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.