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Ghede Haitian Lord of Death |
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| GHEDE: Haiti is rich with dark myths and voodoo legends, including many frightening tales about the evil Ghede. This lord of death is a tall man who wears a long black coat, black top hat, and dark glasses. He is considered a powerful DEVIL who constantly seeks the ruin of souls. Ghede stands at the eternal crossroads through which all souls must pass upon death. He has the power to resurrect the dead and to animate zombies. One of his most frightening attributes is his ability eternally to torment the souls of corpses stolen by sorcerers. Haitians believe that only prayer and holy ritual can save them from the clutches of Ghede. (o) GHEDE Ghede is the eternal figure in black, controlling the eternal crossroads at which everyone must someday cross over. His symbol is the cross upon a tomb. Ghede is sort of to the underworld or afterlife what Legba is to life-- he who controls access. Ghede controls access to everything in the afterlife. Ghede is also god of eroticism. Eroticism is beyond good and evil since it is inevitable. Ghede is neither delighted by eroticism, and certainly not shamed by it. If anything Ghede is amused by the universal presence of eroticism and humans' constant need to pretend that it is other than what it is. When Ghede mounts someone he often singles out people who pretend to be aloof from eroticism. He ridicules them, embarrasses them, exposes them (in more ways than one.) He is especially hard on whites since they often have the puritanical sexual attitudes of western culture. Ghede is also often called BARON SAMEDI. In this aspect he is DEATH. He is the keeper of the cemetery and the primary contact with the dead. Anyone who would seek contact with the dead must first contact and solicit Ghede/Baron Samedi in the same way that Legba is contacted to cross over to the spirit world. Ghede has a ravenous appetite for food and drink and doesn't mind manifesting them when he mounts someone. Ghede is a clown, an interrupter, a coarse fellow. But he is history too. As keeper of the cemetery he has intimate contact with the dead. He knows what their plans were, what's going on in families, what the connections of things are. And he is quite generous with his information. Even when he is clowning or performing his erotic antics, if you can pull him aside and ask him a serious question you will get a serious and reliable answer. Another of Ghede's great powers is as the protector of children. Ghede generally does not like to see children die. They need a full life. Thus he is the loa to go to when seeking help for a sick child. Ghede has the power over zombies and decides whether or not people can be changed into animals. Any such black magic voodoo must seek the help of Baron Samedi/Ghede with these tasks. Lastly, since Ghede is the lord of death, he is also the last resort for healing since he must decide whether to accept the sick person into the dead or allow them to recover. (1) |
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Vever for Ghede. |
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Resource List - all entries are taken verbatim from the original source: (o) "The Encyclopedia of Hell." Miriam Van Scott. St. Martin's Press. ©1998 (1) "NOTES ON CENTRAL LOA." Bob Corbett. Spring, 1990 http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/listlwa.htm |
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