Baron Samedi
Baron Samedi is a loa (spirit) in Haitian Vodou, guardian of the dead and master of the cemetery.
He appears as a skeletal figure in top hat, black tailcoat, and dark glasses—dressed for burial.
Despite his association with death, he is boisterous, profane, and fond of rum and tobacco.
He decides who lives and dies, and no soul can pass to the afterlife without his permission.
- voodooFolk magic, often Caribbean
- loaVodou divine spirit
- deathCessation of life
- spirit worldRealm of the dead
- skullHead's bone casing
top hat · crossroads · cemetery · graveyard dirt · rum · cigar · Haiti · spirits · trickster · James Bond villain · skeleton · grave · Papa Legba · black magic · ritual · cane · sunglasses · ancestor
- Death MythsGrim Reaper, Anubis, Hades, Osiris, Charon
- HaitiHaiti, Port-au-Prince, Hispaniola, Haitian Revolution, vodou
- Louisiana Folklorevoodoo, hoodoo, traiteur, Evangeline, voodoo queen
- Dark DeitiesSatan, Lucifer, Hades, Set, Erebus
- African religionsVodou, Santeria, orishas, ancestor spirits, loa
- PsychopompsCharon, Hermes, Anubis, Valkyries, Grim Reaper