In Haitian Vodou, the
Guédé (also spelled
Gede or
Ghede, pronounced in Haitian) are the family of spirits that embody the powers of
deathDeath is the termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby. The true nature of the latter has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical...
and
fertilityFertility is the natural capability of giving life. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. This is different from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
. Guédé spirits include Ghede Masaka, Guédé Nibo, Guédé Plumaj, Guédé Ti Malis, and Guédé Zaranye. All are known for the drum rhythm and dance called the "
banda-People:*Rupiah Banda, President of Zambia*Hastings Banda, former President of Malawi*Banda Singh Bahadur, a famous Sikh warlord*Banda Kanakalingeshwara Rao, a famous Indian stage actor.-Places:*Banda District in Uttar Pradesh, India...
". In possession, they will drink or rub themselves with a mixture of raw rum or clairin and twenty-one habanero or goat peppers.
Ghede NiboIn Haitian Vodou, Ghede Nibo was a handsome young man who was killed violently. After death, he was adopted as a spirit or Lwa by Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte and became a leader of the spirits of the dead. Envisioned as an effeminate, nasal dandy, Nibo wears a black riding coat or drag...
is a
psychopompPsychopomps are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply provide safe passage...
, an intermediary between the living and the dead.
In Haitian Vodou, the
Guédé (also spelled
Gede or
Ghede, pronounced in Haitian) are the family of spirits that embody the powers of
deathDeath is the termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby. The true nature of the latter has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical...
and
fertilityFertility is the natural capability of giving life. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. This is different from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
. Guédé spirits include Ghede Masaka, Guédé Nibo, Guédé Plumaj, Guédé Ti Malis, and Guédé Zaranye. All are known for the drum rhythm and dance called the "
banda-People:*Rupiah Banda, President of Zambia*Hastings Banda, former President of Malawi*Banda Singh Bahadur, a famous Sikh warlord*Banda Kanakalingeshwara Rao, a famous Indian stage actor.-Places:*Banda District in Uttar Pradesh, India...
". In possession, they will drink or rub themselves with a mixture of raw rum or clairin and twenty-one habanero or goat peppers.
Ghede NiboIn Haitian Vodou, Ghede Nibo was a handsome young man who was killed violently. After death, he was adopted as a spirit or Lwa by Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte and became a leader of the spirits of the dead. Envisioned as an effeminate, nasal dandy, Nibo wears a black riding coat or drag...
is a
psychopompPsychopomps are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply provide safe passage...
, an intermediary between the living and the dead. He gives voice to the dead spirits that have not been reclaimed from "below the waters".
Ghede Masaka assists Ghede Nibo. He is an androgynous male or transgendered gravedigger and spirit of the dead, recognized by his black shirt, white jacket, and white headscarf. Ghede Masaka carries a bag containing poisonous leaves and an umbilical cord. Ghede Masaka is sometimes depicted as the companion of Ghede Oussou. Both are bisexual. Ghede Oussou is sometimes also linked with the female Ghede L'Oraille. Ghede Oussou wears a black or mauve jacket marked on the back with a white cross and a black or mauve headscarf. His name means "tipsy" due to his love of white rum. .
Papa Ghede is supposed to be the corpse of the first man who ever died. He is recognized as a short, dark man with a high hat on his head, a
cigarA cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Sumatra, Philippines, and the...
in his mouth, and an apple in his left hand. Papa Ghede is a psychopomp who waits at the crossroads to take souls into the afterlife. He is considered the good counterpart to
Baron SamediBaron Samedi is one of the loa of Haitian Vodou. Samedi is a loa of the dead, along with Baron's numerous other incarnations Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix, and Baron Kriminel. He is the head of the Guédé family of Loa, or an aspect of them, or possibly their spiritual father...
. If a child is dying, Papa Ghede is prayed to. It is believed that he will not take a life before its time, and that he will protect the little ones. Papa Ghede has a very crass sense of humor, a divine ability to read others' minds, and the ability to know everything that happens in the worlds of the living and the dead. Ghede Bábáco is supposedly Papa Ghede's less known brother and is also a psychopomp. His role is somewhat similar to that of Papa Ghede, but he doesn't have the special abilities of his brother.
The Guédé are closely associated with the
loaThe Loa are the spirits of the Voodoo religion practiced in Haiti, and other parts of the world. They are also referred to as Mystères and the Invisibles. They are somewhat akin to saints or angels in Christianity in that they are intermediaries between Bondye —the Creator, who is distant from the...
Baron, whose aspects are
Baron SamediBaron Samedi is one of the loa of Haitian Vodou. Samedi is a loa of the dead, along with Baron's numerous other incarnations Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix, and Baron Kriminel. He is the head of the Guédé family of Loa, or an aspect of them, or possibly their spiritual father...
,
Baron La CroixIn Vodou, Baron La Croix , also spelled Lakwa, is one of the Guédé, a Loa of the dead and sexuality, along with Baron Samedi and Baron Cimetière. He is the ultimate suave and sophisticated spirit of Death - quite cultured and debonair. He has an existential philosophy about death, finding death's...
and
Baron CimetièreIn Vodou, Baron Cimitière is one of the Guédé, a spirit of the dead, along with Baron Samedi and Baron La Croix. He is said to be the male guardian of the cemetery....
. Depending on the tradition followed, Baron is:
- one of the Guédé
- their spiritual protector, who has raised them from the dead with the help of Baron Samedi's woman, Maman Brigitte
In Vodou, Maman Brigitte is a death loa, the wife of Baron Samedi. She drinks hot peppers and is symbolized by a black rooster...
- or an aspect of the Guédé
In any of these configurations, Baron,
Maman BrigitteIn Vodou, Maman Brigitte is a death loa, the wife of Baron Samedi. She drinks hot peppers and is symbolized by a black rooster...
, and the Guédé rule death, the cemetery and the grave.