Rada loa
Encyclopedia
Scope
They include older, beneficent spirits who can be directly traced to DahomeyDahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
Vudus of West Africa.
Etymology
"Rada" is a cognateCognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of Arará
Arará
Arará is a minority group in Cuba , Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean who descend from Fon, Ewe, Popo, Mahi and other ethnic groups in Dahomey...
, and also Yoruba
Yoruba mythology
The Yorùbá religion comprises the original religious beliefs and practices of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in Southwestern Nigeria and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo, a region that has come to be known as Yorubaland...
orisha
Orisha
An Orisha is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system....
s.
Function
Rada loas are guardians of morals and principlesEthics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, related to Africa, whereas Petro loas are connected to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
of the West
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
, and are considered more aggressive. Some loas (such as Erzulie
Erzulie
In Haitian Vodou or Vodou, Erzulie is a family of lwa, or spirits.-Maîtresse Mambo Erzulie Fréda Dahomey:Erzulie Fréda Dahomey, the Rada aspect of Erzulie, is the spirit of love, beauty, jewelry, dancing, luxury, and flowers. Gay men are considered to be under her particular patronage...
) have both Rada and Petro manifestations.
Identities
Some Rada loa are: LegbaPapa Legba
In Haitian Vodou, Papa Legba is the intermediary between the loa and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives permission to speak with the spirits of Guinee, and is believed to speak all human languages...
, Loco
Loco (loa)
In the Voodoo religion, Loco is a loa, patron of healers and plants, especially trees. He is a racine , and a Rada Loa. Among several other Loa he is linked with the poteau mitan or centrepost in a Vodou peristyle....
, Ayizan
Ayizan
In Vodou, and especially in Haiti, Ayizan is the loa of the marketplace and commerce.She is a racine, or root Loa, associated with Vodoun rites of initiation...
, Anaisa Pye
Anaisa Pye
Anaisa Pye is a very popular loa within Dominican Vodou. She is considered the patron saint of love, money, and general happiness within the 21 Divisions. She is often considered extremely flirtatious, generous, and playful by her devotees...
, Damballa
Damballa
In Vodou, Damballah is one of the most important of all the loa . Damballah is the Sky God and considered the primordial creator of all life. The veve of Damballah comprises two serpents prominent among other emblems.-Family:...
, Ayida-Weddo
Ayida-Weddo
In Vodou, especially in Benin and Haiti, Aida-Weddo is a loa of fertility, rainbows and snakes, and a companion or wife to Damballah-Wedo. Ayida-Weddo is known as the Rainbow Serpent.- External links :*...
, Erzulie
Erzulie
In Haitian Vodou or Vodou, Erzulie is a family of lwa, or spirits.-Maîtresse Mambo Erzulie Fréda Dahomey:Erzulie Fréda Dahomey, the Rada aspect of Erzulie, is the spirit of love, beauty, jewelry, dancing, luxury, and flowers. Gay men are considered to be under her particular patronage...
, and Agwé
Agwé
In Vodou, and especially in Haiti, Agwé, also spelt Agoueh, is a loa who rules over the sea, fish, and aquatic plants, as well as the patron loa of fishermen and sailors...
.