Even people who know very little about Haitian Vodou, seem to know the tale of the serpent and the rainbow. Sacred stories traverse boundaries and limitations, and this story of two divine snakes is no exception. For many devotees the Loa Damballa Wedo and Aida Wedo are the father and mother of the Vodou, or Voodoo, religion. Their legendary story is as follows:
In a time before time there were two serpents- a male and a female. They were lovers, intertwined souls, who danced their magick on the continent of Africa. There came a time when that was no longer possible. War and strife made the possibility and the push of a new land a necessity. The serpents made the journey to the new world. Damballa made the trip beneath the seas, the realm of the ancestors and deep wisdom. Aida traveled across the sky as wearing the crown of the rainbow. They met, and intertwined again in the New World bringing the joy and beauty of their majesty.
In the New World the worship and religion surrounding these snakes took a different turn. In my post How Anti-Pagan St. Patrick Became Voodoo’s Damballa, I talk about while the use of a Catholic saint to represent this Loa is common, he is still worshiped in a traditional way. Damballa (also spelled Damballah) is a creator, a patriarch, a serpent. He provides healing, guidance, and blessings. Often represented with his wife Aida Wedo as a Cadauceus , the intertwined snakes seen most commonly on medical insignia. Damballa is one of the most venerated deities in Haitian Vodou, and is present at most ceremonies. Damballa is offered white eggs, veve drawings created with white flour, milk, and rum. He can bring about magickal change and newness to any situation.
Damballa and Aida Wedo are frequently a theme in Haitian art. There are veves like the one shown above. These are ground drawing created in flour or conrmeal as an offering and an invitation to the Loa. Then there are numerous flags for Damballa and Aida Wedo like the one pictured here. Flags are thought of as a poor man’s stained glass window, and are use to both honor and salute the Loa during a ceremony.
Damballa and Aida Wedo are only two of hundreds of Loa honored in Haitian Vodou, but they are never forgotten. For more information on these serpents please read Rainbow Goddess Aida Wedo: Voodoo Prism of Possibility. If you have enjoyed what you have read here please remember to share, share, share!
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