GU
allyIron, craft, war
Gu is the vodun of iron among the Fon of Benin, the counterpart of the Yoruba Ogun. Son of Mawu-Lisa, he receives in the cosmogonic narratives of Dahomey the charge of making the earth habitable: he is the cutting force by which humans clear, plough, hunt and defend themselves. Patron of blacksmiths, hunters and warriors, he presides over every activity that puts metal to work, from the farmer's hoe to the soldier's sabre, and nowadays over the trades of mechanics and transport. His altars are heaps of iron on which tools and blades accumulate, and the blacksmith holds a near-priestly role at his side. The art of Dahomey dedicated to him one of its most celebrated works: the great hammered-iron statue of Gou, attributed to the blacksmith Akati Ekplékendo and made around 1858 at Abomey, today displayed in the Pavillon des Sessions of the Louvre in Paris. In Haitian Vodou his inheritance lives on in the family of the Ogou, warrior spirits of iron and fire — a sign of the continuity between the Slave Coast and the Afro-diasporic pantheons.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
A fragment of Onionkupón's Breath, bound to one of the five elements of the cosmic balance.
Sacred Mask
A mask carved of ancient energy — a symbol of the cosmic force proper to its pantheon.
Era
3,000–1,000 BCE — Cycle of Elemental Powers
Spiritual Lesson
To understand the nature of one's own balance and the wisdom hidden behind every trial.
Words of the Spirit
“Iron remembers every hand that forged it.”
Frequently asked questions
Who is Gu in Vodun?
Gu is the vodun of iron, of blacksmiths and of war among the Fon of Benin. Son of Mawu-Lisa, he gives humans the tools that make the earth habitable. He corresponds to the Yoruba Ogun and lives on in Haiti in the family of the Ogou, warrior spirits of iron.
What is the statue of the god Gou kept at the Louvre?
It is a great hammered-iron effigy about 1.78 metres tall, attributed to the blacksmith Akati Ekplékendo and made around 1858 at Abomey, in the kingdom of Dahomey. Dedicated to Gou, deity of iron and war, it is today displayed in the Pavillon des Sessions of the Louvre in Paris.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Melville J. Herskovits, Dahomey: An Ancient West African Kingdom (1938)
- Geoffrey Parrinder, West African Religion (1949)
- Suzanne Preston Blier, African Vodun: Art, Psychology, and Power (1995)