Guede Nibo
Lwa leader of the dead, patron of those who die young.
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In Haitian Vodou, the lwa Guede Nibo serves as the leader of the spirits of the dead.[1] Before becoming a lwa, Guede Nibo was a handsome young man who suffered a violent death; afterward, Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte adopted him as a lwa.[2]
Life and work
He gives voice to dead spirits that have not been reclaimed from below the waters.[2] Guede Nibo's appearance is that of an effeminate dandy with a nasal voice, and he dresses in either a black riding coat or drag.[2] This lwa belongs to the rada category and is regarded as a powerful healer.[3] Among his typical possessions are a staff, a cigar he smokes, and a bottle containing white rum mixed with medicinal herbs.[2]
When possessing a person, Guede Nibo drives them toward all forms of lascivious sexual behavior.[2] Those who die young have Nibo as their special patron, and he is frequently identified with Saint Gerard Majella, a Catholic saint shown with a skull.[2]
What the cited sources add
The color purple is sacred to Nibo; typical offerings comprise black goats, black roosters, calabash, cigars, coconut, fried plantains, pistachios, smoked herrings, sweet sesame balls, and white rum spiced with African bird pepper.[2] That song, called "Massissi" (a Haitian word for a "homoerotically inclined male"), featured phallic thrusts and other erotic gestures.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Guede Nibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Vodou The Next Stage", Xlibris Corporation LLC, 2010, p. 42; Randy Conner, David Hatfield Sparks & Mariya Sparks, eds. (1997). Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol & Spirit. London and New York: Cassell, p. 963. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Guede Nibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Randy Conner, David Hatfield Sparks & Mariya Sparks, eds. (1997). Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol & Spirit. London and New York: Cassell, p. 963. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Guede Nibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Carole Boyce Davies (ed.), Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora, ABC-CLIO, 2008, p. 963. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Guede Nibo (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Guede Nibo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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