negligent with libations and offerings, they will
tounen men vid, come back empty handed and
encounter turbulent seas among other misfor-
tunes on their journey.
All water spirits are famous for their jealous
nature and unrelenting anger. Although under-
standing, generous, and, in general, slow to anger,
Agwe is also slow to forgive. Many envision him
as a distinguished naval sea officer with ink black
hair just beginning to gray and a well-trimmed
beard; his eyes resemble deep pools of water.
During the day, he sails a large stately ship and
enjoys the refreshing mist of the ocean on his
weathered face; at night, he descends to his watery
abode under the sea. One might imagine that
Agwe feels as a fish might feel out of water
because he rarely ventures far from home, never
wanting to leave any of his seven seas behind. A
solemn deity, Agwe prefers the isolation of his
underwater realm to the ostentatious Vodou cere-
monies where the other Lwa or Vodou spirits
manifest themselves to the faithful. It is because of
this preference that he rarely reveals himself dur-
ing asèvisLwa, a Vodou ceremony, or in other
encounters with humans.
In Haitian Vodou, each Lwa has certain charac-
teristics, preferences, and attributes. Agwe’s colors
are white and blue, just like the waves of the
ocean. His day is Thursday. His tree is theraisinier
(cocolota uvifera), and he likes to drink fine
champagne and other expensive liqueurs, like Ezili
Freda. Ordinarily, Agwe is offered cakes, white
sheep, liqueurs or champagne, and white hens. He
is part of the Rada family as a water spirit and
also because of his overall kind and gentle nature.
Unlike the gods from thePetwofamily, Agwe is
not easily provoked. His symbols are the fish,
boats, and paddles.
Agwe is clearly a god of African origin, more
specifically Fon, by his name (from the FonAgbe,
a Vodou divinity of the Hevioso pantheon), his
personality, and place in the Vodou pantheon.
Some other African gods who share a resemblance
with Agwe are Hapi (Egypt/Egyptian), Olokun
(Nigeria/Yoruba), Selket (Egypt/Egyptian), and
Sobek (Egypt/Egyptian).
Kyrah Malika DanielsSee alsoOlokun
Further Readings
Crosley, R. (2000).The Vodou Quantum Leap. St. Paul,
MN: Llewellyn.
Derren, M. (1953).Divine Horsemen:The Vodou Gods
of Haiti. New York: Thames and Hudson.
Desmangles, L. (1992).The Faces of the Gods. Chapel
Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Metraux, A. (1958).Le Vodou Haitien. Paris: Gallimard.AIDAWEDO
In the beginning, a large snake encircled the Earth
to protect it from crumbling into the seas. When
the first rains began to fall, the Haitian deity,Aida
Wedo, the rainbowLwa, appeared, and the ser-
pent (who was really the LwaDanbala) fell in
love with her, and they married. It is said that the
semen of men and the milk of women are actually
the spiritual nectar of Danbala and Aida Wedo
being passed through each generation. The two
Lwa taught humanity about the link between life
and blood, menstruation and birth, and the ulti-
mate power of (blood) sacrifice in Haitian Vodou.
This sort of creation story involving powerful
male and female spirits is not unusual. Many
world religions share similar creation myths,
where contrasting yet complementary forces join
together to conceive the Earth and its habitants.
Often these deities form close ties with their cre-
ations and share with them the great secrets of life
in hopes that they might lead more spiritually
meaningful and fulfilling lives. These unions are
so strong that it becomes difficult to separate
these deities and speak solely of one without
touching on the other; such is the case with Aida
Wedo and Danbala. Although Danbala is the
more primary of the two, Aida Wedo holds her
ground. Powerful of her own accord, she never-
theless is made even stronger through and because
of her consort.
This creation tale also reveals the complexity
of male and female principles in Haitian Vodou.
The Lwa can be at once male and female, and this
fluidity of gender pervades their sexuality as well;
it is not unusual for goddesses to couple with
goddesses, whether acting as female spirits or
playing the role of a male deity. During cere-
monies, women are routinely mounted by male20 Aida Wedo