West African Folklore
West Africans have many tales about a wandering trickster spirit who is associated with change and quarrels. In some stories, he is the messenger between the world and the supreme god.
Among the Fon people of Dahomey (Benin), Legba is the guardian and trickster of crossroads and entrances. He speaks all languages and has the power to remove obstacles and provide opportunities. All ceremonies begin and end with Legba because no communication with the gods can exist without first consulting him.
These beliefs were carried overseas with the slaves and evolved into what we know today as voodoo.
Among the Fon people of Dahomey (Benin), Legba is the guardian and trickster of crossroads and entrances. He speaks all languages and has the power to remove obstacles and provide opportunities. All ceremonies begin and end with Legba because no communication with the gods can exist without first consulting him.
These beliefs were carried overseas with the slaves and evolved into what we know today as voodoo.
Despite popular belief...
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Many, in fact most of the people that practice voodoo, are Christian; most commonly Roman Catholic. Therefore, one can conclude that they believe in the Christian God. Where their belief differs from other Christians, is the amount of flexibility that God has while answering prayers. This is where the lwa come in. Lwa are spiritual entities that are created by God, and grant blessings & answer prayers in His name.
Lwa can be contacted through possession. A single person offers themselves to be the vessel for the lwa, and In fact, the Kanzo (Vodou initiation) is aimed to invoke possession and improve the ability of its candidates to become possessed.
Voodouisants do not worship the Lwa. The Lwa are simply served. They are given offerings such as their favorite foods, wearing their favorite colors, etc. After the humans have caught the Lwa's attention, Legba comes in.
As previously mentioned, Legba is the trickster guardian of crossroads and entrances. Voodouisants pray to Legba to open the passage for the Lwa to pass through from (heaven??) to Earth. They confer upon them material blessings, physical well being, protection, abundance, etc.
Lwa can be contacted through possession. A single person offers themselves to be the vessel for the lwa, and In fact, the Kanzo (Vodou initiation) is aimed to invoke possession and improve the ability of its candidates to become possessed.
Voodouisants do not worship the Lwa. The Lwa are simply served. They are given offerings such as their favorite foods, wearing their favorite colors, etc. After the humans have caught the Lwa's attention, Legba comes in.
As previously mentioned, Legba is the trickster guardian of crossroads and entrances. Voodouisants pray to Legba to open the passage for the Lwa to pass through from (heaven??) to Earth. They confer upon them material blessings, physical well being, protection, abundance, etc.
The Two Villages
There was once a small town, nestled upon a hill. The people there were nice, and there was no quarrel. They had fields of luscious grains and orchards full of fruits and pastures filled with cows and sheep and chickens. This was the village called Hope.
On the horizon, there was another village, on the opposite hill. Everything was dead. The people were hermits, and the water was brown. Their livestock was sickly, and their fruits were small and sour. This was the village called Gloom.
One day, a grumpy, sickly man from Gloom was out hunting for his family's dinner. Across the valley, he saw a small boy from Hope gathering eggs from a chicken coop. The man grew angry with envy, and ran back to his village. He set up a shrine, and started praying to Legba.
He prayed day and night, not stopping until his prayers were answered.
One night, the man had a vision that an Lwa was ready for him, and he called the town to a meeting. The people in Gloom did not want to have a meeting, because there was so much hate between the families there. So, the man went door to door looking for a vessel for the Lwa. He searched for hours and hours, until he cam across a young woman who was willing to serve as the vessel. He brought her to his home and prepared the ceremony. It was a success, and the Lwa asked him what he needed.
"I want to be like the people in Hope. I want the food that they have, and I want the clothes that they wear." The Lwa replied with,
"I need something in exchange for granting your wish. Something material."
Without a word, the man ran out of his door. He ran across the baron fields, through the woods, and straight into the cattle field of the village of Hope. He unsheathed his knife, and killed one of the cattle. He stole a wagon and moved the cow onto the trailer, pulling it back into the village of Gloom. He brought the cow back to the Lwa. The Lwa asked,
"Where did you get this sacrifice?"
"I went to the village of Hope and killed one of their cattle. They won't notice that only one is missing."
"This will do. When the sun is at its peak, you will have your wish."
The Lwa left the woman's body, and the man went to sleep, the woman's body still on the floor.
He woke up the next morning, and waited in the town square until the sun was at its peak in the sky. A man from Hope came barreling into the village, a chunk of flesh torn from his side. He fell to the ground at the man's feet. He knew that this was the blessing that God had given him. He took the man's clothes and journeyed into the village of Hope, thinking that he could pass for the other man.
He was greeted with looks of horror from the people of Hope, and was attacked by a small boy with a sharpened rock. He struggled under the boy's grip, and was relieved when the boy was removed by an older woman. The boy was only to be replaced by many men from hope, punching and kicking him.
The man was beaten to death, because he was believed to be the murderer of the man from Hope.
You should always be careful what you wish for.
On the horizon, there was another village, on the opposite hill. Everything was dead. The people were hermits, and the water was brown. Their livestock was sickly, and their fruits were small and sour. This was the village called Gloom.
One day, a grumpy, sickly man from Gloom was out hunting for his family's dinner. Across the valley, he saw a small boy from Hope gathering eggs from a chicken coop. The man grew angry with envy, and ran back to his village. He set up a shrine, and started praying to Legba.
He prayed day and night, not stopping until his prayers were answered.
One night, the man had a vision that an Lwa was ready for him, and he called the town to a meeting. The people in Gloom did not want to have a meeting, because there was so much hate between the families there. So, the man went door to door looking for a vessel for the Lwa. He searched for hours and hours, until he cam across a young woman who was willing to serve as the vessel. He brought her to his home and prepared the ceremony. It was a success, and the Lwa asked him what he needed.
"I want to be like the people in Hope. I want the food that they have, and I want the clothes that they wear." The Lwa replied with,
"I need something in exchange for granting your wish. Something material."
Without a word, the man ran out of his door. He ran across the baron fields, through the woods, and straight into the cattle field of the village of Hope. He unsheathed his knife, and killed one of the cattle. He stole a wagon and moved the cow onto the trailer, pulling it back into the village of Gloom. He brought the cow back to the Lwa. The Lwa asked,
"Where did you get this sacrifice?"
"I went to the village of Hope and killed one of their cattle. They won't notice that only one is missing."
"This will do. When the sun is at its peak, you will have your wish."
The Lwa left the woman's body, and the man went to sleep, the woman's body still on the floor.
He woke up the next morning, and waited in the town square until the sun was at its peak in the sky. A man from Hope came barreling into the village, a chunk of flesh torn from his side. He fell to the ground at the man's feet. He knew that this was the blessing that God had given him. He took the man's clothes and journeyed into the village of Hope, thinking that he could pass for the other man.
He was greeted with looks of horror from the people of Hope, and was attacked by a small boy with a sharpened rock. He struggled under the boy's grip, and was relieved when the boy was removed by an older woman. The boy was only to be replaced by many men from hope, punching and kicking him.
The man was beaten to death, because he was believed to be the murderer of the man from Hope.
You should always be careful what you wish for.