Papa Legba
Haitian Vodou · deity · Haitian Vodou traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Papa Legba, an elder of the Rada nation descended from the Fon deity of Dahomey, presides over gates, doorways, and the crossroads (kalfou) where the human and spirit worlds meet. Because he alone can open the barrier between the two realms, he is the first lwa saluted at the start of every service, addressed with the plea 'Papa Legba, louvri baryè pou mwen' (Papa Legba, open the gate for me). He is imagined as a poor, lame old man in a straw hat, leaning on a crutch and smoking a pipe, and is commonly identified with Saint Peter, keeper of the keys, or with Saint Lazarus. As divine linguist he interprets the wishes of the spirits, and no other lwa can be reached until he has been honored.
Domains
- crossroads
- thresholds
- communication
Powers
- open the gate to the spirit world
- translate between humans and the lwa
Epithets
- Mèt Kalfou — Master of the CrossroadsMaya Deren, Divine Horsemen (1953), pp. 96-101 (secondary)
Sources
- Papa Legba is the guardian of gates and crossroads, the first lwa invoked in every Vodou ceremony because he opens the way to the other spirits.: Alfred Métraux, Voodoo in Haiti (1959), pp. 101-102 (secondary); Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen (1953), pp. 96-101 (secondary)