Danbala Wedo
Danbala Wedo, descended from the Fon serpent-divinity Dan of Dahomey, is among the oldest and most venerated of the Rada lwa, manifesting as a great white snake. He is a primordial creative principle whose sinuous coils are imagined to uphold the world and to trace the movement of the waters; he dwells in springs, rivers, and the moisture of the earth, and rises into the heavens joined to his consort, the rainbow serpent Ayida Wedo. Serene, ancient, and largely wordless, when he mounts a devotee the possessed person darts out the tongue and slithers on the ground. His color is white and his offerings must be immaculate, chiefly an egg laid on flour; he is widely identified with Saint Patrick, depicted driving out serpents, or with Moses. Sources count him among the three husbands of Ezili Freda.
Domains
- creation
- water
- wisdom
Powers
- encircle and sustain the world
- bring fertilizing waters and rain
Epithets
- Danbala Wèdo — Danbala of WhydahAlfred Métraux, Voodoo in Haiti (1959), pp. 104-106 (secondary)
Relations
- spouse: Ayida WedoUnited with the rainbow serpent Ayida Wedo.Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen (1953), pp. 114-118 (secondary)
- lover: Ezili FredaCounted among the husbands of Ezili Freda.Karen McCarthy Brown, Mama Lola (1991), pp. 220-223 (secondary)
Sources
- Danbala Wedo is the primordial white serpent lwa of the Rada nation, associated with springs, creation and wealth, whose spouse is the rainbow serpent Ayida Wedo.: Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen (1953), pp. 114-118 (secondary); Alfred Métraux, Voodoo in Haiti (1959), pp. 104-106 (secondary)