Guédé

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In Haitian Vodun, the Guédé (also spelled Gede or Ghede) are the family of spirits that embody the powers of death and fertility. They are closely associated with the loa Baron (whose aspects are Baron Samedi, Baron La Croix and Baron Cimetière). Depending on the tradition followed, Baron is:

• one of the Guédé
• their spiritual father who has raised them from the dead, along with Baron Samedi's wife Maman Brigitte who is their spiritual mother
• an aspect of the Guédé

In any of these configurations, Baron, his wife Maman Brigitte, and the Guédé rule death, the cemetery and the grave.

Well known Guédé spirits include Guédé Nibo, Guédé Plumaj, Guédé Ti Malis, Guédé Zaranye, and many others. They are known for the drum rhythm and the dance called the "banda" and in possession will drink or rub themselves with a mixture of raw rum or clairin and twenty-one habanero or goat peppers.

Gede Nibo is a psychopomp and acts as an intermediary between the living and the dead, who gives voice to the dead spirits that have not been reclaimed from "below the waters".

[edit] References

• Voodoo: Search for the Spirit. Laennec Hurbon. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1995.
• "Ghede" A Dictionary of World Mythology. Arthur Cotterell. Oxford University Press, 997.
• "Vodun". http://members.aol.com/racine125/index1.html