L2
The lwa are immortal spirits with supernatural powers. They fall somewhere between God and the human race. They are very similar to the saints, angels and demons of Catholicism. The lwa oversee all human activities such as: marriage, childbirth, health, work, money, war, art, etc.
Lwa are divided into several groups called nanchons. There are at least 17 different nanchons but only a few are known by name.
*Rada – originated in Dahomey
*Petro – originated in Haiti
*Ibo – from on of the major Yoruban tribes
*Nago – another of the major Yoruban tribes
*Ginen – originated in Guinea
*Bambara – originated in Sudan
*Wangol – originated in Angola
*Siniga – originated in Senegal
Of these, the Rada and Petro nanchons dominate the others and have taken in the lwa of the other nations.
The Great Lwa are given realms that they rule and symbols to represent them.
| Rada Name | Petro Name | Realm | Symbol |
| Danbala | None | Wisdom and Ancestral Knowledge | Serpent |
| Aida-Wedo | None | Fertility | Rainbow |
| Papa Legba | Kalfou | Gateway between spiritual world and material world | Cross |
| Ezili Freda | Ezili Danto’ | Love and beauty | Heart |
| Ogou | None | War, fire and metalworking | Machete |
| Agive’ | Agwe’ Laflambeau | Fishing and sailing | Boat |
| Lasiren | Labalenn | The ocean | Seashell |
The family of Ogou spirits is larger than the family of any other major lwa and each aspect of Ogou takes on a slightly different role.
| Aspect | Principal Role |
| Ogou Baba | Represents a military general |
| Ogou Badagris | Lwa of the phallus |
| Ogou Batala | Patron of surgeons and doctors |
| Ogou Fer | Lwa of fire and war |
| Ogou Feray | Patron of blacksmiths and metalworkers |
| Ogou La Flambeau | Represents the fiery rage of battle |
| Ogou Shango | Lwa of lightning |
| Ogou Tonnerre | Lwa of thunder |
Another important group of lwa is Ge’de’, death spirits. Ge’de’ is an enormous group of spirits made up of the spirits of formerly living people who after death became lwa. Below is a list of the major Ge’de’ and their symbols.
| Name | Symbols |
| Ge’de’ | Black cross, skull, shovel |
| Baron Samedi | Cross, coffin, phallus |
| Baron Cimetie’ | Bones, cemetery |
| Baron Crois | Cross |
| Maman Brijit | Cemetery, elm, weeping willow |
Of the Ge’de’ group the majority are male. Listed below are some of the best known Ge’de’ and the roles they play.
| Name | Role |
| Ge’de’-Brav | Represent the phallus |
| Ge’de-Double | Endows people with second sight |
| Ge’de’-Fouye | The gravedigger |
| Ge’de’ Janmensou | He is never drunk |
| Ge’de’-Loraj | Protects those who dies violently, usually from gunshots |
| Ge’de’-Loraye | Small woman who reveals herself in storms |
| Ge’de’-Masaka | Female spirit who carries an umbilical cord and poisoned leaves in a bag |
| Ge’de’-Nibo | Takes care of tombs |
| Ge’de’-Soufrant | Suffering Ge’de’ |
| Ge’de’-z’-Aragne’e’ | Imitates a spider |
| Linto | Child spirit of Ge’de’ |
Baron Samedi is the lord of all the Ge’de’. Maman Brijit, wife of Baron Samedi, is the guardian of cemeteries as well as being an evil spirit of black magic and money.
Although, the following lwa are still powerful and just as frequently honored. No study of the Vodou Spirits would be complete without these important lwa.
| Name | Realm | Symbol |
| Azaka | Agriculture | Makout * |
| Gran Bwa | Forest | Tree |
| Loko | Medicine and priesthood | Red rooster |
| Ayizan | Marketplaces and priestesses | Palm frond |
| Simbi | Freshwater and magicians | Green snake |
| Marinette | Evil works | Screech owl |
| Bosou | Male virility and black magic | Bull |
| Agau | Storms and earthquakes | Thunder |
| Sogbo | Lightning | Thunderstone |
| Bade’ | Wind | Wind |
* makout is a small sack made of woven straw that peasants wore to carry their tools
Every lwa has one or two days set aside to honor them, along with special colors for vodoun to wear. Here are a few examples.
| Lwa | Special Days | Colors |
| Agwe’ | Thursday | White and blue |
| Ayida-Wedo | Monday and Tuesday | White and blue |
| Azaka | Friday and Saturday | Blue and red |
| Baron Samedi | Saturday | Black and purple |
| Danbala | Thursday | White |
| Ezili | Tuesday and Thursday | Pink and pale blue |
| Lasiren | Thursday | Blue-green |
| Ogou | Monday, Friday, and Saturday | Red |
| Papa Legba | Friday and Saturday | Red and white |
| Simbi | Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday | White and green |
Besides the special days and colors the lwa have favorite foods and sacrifices.
| Lwa | Favorite Foods |
| Agwe’ | White hens, white sheep, white goats dyed blue |
| Azaka | Corn, barley, bread, rice and beans, yams |
| Baron Samedi | Black chickens, black goats, grilled peanuts, salted herring |
| Bosou | Fried beef, pigs |
| Danbala and Ayida-Wedo | Pair of white chickens, eggs, rice, milk |
| Ezili Danto’ | Fried pork, black pigs |
| Ezili Freda | White doves, rice, sweet cakes |
| Ge’de’ | Black rooster, black goats |
| Gran Bwa | Bread, cornmeal, peanut cakes |
| Lasiren | White doves |
| Loko and Ayizan | Roosters, black or white goats, russet-colored oxen |
| Maman Brijit | Black chickens |
| Marasa | Baby goat stew wrapped in banana leaves, speckled hens |
| Marinette | Chickens plucked alive, goats, black cows |
| Ogou | Rice and red beans, red roosters, rams, bulls |
| Papa Legba | Mottled roosters, grilled chicken, smoked meats, rice, yams, plantains, cassava |
| Simbi | Speckled roosters, guinea fowl, turkeys, goats, pigs |
Source Unknown.
Witch's Well 