Voodoo

Voodoo (among multiple spellings) indicates a series of similar and interrelated religions originating in West Africa and spread into Central America and southern U.S., along with the Atlantic slave trade.^{[Footnote 1]}

DescriptionEdit

Voodoo is a sincretic religion,^{[Footnote 2]} combining the world creators of both original religions, and the system of spirits originating in West Africa with the Catholic^{[Footnote 3]} hierarchy of angels and saints in entities called Loa. Worship, including to ancestors, is often mediated by high rank initiates, if not full priests, under the name of houngan^{[Footnote 4]} and mambo, which practice white magic.^{[Footnote 5]} Practitioners of both white and black magic are called bokor (caplata if women).^{[Footnote 6]}

Prominent in the Haitian and Lousiana Voodoo is the worship of the Loa,^{[Footnote 7]} which are both prayed to and served, and who can possess a human host, during the ceremonies in their honor.

In the seriesEdit

Death MasksEdit

In Death Masks, Harry Dresden summons Ulsharavas, a spirit allied to the Loa, for informations on the location of the Shroud of Turin.^[1]

NotesEdit

1. ↑ Voodo - Wikipedia
2. ↑ Syncretism - wikipedia
3. ↑ Catholicism - wikipedia
4. ↑ Houngan - wikipedia
5. ↑ Mambo - wikipedia
6. ↑ Bokor - wikipedia
7. ↑ Loa - wikipedia

ReferencesEdit