Qui est Damballa Wedo ?

Damballa Wedo est le serpent primordial du vodou haïtien, l'un des lwas les plus anciens et les plus vénérés. Père céleste associé à la création, à la pureté et à la sagesse, il est servi en blanc dans le rite Rada, aux côtés de son épouse Ayida-Weddo, le serpent arc-en-ciel.

Que signifie le vèvè de Damballa ?

Le vèvè de Damballa figure deux serpents dressés et entrelacés, qui représentent Damballa Wedo et son épouse Ayida-Weddo, le serpent arc-en-ciel. Tracé au sol avec de la farine lors des cérémonies, ce dessin rituel appelle l'esprit et matérialise l'union du ciel et de la terre, du masculin et du féminin, à la source de la création dans le vodou haïtien.

Quelles offrandes fait-on à Damballa Wedo ?

Damballa est servi en blanc, couleur de sa pureté. Son offrande la plus connue est un œuf blanc posé sur un monticule de farine. On lui présente aussi du lait, du riz et des aliments blancs, parfois des fleurs. Lors des possessions, les fidèles étendent un drap blanc sur le sol, car l'esprit, qui ne parle pas mais siffle, doit rester à l'écart de toute souillure.

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DAMBALLA WEDO

ally

Primordial serpent, creation, wisdom

✦ SoulVaudou (Bénin/Haïti) →Afrique de l'Ouest — Bénin / HaïtiElder

Gender: Masculine

Damballa Wedo is the primordial serpent of Haitian Vodou, one of the most ancient and most respected lwa. A celestial father associated with creation, he is said to have shaped the world with his thousands of coils, and his shed skin to have given birth to the waters. He descends from Dan, the sacred serpent venerated in Dahomey, present-day Benin, where the temple of the pythons at Ouidah still perpetuates his cult. A great figure of the Rada rite, he embodies the purity, wisdom and peace of the origins. His colour is white: he is offered a white egg laid on a mound of flour, milk, rice and white foods. His wife is Ayida-Weddo, the rainbow serpent; their union symbolises the balance of sky and earth, of the masculine and the feminine. His vèvè figures two serpents raised and intertwined. Damballa does not speak: during possessions he hisses, and the faithful spread a white sheet on the ground to preserve his purity. Catholic imagery associated him with Saint Patrick, represented with serpents, and sometimes with Moses and the staff turned serpent. His benevolent, silent presence makes him a source of blessing, fecundity and peace for the faithful of Haitian Vodou.

Powers & Attributes

primordial serpentcreationwisdom

Role in the ROHO universe

An ancient wave of the creator Breath, preserved and handed on in the diaspora.

Sacred Mask

An ivory serpentine mask — a symbol of origin, regeneration and peace.

Era

1500–1800 — Cycle of the Diaspora and Remembrance

Spiritual Lesson

To learn humility before the Origin and the patience of the cycle.

Words of the Spirit

“Before the first word, there was already the breath.”

Frequently asked questions

Who is Damballa Wedo?

Damballa Wedo is the primordial serpent of Haitian Vodou, one of the most ancient and most venerated lwa. A celestial father associated with creation, purity and wisdom, he is served in white in the Rada rite, beside his wife Ayida-Weddo, the rainbow serpent.

What does Damballa's vèvè mean?

Damballa's vèvè figures two serpents raised and intertwined, representing Damballa Wedo and his wife Ayida-Weddo, the rainbow serpent. Traced on the ground with flour during the ceremonies, this ritual drawing calls the spirit and materialises the union of sky and earth, of the masculine and the feminine, at the source of creation in Haitian Vodou.

What offerings are made to Damballa Wedo?

Damballa is served in white, the colour of his purity. His best-known offering is a white egg laid on a mound of flour. He is also presented with milk, rice and white foods, sometimes flowers. During possessions, the faithful spread a white sheet on the ground, for the spirit — who does not speak but hisses — must be kept from all defilement.

Sources and references

Alfred Métraux, Le Vaudou haïtien (1958)
Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1953)
Milo Rigaud, La tradition voudoo et le voudoo haïtien (1953)