Vodū

Overview

The Vodū are a humanoid race of extradimensional beings that hail from Orun, a small pocket-dimension adjacent to Earth. An interdimensional nexus between Orun and Earth is located in Africa. They are also known as the West African Gods who have been worshiped by the humans of Africa as early as 10,000 BC.^{[citation needed]} or 2900 BC.^[5]

They continue to be worshiped in areas such as West Africa, the Caribbean (particularly Haiti and Cuba), and Central America.^[1]

History

Origins

According to ancient myths, Buluku, the supreme all-father of the Vodū, merged with the primordial Earth Mother Gaea (later known among the Vodū alternatively as "Nana," "Ale," and "Asase Ya"), and sired twin offspring: the sun god Lusa and the moon goddess Mahu. As a result of this merging, the "supreme creator" was sometimes worshipped by mortals as the androgynous "Nana Buluku." Vodū worshippers believe that Lusa and Mahu joined forces to create the mortal world, mortal life, and mortal technology in four days' time. Buluku remained in Orun, content to leave this newborn mortal world's care to his children. Lusa and Mahu, in turn, sired several divine pairs of twins, including Avlekete and Ezili, Ogun and Shango, Dam-Ayido Wede and Sagbata, and Eschu and Legba.^[1]

2900 BC

The Vodu were worshiped as early as 2900 BC.^[5]

12th century

As early as the 12th century, the Yoruba people of the Niger River valley (in modern-day Nigeria) started worshiping the Vodū gods (as did the Fon people of Dahomey (in modern-day Benin). The Yorubans knew the Vodū Sky Father Buluku as "Olorun".

Lusa, Mahu, and their family became directly active in mortal affairs and descended to the ancient city of Ife, the legendary first city of the Yoruba people. Eventually, their twins, who each possessed a unique aspect of Buluku's omnipotence, strayed from Ife and settled in other mortal cities in Western Africa.^[1] Shango himself went on to rule the mortal city of Oyo (in modern-days southwestern Nigeria) for a brief time.^[6]

When many of their worshippers were forcibly relocated to the Caribbean islands as slaves in the 16th century AD, Dam-Ayido Wede, the Vodūn god of serpents, followed the slave ships across the Atlantic Ocean and brought Vodū worship to the New World.^[1]

20th Century

For centuries, tribes in the Congo worshiped the Vodū goddess known as Mamalu, until the 1950s when white settlers convinced the tribes that Mamalu did not exist. Furious, Mamalu blamed the jungle adventurer Lorna the Jungle Queen as being responsible for stealing her worshipers. She influenced a tribesman named Kabu with offers be her mate if he performed a sacrifice to bring her to Earth. Lorna attempted to stop Mamalu but it was not until that Mamalu decided to take Lorna's companion Greg Knight as a mate did her plan fail as the jealous Kabu seemingly slew her.^[7]

Modern Age

Cuban-American entertainment entrepreneur Nestor "NeRo" Rodriguez consulted a Santerian priest ("santero") and invoked Eschu to empower him so that he could avenge his father, who had been murdered by the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) years earlier. Eschu answered Rodriguez's call and granted him superhuman abilities. Calling himself "Eleggua" in honor of his patron deity, Rodriguez used his family's fortune to bankroll the Santerians, a street-level vigilante team operating out of New York City and comprised of his childhood friends, who were similarly empowered by Ezili, Ogun, Oya, and Shango.^[1]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Enhanced Strength^[1]
• Enhanced Endurance^[1]
• Immortality^[1]
• Immunity to all terristrial diseases^[1]
• Invulnerability^[1]
• Healing Factor^[1]

Each Vodu possess a unique aspect of Buluku's omnipotence.^[1]

Every Vodu has his unique ability -often connected to forces of nature.^[1]

Average Strength level

Average male god can lift about 25 tons, a female goddess about 20 tons.^[1]

Habitat

Habitat: Orun

Miscellaneous

Type of Government: Council of the Vodû^[4]
Representatives: Ananai, Avlekete, Babalú, Buluku, Damballah/Dam-Ayido Wede, Eschu/Ellegua, Ezili, Gorilla God/Ghekre, Legba, Lusa, Mamalu, Mahu, Ogun, Oya, Sagbata/Baron Samedi, Shango

Notes

• In West Africa, the Òrìshà or Vodu religions are not gathering their gods in pantheons like we know for ancient European believe systems like Thor's Asgardians or Hercules' Olympians. Instead every family has one special Òrìshà or Vodu they worship. Said fact leads to the result that there are unmanageable accounts of Òrìshàs and countless variations in stories, origins, manifestations and interpretations in West Africa.
• In the Marvel Universe, 'Vodun' is depicted as some kind of magic^[8][9] -especially as 'Black Magic'.^{[9][10][11][12][13]} It is also suggested that 'Vodun' has or had human sacrifices a couple of times,^[14][15] but in reality 'Voodooists' sacrifice production animals, alcohol and even vegetables. It is also shown misleadingly that the oracle uses bones to predict the future.^[16] In fact the oracle uses kauri mussels.

See Also

• Discuss Vodū on the forums
• 17 representatives of Vodū
• Appearances of Vodū
• Minor Appearances of Vodū
• Media Vodū was Mentioned in
• Race Gallery: Vodū
• Images of Vodū

Links and References

• African Gods at Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe

Footnotes