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Baron Samedi (Baron Saturday, also Baron Samdi, Bawon Samedi, or Bawon Sanmdi) is one of one of the loa of Haitian Vodou. Samedi is a loa of the dead, along with Baron's numerous other incarnations Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix, and Baron Kriminel. He is usually depicted with a white top hat, black tuxedo, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in the Haitian style. He has a white, frequently skull-like face (or actually has a skull for a face) and speaks in a nasal voice. He is the head of the Guédé family of Loa, or an aspect of them, or possibly their spiritual father. His wife is the loa Maman Brigitte. 'Samedi' means 'Saturday' in French, though there are alternate etymologies offered.

Baron Samedi stands at the crossroads, where the souls of dead humans pass on their way to Guinee. He is a sexual loa, frequently represented by phallic symbols and he noted for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a particular fondness for tobacco and rum. Additionally, he is the loa of sex and resurrection, and in the latter capacity he is often called upon for healing by those near or approaching death, as it is only Baron who can accept an individual into the realm of the dead. He is considered a wise judge, and a powerful magician.

Voodoo deities, or loas, are among the most feared divine beings in the world. Wild, short-tempered and immensly powerful, these spirits demand to be served by human kind. Those who obey are granted wishes and good health, but those who do not can meet a terrifying fate at the hands of their gods. Baron Samedi is the most famous, and most frightening, of these spirits. A huge skeleton dressed in a dark coat or cape with a top hat and spade, the Baron is the infamous master of the dead who escorts their souls from the graveyard to the underworld. But the Baron does not concern himself with corpses - he can enter the realm of the living and force people to do his terrible bidding.

Baron Samedi spends most of his time in the invisible realm of voodoo spirits. He is notorious for his outrageous behavior, swearing continuously and making filthy jokes to the other spirits. He is married to another powerful spirit known as Mama Brigitte, but often chases after mortal women. He loves smoking and drinking and is rarely seen without a cigar in his mouth or a glass of rum in his bony fingers. Baron Samedi can usually be found at the crossroad between the worlds of the living and the dead. When someone dies he digs their grave and greets their soul after they have been buried, leading them to the underworld. He also ensures all corpses rot in the ground to stop any soul being brought back as a brainless zombie. The Baron has a legion of spirits under his control. These lesser spirits, all dressed like the Baron and all are as rude and crude as their master. They help carry the dead to the underworld.

As well as being master of the dead, he is also a giver of life. He can cure any mortal of any disease or wound, if he thinks it is worth while. His powers are especially great when it comes to voodoo curses and black magic. Even if somebody has been inflicted by a hex which brings them to the verge of death, they will not die if the Baron refuses to dig their grave. So long as this mighty spirit keeps them out of the ground they are safe. What he demands in return depends on his mood. Sometimes he is content with his followers wearing black, white or purple clothes or using sacred objects; he may simply ask for a small gift of cigars, rum, black coffee, grilled peanuts or bread. But sometimes the Baron asks for a voodoo ceremony to help him cross over into this world - a high-risk time for anyone wanting his help. Baron Samedi is one of the few Voodoo spirits that can cross from the realm of the dead to the realm of the living without a ritual - but as it is a draining process he rarely does. If he is in a good mood he may grant his followers ever lasting life, but if he is in a bad mood he may dig their graves too soon and bury them alive or bring them back as a mindless zombie.

[edit] References

• Voodoo: Search for the Spirit. Laennec Hurbon. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1995. "Ghede"
• A Dictionary of World Mythology. Arthur Cotterell. Oxford University Press, 1997. "Vodou".
• The Voodoo Gods. Maya Deren. Granada Publishing Limited 1975.

[edit] External links

• - The Power to Awaken the Dead
• - A Virtual Vodou Altar
• - Haitian Vodoun Culture
• - The Dead: Baron, Brijit and Gede

v • d • e American religions with African roots Religions Candomblé · Hoodoo · Kumina · Obeah · Palo · Quimbanda · Santería (Lukumí) · Spiritual Baptist · Umbanda · Haitian Vodou · Louisiana Voodoo · Winti · Abakua Deities Babalu Aye · Eshu · Iansan · Mami Wata · Obàtálá · Ogun · Ọlọrun · Orunmila · Ọṣun · Shango · Yemaja Roots West African Vodun · Ifá, Oriṣa (Yorùbá) · Lwa (Dahomey) · Nkisi (Kongo) · Catholicism (Portugal, Spain)

[edit] References in Popular Culture

• "Baron Saturday." The Pretty Things. "S.F. Sorrow." Original Masters, 1968.
• "Lover Of The Bayou." The Byrds. "Untitled." Columbia Records, 1970.
• "James Bond 007: Live and Let Die," 1973.
• "Baron Samedi" Song 10CC 1974.
• "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman, 2001.
• "Saints Row 2" Video Game, 2008.
• "Witches Abroad" by Terry Pratchett, 1991.
• There is a guarana energy drink named Samedi in the description it says "He Passed through the edge of darkness to find a potion more powerful than life. When found, it delivered such intense energy that it is believed to have the strength to awaken the dead."