All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

GHEDE

BARON SAMEDI

Baron Samedi is the most familiar aspect of the ancestral

spirit, or loa, known as Baron, other incarnations being

Baron La Croix and Baron Cimetière. Baron is seen by

diferent traditions as the chief of the Ghede spirits, or as

their father, or as the personification of the spirit known as

Ghede. He is often portrayed as an elegant figure with a

white or skull-like face, black clothes, a white top hat,

and dark glasses. He smokes a cigarette in a long holder

and carries a cane. Baron Samedi is a “psychopomp”, a

being who is able to communicate between the worlds of

both humans and spirits. He leads the souls of the dead

to the Underworld. He is also said to control the

GHEDE SPIRITS

Ghede is also the name for a group of spirits who perform diferent

functions as psychopomp and mediator between the worlds of the

living and the dead. They are easily accessible to devotees, and ready

with their advice. These spirits have distinct characters and roles. For

example, Ghede Nibo takes the form of a young man who died early,

perhaps as a result of violence; he is considered to be a guardian of

tombs and a protector of people who die young. Ghede Ti Malis is

a trickster spirit, whose pranks include tricking people out of food.

GHEDE AND DIVINATION

The traditional haunt of Ghede is the crossroads,

symbolic of the place where the worlds of the living

and dead, of people and spirits, come together. As

the spirit who presides over this meeting place,

Ghede is believed to have special powers of prophecy

and the gift of second sight. People therefore come

to the spirit seeking answers to pressing questions,

especially those concerning fertility. They make an

ofering to the spirit and request a priest to ask

Ghede questions. The answer comes back in the

form of a pattern of drops of rum trickled onto the

ground, or in the form of cryptic messages from

rolls of a dice or the turning of particular tarot

cards. The advice that the spirit gives may often be

unpalatable to the supplicants; nevertheless, they

believe it to be sound, and give it great respect.

Baron Samedi
Baron Samedi is portrayed in various
ways. Sometimes he wears a large,
elaborate hat with the image of a
human skull on the front.

Baron Samedi’s symbol

Voodoo is a mix of African, Caribbean,

and Roman Catholic beliefs, and the cross

is prominent in Baron Samedi’s vever,

since he is associated with death.

Tarot cards

Originating in medieval Italy, the tarot pack is used for divination

and probably came to the Caribbean with the early European

settlers. Ghede often dispensed advice through tarot cards.

Voodoo flag

Among the objects that

are considered essential

for voodoo rituals is a

sequined flag depicting

symbols of Ghede. The

unfurling of this flag

signals the formal start

of the ceremony.

zombies – the soulless bodies of the

dead – and possesses the power to bring

them back to life by restoring their souls.

147