Zanmi Lakay

Ezili Danto: is the grand matriarchal figure within the Vodou pantheon. She is a hardworking mother, raising her child single-handedly. Fiercely independent with a stormy disposition, she would fight to her death to protect her offspring. She is considered to be the spiritual mother of everyone. Her essence is rooted in reproduction, and she is often evoked in affairs concerning either childbirth or conception. Her Catholic counterpart is the Madonna from Poland. This image was brought to Haiti by the Polish legions sent to fight for Napoleon. The Polish ranks, sickened by the war against the slave, mutinied and continued fighting on the side of the black slaves. She has scars on her face said to be wounds from the war of independence. Her lover is Ogou, the noble and courageous warrior.

Marasa: Marasa is to rejoice in the duality of the nature of man and the universe-the acknowledgment of the human and the divine, the mortal and the immortal, and the connection between the material world and the spirit domain. Sacred twins are just two of a trinity, and the next born child represents restoration of the divine troila. The Marasa 3 are said to represent love, truth and justice. The sacred twins are associated with medicine, and act as protectors of children and family.