Ghede
The Ghede ( Guédé , Gede ) form a group of Loa (also Lwa ) responsible for death and fertility, i.e. spiritual beings in Haiti's voodoo mythology . The word is derived from a verb from the Yoruba or Dahomey "gede" (German: "cut") or from "igede" (suggestion of a cut for the purpose of conjuring the dead).
The Ghede are masters of death as well as life, rebirth and fertility. They preserve the living, increase their numbers, and raise the dead. They also animate zombies , recently buried corpses stolen by wizards and made their slaves. When a zombie eats foods seasoned with salt, it is said to return to its grave or to its former existence.
The cross of Ghede Baron Samedi ("Baron Saturday") can be found in every cemetery as the guardian of the dead. The symbols of Christianity have entered into a syncretistic connection with Voodoo mythology . Baron Samedi's female counterpart, Maman Brigitte or Brijit , guards the graves. Because the body thieves have assigned Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte an important role in the vodoo cult. One invokes the protection of dead relatives from both spirit beings.
Sometimes the term Ghede is also used as a synonym for Baron Samedi; Azacca is considered the younger brother of the Loa.
In Haiti, the Ghede-Loa are celebrated on November 1st and especially on November 2nd, on All Souls Day , the “New Year's Day of the Dead”. B. at the national cemetery in Port-au-Prince , where people "dance with the dead".
See also
- Category: Ghede Loa
- Rada , the entirety of the benevolent loa
- Petro , the entirety of the loa concerned with birth and death
- List of spirit beings in voodoo
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wanda J. Revernell, Celebrating Ghede , SFGate online, http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Celebrating-Ghede-Haitian-day-of-the-dead-3264333.php
- ↑ Guédé (Gede) au Cimetière Port-au-prince November 1st 2012 on YouTube
literature
- Arthur Cotterell, "The World of Myths and Legends", Munich: Droemer Knaur, 1990. ISBN 3-426-26484-6