Major Deities:
Agoussou or Miché Agoussou (Monsieur Agoussou)-The Master of the Waters. his feast day is June 13 which is also the feast day of St. Anthony. His origin is from Dahomey (Benin). Agoussou is believed to have been a prince who was born from the union of a leopard and a woman. St. Anthony had preached to the fish where the river ran into the sea. A great many fish came to listen. The fish were listening but the men hadn’t been listening. For this reason, St. Anthony and Agoussou are closely related.
Aida-wedo or Ayida Wedo - The Rainbow; wife of Damballah Aida-wedo is represented as snake that has iridescent rainbow scales.She is seen as a positive Goddess. She is seen as a weaver of seemingly different attitudes into one continuity.
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Baron Samedi can be depicted as a tall handsome black man wearing a tuxedo and top hat or a skeleton wearing a tuxedo with a top hat. He is married to Maman Brigitte, “the evil goddess of black magic and ill-gotten gold”. Baron Samedi is at the crossroad of life and death. He is the buyer and seller of souls. He is noted for his dancing, his drinking and his debauchery. (pg 92)
Brigitte-La-Croix or Grann Brigitte or Manman Brigittte - Goddess of money Brigitte LaCroix is a death loa. She is one of few loa who is depicted as a European with light colored hair and green eyes. Her symbols are a black rooster and weeping willow or the elm tree. She drinks hot peppers like her husband Baron Samedi. She protects the graves of the dead provided they are marked with a cross. She is invoked to help heal people who are close to death. She is associated with St. Brigid (feast day February 1) and Mary Magdalene (feast day July
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Erzulie represent lover, mother and protector. Each of her names are the embodiment of different types of love. Each of her names is also a manifestation of the husband she is married to. Erzulie Freda is married to Damballah Wedo. La Sirene is married to Agwe Erzulie is associated with Mater Salvatoris, or Santa Barbara Africana, or Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Our Lady of Czestochowa. Other associations are Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Perpetual Help.(more needs to be stated Erzulie has many more aspects)
Grand Bois - Spirit of the woods closely associated with all flora and fauna found in wooded areas. He also rules over the land that is covered by water. Within the Haitian mindset this is the first place the dead visit, so while people are still alive it is a good idea to dip leaves into rum as an offering to him. Saint Sebastian is his Catholic counterpart. The feast day is January 20
Legba or Papa Legba- God of the Crossroads He is one of the original Dahomey deities. He is the go-between for humans and other loas. He must be talked to first before you may speak to any other loa. He works during the day while Mait-Carrefour works at night. St Peter is his Catholic counterpart. Like St. Peter, Legba hold the keys to the spirit
Witcombe further speculates that these statuettes may have served as a representation of the Mother Goddess, also referred to as Earth Mother and that the deity may have been represented in the form of a leader or matriarch.
The statue was important to not only the Aztecs but to the Spanish as well for Catholics seen she as being related to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Coatlicue is seen as wearing a serpent skirt given the name of her meaning of the serpent skirt. Serpents meant childbirth and blood to the Aztecs which is why it is important that she wears a serpent skirt as it represents the childbirth of Huitzilopotchi and the blood from the decapitation of her head from the two serpents. In the Aztec culture, man trained to for battle while woman were the child bearers. Those who died during childbirth were believed to have become goddesses which relates to the Aztec myth. The Coatlicue’s face has been carved in many monuments to keep in touch with the earth since she was the goddess of earth and fire. The Aztecs were the largest army in Mesoamerica and took in many prisoners of war. They believed in ritual sacrifice so that their god would not desert them and their world would not come to an end. Thought to have been through four different worlds already, they believed to have lived in the final world that the gods sacrificed themselves for. The prisoners captured by the Aztec were mostly
The reborn of a relative was to feed and give clothes to during the feast of the dead. The namesake got everything during the feast of the dead, because of the family that lost a member of the family. The reborn was well taken care of from the family to honor the lost one. Both of the bladder festival and feast of the dead was to honor the living things just for seals and human. The people did not really understand life, the people believed life would go in a cycle and keep borning. The yua that means its spirit would reincarnate to another living being. This feast rarely happened that’s why there isn’t a lot to talk about it or research about it. We do not know how or who made the festival that began longest time ago. I don’t really know what the feast is about or how it became because there isn’t a lot of information about it but im telling what I read. Feast of the death was only located on Nelson Island and it took place around 1920’s. “Although contemporary Nelson Island elders provide information of the general form and meaning of the annual and great feasts for the dead, there are not detailed.” said Brentina
The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their beauty, tranquility, and unique culture that have shaped this state into what we see today. The special bond that the natives have formed between themselves and nature is not exactly one of a kind, but it is something that can truly be admired. Around approximately 300 AD, Hawaii was discovered by Polynesians who arrived by canoe from Tahiti. These migrants brought their polytheistic spirituality and formed a large intricate society with hierarchies consisting of many chiefs. Alongside the ruling of the chiefs, the newborn Hawaiians followed a strict belief system known as Kapu akua otherwise known as the “law of the gods”. The Kapu was a strict set of rules and restraints that dictated all aspects of ancient Hawaiian life, including political. These rules were used as a means to control the lives of lower class and female population in order to honor their gods and maintain balance within their Mana.
Yemaya is the spirit of maternity, mother of all wealth, rules over witches, and is comparable in Catholicism to the Virgin Regla. Her real name is Yey Omo Eja, or Mother of Fish, which comes from the idea that life begins in the sea, and that developing babies are like fish. Similar to the oceans and the rivers, she has mysterious depths, but at the same time she exhibits nurturing maternal qualities. Her colors are blue and white, and she is sometimes referred to the spirit of mercy because of her loyalty to her children.
Lilith is a character whose origin is rooted in Babylonian demonology. She has been used to represent multiple different themes ranging from a seductress, Heroine, and even a murderer. These entire stories stem from the epic poem Gilgamesh and the Huluppu-Tree, found on a Sumerian tablet that is dated around 2000 B.C.E. Gilgamesh is a vain hero who seeks eternal life. In one of his adventures he rushes to assist Inanna the goddess of erotic love, and war. Inanna’s precious willow (Huluppu) tree had been possessed with spirits, one a dragon who lay at the base, a Zu-bird who had placed her young in the branches of the tree, and near by the demon Lilith had built her house. Gilgamesh, adorned in heavy armor, slays the dragon which scares the Zu-bird into flying to the mountains, and terrifies Lilith the flee into the desert.
Haiti means “mountains country” Haitian culture represents a specific mix of physical characters especially skin color, hair texture. hair color and facial features the African culture is an ethics mix of African and European elements due to the French, African and indigenous dialects. Major customs of Haitian culture are Catholicism and voodoo a mixture of African animism which means belief in spirits and nature, some Haitians even practice both at one time. There are significant holidays in the Haitian culture as well voodoo is considered a holiday(is a belief system based on practices and traditions that originates from west African traditional regions)
The ancient Greeks worshiped gods-just like the Egyptians-for different reasons altogether. Yet each god had their own importance to the world, they believed Apollo would drive his chariot across the skies to bring light to the world, and Aphrodite would keep people in love of what they are doing and love for other people, just to name two gods and their reasons. Zeus was the most powerful god, ruler of the skies, overseer of oaths, and bringer of the downfall of the Titans. Poseidon was the second most powerful god, ruler of the sea, creator of the horse, earth shaker, and storm bringer. Hades was the third most powerful god, ruler of the underworld, controller of the dead, and keeper of the earth’s riches. Out of all of the 12 major gods, these three gods were the most powerful and influential in the Greek belief, called the big three.
Voodoo is a religion that is different from most traditional religions such as Christianity. The origination of the Voodoo religion came from Africa, however it is said to be a collective combination of Catholic and Native American practices as well. This paper will discuss varies topics of Voodoo such as what it is not, the beliefs and practices that surround death and afterlife, the myth of the Voodoo creation and compare the religion of Voodoo to that of Christianity.
Thesis statement: In this research, I will investigate the basic concepts of the Egyptian mythology and its gods.
As people look through history, certain things amaze and interest them. One thing I was amazed by was Greek mythology and what certain Gods were the Gods of. Most people know of the Gods named Zeus and Hades. Zeus, God of the sky and lightning and Hades the God of the underworld. In this essay I will be writing about the history of Zeus and Hades.
The shamrock was common and known to all, so it was a helpful example. Likewise, the Irish worshipped a goddess named Brigid who represented three spirits of life: healing, creativity, and productivity. Three in one, just like God and the Trinity (Mark). Some other Irish concepts were also similar to Christianity. The Irish already believed in a supreme being and life after death, and were thus easy to convince in that respect. They also had a spirit named Hesus who was associated with an oak tree; this concept was switched to Jesus and the cross. Using basic Irish deities and beliefs, Saint Patrick compared them to Christianity, allowing the Irish to more humanely worship a God they felt they had some familiarity
Chielo - Chielo is the oracle who speaks to the villages as the goddess Agbala. She is very fond of Ekwefi and Enzinma.
Hera is the queen of the Olympian gods. She is daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea.She is a sister-wife of Zeus. Hera was worshiped throughout the Greek world and played an important part in Greek literature, appearing most frequently as the jealous and rancorous wife of Zeus and pursuing with vindictive hatred towards the heroines who were beloved by him. Hera is goddess of marriage and the life of women.She was the birth goddess, at Argos and Athens. At Argos and Samos, however, Hera was even more than queen of heaven and marriage goddess. She was patron of those cities, which gave her a position corresponding to that of Athena at Athens. Although her Argive ritual was markedly agricultural, she also had a celebration there called the
Gods of Egypt, a film directed by Alex Proyas, an Egyptian born Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for previous films The Crow, I Robot, and Knowing. While trying to figure out his main point of the film, one would take away that he feels Gods should treat and respect mortals as they themselves would ask to be respected and treated. In which he lethargically succeeded, partially. In sum, this review will include, a summary of overall work, an evaluation of work based on a list of criteria, acting, story line, stage setting, special effects, overall point of film, and lastly, the directing.