Ghede Nibo
leader of the spirits of the dead in Haitian Vodou
Ghede Nibo is a loa who is leader of the spirits of the dead in Voodoo. Formerly human, Ghede Nibo was a handsome young man who was killed violently. After death, he was adopted as a loa by Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte.
Ghede Nibo | |
|---|---|
| Venerated in | Voodoo, Folk Catholicism |
| Attributes | Black coat, top hat, staff, cigar, rum, skull, obscenities |
| Patronage | Gravestones, cemeteries |
Overview
changeGhede Nibo is a Rada spirit,[1] considered a great healer. He is seen carrying a bottle of white rum infused with medicinal herbs. Often he also smokes a cigar. Nibo is the special patron of those who die young. Purple is considered his sacred color, and usual offerings include black goats, black roosters, cigars, coconut and white rum spiced with African bird pepper.[2]
In popular culture
change- The Disney villain character Dr. Facilier in the animated film The Princess and the Frog is loosely modelled on Ghede Nibo.
- Baron Samedi (as the head of the Ghede family of loa) is mentioned in the second novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series of stories Live and Let Die.
References
change- ↑ Carole Boyce Davies (ed.), Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora, ABC-CLIO, 2008, p. 963.
- ↑ Randy Conner, David Hatfield Sparks & Mariya Sparks (eds), Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol & Spirit, London and New York: Cassell, 1997.