The Goddess Erzulie

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Erzulie, ----.
6ZWLE,
[to Whom the seventh day of July, day 188, is dedicated]

Geography/Culture: American, Central: Haitii. Voodoo. From Damhomey, old French West Africa.
Linguistic Note: voodoo is the conventional spelling of the Louisiana French word voudou (also, voudoun) itself from west African, (possibly Ewe), vodu, 'deity'.
Description: Fair-skinned and flirtacious Goddess of love, glamour, flowers, dancing and fine clothes; Purveyor of extravagant dreams and exquisite fantasies; She Who represents fabulous luxury and wealth; the ideal but tragic Mistress; the poignant Mistress; She Who yearns for unattainable perfection; She Who is as generous and lavish with Her love as with Her gifts; She Who greets all men with warm embraces; Matron of prostitutes; She Who takes possession of Her worshippers.
Originally She was a spirit of the sea and Loa of elemental forces.
To Whom Sacred: snake (two snakes are sometimes included on Her flags); three wedding rings (which She wears for Her three consorts); perfumes; jewels; champagne; heart (She is portrayed as a heart on Voodoo flags), with or without an M in the middle of it; hearts filled with checkers symbolize love of the land, (sometimes interpreted as peace); the letter M.
Male Associates: Consorts, Damballah, ----, the serpent Loa; Agwe, ----, the sea Loa; Ogoun, ----, Loa of fire and warrior hero.

Titles/Variants, etc:

Ayida may be an aspect of Her, below.
Also called Erzulie-Freda.
Also called: Erzulie-Ge-Rouge, in which form She huddles together with knees drawn up and clenched fists while She weeps over the shortness of life and the limitation of love.
She is identified with Mary, {Sea-Queen}, by Christianity.
She has a sea aspect called La-Sirene, below.

Sources: AHDEL; Cotterell DWM 177; Carlyon GG 69-70; Cavendish MIE 269-70; pamphlet on Haitian Voudoun.

Ayida, ----.
*EYD1
Geography/Culture: American, Central: Haitii.
Description: Rainbow Goddess; She Who with Her consort represents total sexuality; together They are coiled about the earth.
To Whom Sacred: snake (She represents one of the pair of snakes -- the other represents Damballah -- symbolizing fertility, sometimes found within the heart of Erzulie on Voodoo flags).
Male Associate: Male counterpart and consort: Damballah, ----, source of all life wisdom. Also called Damballah-Wedo, ----.

Titles/Variants, etc:

Perhaps, through Her association with sexuality and Damballah, She is an aspect of Erzulie, or the name of Her earlier form as Loa of the sea.
It may be as Ayida that Erzulie is known as La-Sirene, below.

Source: Carlyon GG 69; pamphlet on Haitian Voudoun.

La-Sirene, The-Siren.
L1-SYRAN6
Geography/Culture: American, Central: Haitii.
Description: Goddess of the sea.
Iconography: She appears as a mermaid.
Male Associate: Consort: Agwe, ----, god (or loa) of sea, wind, thunder, cannon-fire, boats, and sea-shells.

Titles/Variants, etc:

Perhaps another name for Ayida, above, though their consorts differ.
Sea aspect of Erzulie, above.

Source: Carlyon GG 67; pamphlet on Haitian Voudoun.

worked on: July 1990; January, August 1991; June 1995.
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