Further Readings
Allen, J. P. (1988).Genesis in Egypt:The Philosophy of
Ancient Egyptian Creation Accounts. New Haven,
CT: Yale Egyptological Studies.
Allen, T. (1974).The Book of the Dead(Going Forth).
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Assmann, J. (1995).Egyptian Solar Religion in the New
Kingdom. London and New York: Kegan Paul
International.
Faulkner, R. (1969).Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts.
Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
Faulkner, R. (1973, 1977, 1978).The Ancient Egyptian
Coffin Texts(3 vols.). Warminster, UK: Aris &
Phillips Ltd.
RADA
There are more than 1,000 divinities, or Lwa, in
Vodu, as practiced in Haiti. The Lwa are grouped in
several pantheons or nanchon.Rada is one of those
nanchon, along with 16 others. The most important
nanchon include, in addition to the Rada pantheon,
the Petwo, Nago, Kongo, Juba, and Ibo pantheons.
The Rada pantheon is arguably the most
important, in terms of both size and the role
played by Rada Lwa in Vodu, along with the
Petwo pantheon. In fact, many of the other groups
have been integrated into the Rada and the Petwo
pantheons. For example, the Nago and the Juba
Lwa are often thought of nowadays as Rada,
whereas the Kongo and Ibo are commonly sub-
sumed under the Petwo Lwa. This fusion under-
scores the difficulty one may face when adhering
to too strict a classification. There are constant
overlaps between the different pantheons of Lwa.
The same Lwa may appear as Rada and then as
Petwo. What seems to distinguish the Rada pan-
theon from the Petwo pantheon is, above all, the
general character, attitude, or persona of the Lwa.
Rada Lwa are often associated with a peaceful
demeanor and benevolent attitude. However, this
is not always the case. When displeased or
offended, they may also turn out to be quite
vindictive. In contrast, Petwo Lwa are commonly
thought of as forceful, aggressive, and dangerous.
Yet they may also be protective of the living and
quite generous. Thus, one must resist the easy
temptation of a simplistic classification.
The wordradacomes fromAllada, the name of
the capital city of a powerful kingdom in Ajaland,
later annexed by the Kingdom of Dahomey in
West Africa (in the country known today as
Benin). Although there may be hundreds of Rada
Lwa, there exists nonetheless a hierarchy within
the Rada pantheon, according to which some Lwa
are more critical than others. Certainly, one must
mention the powerful Legba, the master and
keeper of crossroads, without whom no commu-
nication with the spirits is possible and can ever
take place. Legba must be asked for permission
and must grant permission for such communica-
tion to be initiated. As keeper of the gate of the
spiritual world, Legba is also, by extension, the
protector of people’s homes.Agwe (also called
Agwe Taroyo) is the Lwa of the sea and all that is
associated with it: flora, fauna, ships, ship crews,
fishermen, and so on. The symbolic color of
Agwe, as an aquatic spirit, is white. Danballa
Wedo, and his wife, Aida Wedo, are other quite
important aquatic Rada spirits. Represented as
two snakes, which always appear together in the
spiritual drawings known asveve, they stand for
the power and eternity of life and, by extension,
are closely associated with fertility.Ama MazamaSeealsoVodou in HaitiFurther Readings
Deren, M. (1972).The Divine Horsemen:The Voodoo
Gods of Haiti. New York: Delta.
Desmangles, L. (1994).Faces of the Gods: Vodou and
Roman Catholicism in Haiti. Chapel Hill: University
of North Carolina Press.
Métraux, A. (1958).Le Vaudou Haitien[Haitian
Voudou]. Paris: Gallimard.RAIN
Rain, as a form of water, is intimately and ulti-
mately associated with notions of fertility in
African religion. Fertility, the process that enables
the transmission and regeneration of life, is of the
utmost importance to African people. Fertility is notRain 559