Baron Samedi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations. |
In Vodou or voodoo, Baron Samedi (Baron Saturday, also Baron Samdi, Bawon Samedi, or Bawon Sanmdi) is one of the aspects of Baron, one of the loa. He is a loa of the dead, along with Baron's other incarnations Baron Cimetière, and Baron La Croix. Baron Samedi is usually depicted with a white top hat, black tuxedo, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in Haitian style. He has a white, frequently skull-like face (or actually has a skull for a face) and speaks in a nasal voice. He is one of the Guédé, or an aspect of them, or possibly their spiritual father. His wife is the loa Maman Brigitte. 'Samedi' means 'Saturday' in French, though there are alternate etymologies offered.
Baron Samedi stands at the crossroads, where the souls of dead humans pass on their way to Guinee. As well as being the all-knowing loa of death, he is a sexual loa, frequently represented by phallic symbols and noted for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a particular fondness for tobacco and rum. Additionally, he is the loa of sex and resurrection.
He is New World in origin, not African. The Haitian dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier was infamous for taking on the guise of Baron Samedi, a persona which helped the tyrant oppress the rural populace of the island. It is said that Papa Doc looked exactly like the classic representation of the Baron and used this much to his advantage[citation needed].
[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, 1997. "Vodou".
[edit] External links
- - A Virtual Vodou Altar
- - Haitian Vodoun Culture
- - The Dead: Baron, Brijit and Gede
- - Baron's Magic Shop and Resources
|
|||||||||||||
