices whilst amalgamating in these Christian ideologies as well to keep their slave traders happy.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

And some of them were, like, genuinely converted to Christianity. And a lot of them said, for us, it was like, okay, I could just pretend in my head that I was talking to this particular Lua. So when I was forced to pray in a Catholic Church or whatever, it felt like it was okay. Like, kind of like I have my fingers crossed behind my back. Like, I. I could tell myself I knew who I was really speaking to. So in countries like Haiti, even the all powerful Vatican had to make concessions. This is a story I had to leave out of our main feed episode on Papa Doc. So I'm really glad I could include it here because this just shows you how Far that man was willing to go. And also the importance of voodoo in Haitian society. And brings you back to that statement we started with. You might be 70% Catholic, 30% Protestant, but it is 100% voodoo. Because in 1959, which is when Papadoc Francois Duvalier was ruling Haiti, the Tonton Makuts, who were his terrifying secret police, basically stormed Port au Prince Cathedral during Sunday mass, attacking both the priests and the worshippers. It was a really, really shocking thing that happened.

[Host 1]

That's a war crime.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Yes, absolutely. It was an enormous deal when this happened. And following this incident, Papa Doc also kicked out of the country of Haiti all of the foreign priests who were stationed there. These priests were typically from France and from Canada, and he was just like, get the fuck out. Kick them all out. And so, of course, the Pope kicked back by excommunicating Duvalier from the Vatican. Not that Duvalier cared too much, because soon he handed power of these churches to voodoo priests to do with as they pleased. Because if you listen to this week's episode, you'll see Duvalier doesn't really have too much of an ideology. He just knows he needs to make voodoo the state religion, because that's the one that he's using to control people. He can't use Christianity because there's a guy bigger than him, the Pope, he has to make himself the big boss and voodoo is the only way to do that.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

He can't do any of that while using a coloniser's religion.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Precisely. So, yeah, he hands over the churches to his voodoo priests. And as with most religions, your headcount and the geographic spread that you cover across the earth matters quite a lot to the Catholics. So the Pope, keen not to lose Haiti from the Catholic ranks, said actually it was fine and the Haitian government could appoint its own bishops from then on.

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[Host 2 (Saruti)]

and while the Roman Catholic Church may not have liked what it saw in Haiti, which it definitely would have seen at the time at least as like a form of paganistic corruption of its own religion, because let's be real, if you're letting Voodou priests take over mass in Catholic church or even appointing your own, and we know Francois de Vallier wants it to be a more voodoo led country, it is very paganistic, which flies directly in the face of what the Pope would want to be happening. And it probably would have been even more uncomfortable for them to see crucifixes, rosaries and like statues of the Virgin Mary sitting on voodoo shrines. But that is how it worked. That is how the two came together. And also didn't matter if the Pope had an issue with it, because the Haitians didn't have an issue with it at all. Because for them, while many of them remained Catholic, they still believed in voodoo. And this amalgamation of the two was completely fine and completely natural. And it's a reality that still exists in Haiti today.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

So let's come back to the misconceptions of voodoo. In the west especially, we've been Hollywood brainwashed into believing that voodoo is a dark religion filled with demon summoning and sacrifices. And that just isn't true. Voodoo is a religion of reciprocity. Crucially, it's not good or bad, it's neutral. If you wish to do evil using voodoo, you can. If you wish to do good using vadu, you can. Now, we don't really have the time to get into the extreme specifics of this incredibly complex belief system, but essentially there are three major families of the the Gede, the Petro and the Rada Gede Luar are associated with the dead and sexy time Petreluwar are the evil luar, and ra de luar are the good luar. So you pray to and make offerings for the luar, depending on your situation.

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And.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

But crucially, it's about giving to a lua and creating a personal relationship with them.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

And this plays a major role in the lives of voodoo devotees. Each lua has a different personality and different expectations, and it's only once those demands have been met that the lua will provide blessings, protection, and favors for the individual. And the way that that's done is by making offerings at an altar created specifically for. For a particular lua. These offerings can be in the form of food, drink, or, yes, animal sacrifice. And it's important to note, though, on the kind of sacrificial front, I think often in the west, we see that as like, oh, my God. Like, this is so barbaric and crazy. But I watched an interview with an expert in Haitian voodoo, and I link that interview in the show notes because I think it is really worth watching. And she says clearly that the sacrifices are not gratuitous. The animal is killed as an offering to the luar, yes, but its body is then eaten by the village. So it's not a matter of bloodlust. It's a practical belief that still feeds the people just like the death of any animal would. And basically, the way they kill it, you know, whether you feel like that's okay or not, it's kind of similar to how, like, halal meat is butchered. So they're saying, what's the difference? We just happen to do it as part of a religious ceremony rather than in an abattoir. But the animal is eaten.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Now, at these offering ceremonies, voodoo practitioners participate in dancing, chanting, and sometimes possession. There is no denying it. Possession is a very important part of voodoo worship, but it's also probably the part of Haitian voodoo which is the most misunderstood. Firstly, possession by a lua is a desirable thing, like speaking in tongues. It's the same thing. The act of possession unites the luwa and the devotee and the community at large. The person being possessed, or should we say mounted? Because in Haitian voodoo, the person being possessed is referred to as the chwal, or horse. And the act of possession itself is called mounting, because the luau rides that person like a cavalier. And it's in that moment of mounting that humans transcend their materiality and become spirits. And it is during this time that the lu wa renews its figure by dancing and feasting in the human realm with an earthly body and the community. Benefits because it's only when the Lua are possessing humans that Luar can speak and deliver divine answers directly to those who have questions.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

So it's kind of like exactly what you said. It's only during the act of possession or mounting that everybody benefits. Like the person being mounted transcends into a spiritual realm for the time that they are being possessed. The Lua gets to get a little kickstart to their battery by being here on earth and getting to eat and do that kind of like, I guess, what would you say, indulge in the earthly pleasures and then the community, this is the only time they can question the Lua. This is the only time they can speak to them. So it is that kind of bringing together of the community, the individual and the Lua. And everybody is benefiting, which is why, like you said, Vodou is a religion of reciprocity. Everybody gives and everybody gets. So now that we have a very basic understanding of what we're talking about in terms of Haitian Vadu, let's now look at some of the most important Lua There are way, way, way, way, way, way too many to do a huge deep dive on this. Honestly, I was reading about it yesterday and it just goes on and on and on. There is a Lua for everything. But we have definitely got time to give you a good old fashioned red handed rundown of the heavy hitters. And I thought it would only be right to start with the main man from our main episode that's out this week, Baron Samedy. You're going to have to listen to that episode to get a full understanding of what we're talking about. But basically, yes, Francois Duvalier, the topic of this week's main feed, who kicked out all the Catholic foreign priests from Haiti and much else besides. As you will discover, during his time as Haiti's most brutal dictator, Duvalier claimed to be the incarnation of Baron Samedy, the great Lua.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

So who is this Baron Samedy character? He's the head of the Gayde family of the Loire, making him the master of death. He's often represented as a tall figure wearing a black top hat and long coattails with a face painted like a skull.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

And I don't know what the connection is, but Samdy means Saturday in French, so he's basically Lord Saturday.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Interesting.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

I don't know. I couldn't find what the connection was there.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

But yeah, Together with his wife, Maman Brigitte, another Lua, Baron Samedy has the power to decide who should die and who can go on living. He ensures that the veil between the living and the dead is never disrupted. And so someone who wants to connect with the dead or get rid of some nasty ghosts must evoke the help of the Baron. But he can also be called on for help conceiving, indicating the connection between sex, death and life. His preferred offerings to those who want his blessings include black coffee, rum and cigars.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Yeah, he's a pretty fun dude, actually. And I think he's not like Hades. People compare him to Hades quite a lot. Like the Greek God of the underworld. Baron Samadhi is not a God. He is a Luar, which is a different thing. It's a spirit. It is more akin to a saint. And when you read more about him, you know, he is kind of considered to be the Haitian Grim Reaper, which obviously conjures up lots of scary images. And he's also the bad guy in the Disney's Princess Frog. Frog Princess, whatever that movie is called. He's the bad guy in that. But actually, what's important, he's got the best song, though. He does. But, yeah, he's not actually this evil person. He is, again, like the lord of death, which is neutral. It comes for everybody at some point. And actually, one of the key things they always say about Baron Samedy is that he has a real soft spot for children, and he doesn't like taking them until they've had a full life. So next up, we've got Papa Legba, who is to life what Baron Samedi is to death. Legba is known as the master communicator because he can apparently speak all human languages. And he is the most powerful of all of the voodoo Loire. He is the top dog. Now, Papa Legba is commonly depicted as an old, poor man dressed in rags, smoking a pipe, typically accompanied by a dog and leaning on a walking cane. And it's said that he walks with a limp. And I love this. It's said that he walks with a limp because he walks in two worlds at once.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Wow.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

The world of the living and the world of the spirits. And the cane that he carries is no ordinary cane. It's actually the gateway between the human world and the heavens.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

And then we have my personal fave, whose symbol I almost got tattooed on my feet. Azuli, who is the Lua of beauty and love. So if you want someone to fall in love with you, you go to her. She represents the cosmic womb in which divinity and humanity are conceived. She's the mother of the world, and as such, she has tremendous power, making her as feared as much as she is loved

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[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Lazuli has several different roles. As well as being the goddess of love, help, goodwill, health, beauty and fortune, she's also the goddess of jealousy and vengeance. Very much two sides of the same coin.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Yes, very much so. She is Lyca, the embodiment in many ways of the positives of femininity and then the perceived like toxic femininity ideals. Like that is what she is like. She's beautiful, she's kind, compassionate, she's love all of this. But she's also got a wrathful side to her.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

She's also a bunny boy.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Like, and I know we're calling her the goddess of these things. That's how it is described in some of these documents and papers that I read. Again, they're not gods, but it's like, it's weird to keep calling her like the spirit of these things, but it's just to get you to understand. Yeah.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

So women might go to Ezuli for all matters concerning motherhood, conception, etc. And she is shown in many different forms, from a Black Madonna to a beautiful, wealthy woman.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Next up, we've got Dambala. And Dambala is one of the most important and also one of the most popular Luar. He's actually the spirit who helped the great Bon duo make the cosmos itself. And he's also one of Erzuli's lovers and is depicted as a giant serpent, his coils having shaped the heavens and the earth. But don't let that snaky exterior fool you, because Dambala is considered to be a benevolent and fatherly figure. He doesn't talk much, but he is ever present as a quiet, paternal energy. Those wishing to evoke Dambala should know that he only likes white foods, particularly

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

eggs, so he'd get on fine at a Brits abroad, all inclusive. And finally, let's end with Aizan. She's the only one who is said to select and instruct novice hungans, which is a word for voodoo priest. Aizan is often represented as an old woman because she is one of the oldest Lua. She's called upon by devotees to exorcise malevolent spirits from her followers. Aizahn is very maternal in her presentation. She is a good and loving Lua who, if you treat right, will take great care of you. But she also punishes those who take advantage of their power. If you want to summon her, you'll need to sacrifice a black and white goat or a russet oxen because ginger balls will have faith.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

So there you go, guys. You know, again, there are so many Lua that we could talk about, but we just picked some of the ones who were, you know, the top tier. The top tier of the second tier. Again, we know this is a massive generalization. It's as much as we can talk about in 20 minutes. But it is honestly so, so fascinating how this evolved. It Haitian Vadu, because it comes from West African vadun, is basically the only African animistic religion to survive in the new World. And it survived because it evolved and kind of hid and amalgamated into Catholicism, and that's what allowed it to survive, which is completely fascinating. So, yeah, go watch the interview that I will definitely remember to link in the show notes and go read everything there is about it because it's really fascinating and definitely, definitely listen to our main feed episode on Papa Dock and we will see you next time.

[Host 3 (Mabel)]

Goodbye.

[Host 2 (Saruti)]

Bye.

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[Host 3 (Mabel)]

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