Eleggua
Papa Legba is also commonly called Eleggua and
is depicted as an old man sprinkling water or
an old man with a crutch accompanied by dogs.
He is also known as Legba or Legba Ati-Bon in
other pantheons. In any vodoun ceremony, Legba
is the first Lwa invoked, so that he may "open
the gate" for communication between the
worlds. The dog is his symbolic animal, moving
with him between the worlds and across the waters
of the Abyss.
Likened to St. Michael and St. Peter when it
comes to protection of the domicile, Voodoo
practitioners place representations of Papa
Legba beside the back and front doors of their
home in order protect: at the rear, similar
to the function of St. Michael, Legba will keep
evil from entering the home unchecked; at the
front door, Legba is the keyholder, as is St.
Peter, only admitting good fortune and visitors
of honest intent.
Papa Legba is the intermediary between the lwa
and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads
and gives (or denies) permission to speak with
the spirits of Gine; he translates between the
human and “angelic” and all other
languages of the spheres.
Saint
Lazarus
He usually appears as an old man
on a crutch, sprinkling water. The dog is sacred
to him. Because of his position as 'gate-keeper'
between the worlds of the living and the mysteries
he is often identified with Saint Peter who
holds a comparable position in Catholic tradition.
Babalu
Ayé
Lord of Pestilence
and rightful owner of the earth, in the Santeria
tradition Babalu is the Orisha who controls
pestilence. He is also a special intercessor
for thepoor and a god of healing. He will do
his best when invoked against infections and
epidemics. At the moment his most pressing problem
is AIDS, which he is constantly being asked
to cure. But like most doctors, Babalu Aye is
often confounded in the face of man’s
disregard for his own health and well-being;
unlike human physician’s, one of Babalu’s
strongest cures is to let karma take its course.
Like Papa Legba, Babalu is depicted walking
on crutches, perhaps in sympathy with the sick
and suffering he is so often called upon to
help. He is also accompanied by dogs, who, in
this instance, usually are depicted as washing
his wounds by licking him; he favors the colors
of bruising – brown, black an purple.
Hey
Papa Legba
Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Released as a UK B-side in 1982
He would recount the stories he had
learned so well
Fourteen years is a long time in one
cell
When the pipe is passed the opium does
its rounds
Papa Legba sitting pretty in a chicken
little town
His textured skin, like leather in
the sun
Fingers beating hard upon a native drum
He picks his teeth with a splintered
back rib bone
Papa Legba bears his fangs and lays
alone
Hey Papa Legba, hoo-boo-be-do
Hey Papa Legba, no one gonna bother
you
Hey Papa Legba, hoo-boo-be-do
Shake Papa Legba, no one's gonna bother
you tonight, alright
He was free to dance alone where the
spirits run
His almond eyes would twinkle on a hundred
sons
His champagne toast and white meat on
a spit
Papa Legba's drunken with a smile upon
his lips
|
Like the god Hermes of the Greek
pantheon, Legba is the messenger of the the
gods; other Loas can only be contacted through
him. His counterpart in Lukumi is Eleggua; although
in Vodoun he is usually depicted in the aspect
of an elderly man carrying a cane.
Also known as Eshu-Elegbara, Babalu-Aye,
Papa Legaba and Eshu, Papa Legba is one of the
orisha (loa of the West African Fon and Yoruba
peoples). The youngest son of Mawu Liza (or
Nana-Buluku, the creator), Papa Legba is one
of the most important and most beloved of all
the loa.
Eshu
In Yoruba mythology, Eshu is an Orisha, and
one of the most respected deities of the tradition.
He has a wide range of responsibilities: the
protector of travelers, god of roads, particularly
crossroads, the deity with the power over fortune
and misfortune, and the personification of death,
a psycho pomp. Every magical ceremony or ritual
began with an offering to Eshu; failure to do
so guarantees failure in the intent of the ceremony.
Within the Orisa'Ifa - Santeria/Lukumi religion
developed by the descendents of enslaved West
African, Eshu was identified with Saint Anthony
or Saint Michael, depending on the situation.
He is identified by the colors red and black,
or black and white and his caminos, or paths
(compare: avatar) are often represented carrying
a cane, shepherd's crook, as well as a pipe.
Eshu is a trickster-god, and plays frequently
tempting choices for the purpose of causing
maturation. He is a difficult teacher, but a
good one. As an example, Eshu was walking down
the road one day, wearing a hat that was red
on one side and blue on the other. Sometime
after he departed, the villagers who had seen
him began arguing about whether the stranger's
hat was blue or red. The villagers on one side
of the road had only been capable of seeing
the blue side, and the villagers on the other
side had only been capable of seeing the red
half. They nearly fought over the argument,
until Eshu came back and cleared the mystery,
teaching the villagers about how one's perspective
can alter one's perception of reality, and can
be easily fooled. (In many versions of this
tale, the two tribes were not stopped short
of violence; they actually annihilated each
other, and Eshu laughed at the result, saying
"Bringing strife is my greatest joy".
Eshu is thus a prototype of the maltheistic
view of God's nature.)
 |
Papa Legba is first to be called
in a service to open the gates of the spirit
world. He controls crossing from one world to
another, contact from the spirit world to the
flesh world, delivery of the loa’s messages,
is intermediary of loa in human language, and
interprets their will. He is also the loa of
destiny.
He has a polite, caring nature,
and is the teacher of humility, compassion and
responsibility to others.
Portrayed as a small crooked lovable
old man at times , with a little food in his
sack, white and yellow spots, sores on his body:
a pitiful appearance who conceals terrific strength
and power. He is the symbol of the sun, daylight,
and all that is positive.
Papa
Legba
Papa
Legba Lyrics
Artist(Band):Talking Heads
You'll be, hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm, magnet for
money
You'll be, mm-mm-mm-mm, magnet for love
You'll feel, hmm, light in your body
Now I'm gonna say, gonna say these words:
Rompiendo
la monotonia del tiempo
Rompiendo la monotonia del tiempo
It might
hmm-mmm-mm-mm...It might rain money
It might hm-hi-hi-hi...It might rain
fire
Now I'm gonna call,
Gonna call on Legba.
Get yourself a sign
Get your love and desire.
Rompiendo
la monotonia del tiempo
Rompiendo la monotonia del tiempou
Papa Legba,
Come and open the gate.
Papa Legba,
To the city of camps.
Now, we're your children
Come and ride your horse
In the night
In the night
Come and ride your horse
There
is a queen
Of six sevens and nines
Dust in your garden
Poison in your mind
There is a king
That will steal your soul
Din't let him catch you,
Don't let him get control.
Rompiendo
la monotonia del tiempo
Rompiendo la monotonia del tiempo
Papa
Legba,
Come and open the gate
Papa Legba,
To the city of camps
Now, we're your children
Come and ride your horse
In the
night
In the night, come and ride your horse
In the night
In the night, come and ride your horse
In the night
In the night, come and ride your horse
|
The term Voodoo (Vodun in Benin;
also Vodou or other phonetically equivalent
spellings in Haiti; Vudu in the Dominican Republic)
is applied to the branches of a West African
ancestor-based spirit-animist religious tradition.
Its roots are varied and include the Fon, Ewe,
and Yoruba peoples of West Africa, from western
Nigeria to eastern Ghana. In the country now
known as Benin (formerly the Kingdom of Dahomey),
Vodun is the national religion, and followed
by some 4 million people. The word vodoun is
the Fon-Ewe word for spirit. It also is highly
influenced by Central African traditions. The
Kongo rite, also known in the north of Haiti
as Lemba (originally a cult practiced among
the BaKongo people is as widespread as the West
African elements, but has largely been overlooked
by North Americans.
Until recently, many assumed that the admixture
of such traditions with Catholicism occurred
in the New World. There is significant evidence
that the model for such syncretism can be found
in the religious practices of the Kingdom of
Kongo. Popular understandings of these details
have not caught up with recent discoveries.
The Fon tradition in Cuba is known as La Regla
Arara. In Brazil, the Fon tradition among former
slaves has given rise to the tradition known
as Jeje Vodun.
HELP
THE GODS HELP US AND HELP YOU !
WE DO SO APPRECIATE
YOUR GREAT ACTS OF KINDNESS
THANK
YOU
Make A Donation
|
The
Seven African Powers
The
Seven African powers are the most well-known
and celebrated divinities of the Yoruba Pantheon,
and are common to all Yoruba faiths, although
they are not always considered to be the same
deities. In Macumba traditions (Candomble, Umbanda),
they are called Orixa; in Vodoun, they are called
Lwas (Loas); in Palo, Nkisi. In all of these
traditions, the Orishas have many aspects (Caminos),
which are often quite diverse.
(For
more Visit here about the Seven African Powers
Visit Here Now)
