Ayida Wedo
Haitian Vodou · deity · Haitian Vodou traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Ayida Wedo, the rainbow serpent derived from the Fon Aido Hwedo, is the wife and complement of Danbala Wedo. Where Danbala is the white snake coiled about the earth and its waters, Ayida is the arc of the rainbow spanning the sky; joined, the two serpents encompass the whole of creation and are emblematic of cosmic wholeness, fertility, and the continuity of life. She shares in Danbala's demand for whiteness and purity, is associated with springs and the fertilizing waters, and is often identified with the Virgin Mary in her aspect of the Immaculate Conception. Serpent and rainbow together form one of the central images of Vodou cosmology.
Domains
- rainbow
- fertility
Powers
- arch the rainbow across the sky
Epithets
- Ayida Wèdo — the Rainbow of WhydahMilo Rigaud, Secrets of Voodoo (1969), pp. 74-76 (secondary)
Relations
- spouse: Danbala WedoUnited with the primordial serpent Danbala Wedo.Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen (1953), pp. 114-118 (secondary)
Sources
- Ayida Wedo is the rainbow serpent lwa, wife of Danbala Wedo, together forming a primordial couple of cosmic totality.: Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen (1953), pp. 114-118 (secondary); Milo Rigaud, Secrets of Voodoo (1969), pp. 74-76 (secondary)