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The Loa [Haitian Vodou]

Anyone with knowledge of the Haitian Vodou religion knows about the Loa. Though they are often mistaken as Vodou gods, this is incorrect as the religion is actually monotheistic, having the one deity Bondye (from the French Bon Dieu, or ‘Good God’). There are, however, the Loa: spirits that serve as intermediates between Bondye and humans. They serve roles that can be compared to those of the angels of Christianity. Supposedly, there are 401 different Loa, the most well-known of which are probably Mami Wata (the Loa of water) and Baron Samedi (the Loa of death). Although others claim that there are actually over a thousand Loa, and that most of them aren’t known to humans.

Vodou is mostly derived from the Benin Vodun religion, incorporating parts of other beliefs. The trans-Atlantic slave trade brought people from western Africa to Haiti, where their religions mixed with each other and with Christianity to form Haitian Vodou as we know it today. The Loa – also called Lwa – are classified in different groups: the Rada Loa are not aggressive and are often associated with water, whereas the Petro Loa are more dangerous and aggressive. There are other types, too. Baron Samedi, for example, is the leader of the Guédé, a group of spirits that guide the souls of the deceased to the afterlife. Think of them like our friends on the other side.