Papa Legba
Voodoo spirit gatekeeper
Papa Legba is a spirit in Haitian Vodou who serves as the gatekeeper between the human and spirit worlds.
No ceremony begins without first invoking him, since he controls the crossroads through which all communication with other spirits must pass.
He appears as an old man with a cane, often accompanied by dogs.
In New Orleans Voodoo and popular culture, he sometimes merges with or is confused with other spirits, particularly the trickster figure Elegua from related African traditions.
- voodooFolk magic, often Caribbean
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
- loaVodou divine spirit
- gatekeeperOne controlling entry
- HaitiCaribbean island nation
spirits · cane · straw hat · old man · trickster · doorway · offering · rum · cigars · keys · limping · dawn · dusk · intermediary · Bondye · ritual · communication · threshold
- Louisiana Folklorevoodoo, hoodoo, traiteur, Evangeline, voodoo queen
- African religionsVodou, Santeria, orishas, ancestor spirits, loa
- Syncretic DeitiesAmun-Ra, Hermes Trismegistus, Shakti, Baron Samedi, Santa Muerte
- Threshold GodsJanus, Hecate, Legba, Heimdall
- Folk Spiritsbrownie, pixie, sprite, kobold, dryad
- Caribbean Folklorejumbie, duppy, Anansi, moongazer, river spirit