Editing West African Vodún (section)

===Theology===
[[File:Voodoo-Altar.jpg|thumb|right|A Vodun altar in Abomey, Benin in 2008]]
Vodún teaches the existence of a single divine creator being.{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=2}} Below this entity are an uncountable number of spirits who govern different aspects of nature and society.{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=2}}
The term {{lang|mis|vodún}} comes from the [[Gbe languages|Gbé languages]] of the [[Niger–Congo languages|Niger-Congo language family]].{{sfn|Landry|2019|pp=4-5}} It translates as "spirit", "God", "divinity", or "presence".{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=5}} Among Fon-speaking Yoruba communities, the Fon term {{lang|mis|vodún}} is regarded as being synonymous with the Yoruba language term {{lang|yo|òrìs̩à}}.{{sfn|Landry|2016|p=53}}

The [[art history|art historian]] [[Suzanne Blier|Suzanne Preston Blier]] called these "mysterious forces or powers that govern the world and the lives of those who reside within it".{{sfn|Blier|1995a|p=4}} The religion is continually open to the incorporation of new spirit deities, while those that are already venerated may change and take on new aspects.{{sfnm|1a1=Landry|1y=2015|1p=181|2a1=Landry|2y=2019|2p=138}} Some Vodún practitioners for instance refer to [[Jesus Christ]] as the {{lang|mis|vodún}} of the Christians.{{sfn|Landry|2016|p=53}}

A common belief is that the {{lang|mis|vodún}} came originally from the sea.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=2}} The spirits are thought to dwell in {{lang|mis|Kútmómɛ}} ("land of the dead"), an invisible world parallel to that of humanity.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=61}}
The {{lang|mis|vodún}} spirits have their own individual likes and dislikes;{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=3}} each also has particular songs, dances, and prayers directed to them.{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=3}} These spirits are deemed to manifest within the natural world.{{sfn|Landry|2016|p=61}}
When kings introduced new deities to the Fon people, it was often believed that these enhanced the king's power.{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=11}}

The [[cult]] of each {{lang|mis|vodún}} has its own particular beliefs and practices.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=139}} It may also have its own restrictions on membership, with some groups only willing to initiate family members.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=181}} People may venerate multiple {{lang|mis|vodún}} sometimes also attending services at a Christian church.{{sfn|Rosenthal|1998|p=44}}

Lɛgbà is the spirit of the crossroads who opens up communication between humanity and the spirit world.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=97}} Sakpatá is the {{lang|mis|vodún}} of earth and smallpox,{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=37}} but over time has come to be associated with new diseases like [[HIV/AIDS]].{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=175}} The Dàn spirits are all serpents;{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=174}} Dàn is a serpent {{lang|mis|vodún}} associated with riches and cool breezes.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=53}} Xɛbyosò or Hɛvioso is the spirit of thunder.{{Sfn|Blier|1995a|p=2}}{{Sfn|Landry|2019|p=53}} Gŭ is the spirit of metal and blacksmithing,{{Sfn|Blier|1995a|p=2}}{{Sfn|Landry|2019|p=55}} and in more recent decades has come to be associated with metal vehicles like cars, trains, and planes.{{Sfn|Landry|2015|p=181}}{{Sfn|Landry|2019|p=138}} Gbădu is the wife of Fá.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=49}} Tron is the spirit of the [[kola nut]];{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=178}} he was recently introduced to the Vodún pantheon via Ewe speakers from Ghana and Togo.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=105}}

[[File:20170319-2017 A630465 (33680835826).jpg|thumb|left|The Temple of the Pythons in Ouidah, centre of Dangbé's worship.]]

Some Beninese acknowledge that certain Yoruba {{lang|yo|orisa}} are more powerful than certain {{lang|mis|vodún}}.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=11}}

Also part of the Vodun worldview is the {{lang|mis|azizǎ}}, a type of forest spirit.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=65}}

Prayers to the {{lang|mis|vodún}} usually include requests for financial wealth.{{sfn|Landry|2019|pp=34-35}}
Practitioners seek to gain well-being by focusing on the health and remembrance of their families.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=4}} There may be restrictions on who can venerate the deity; practitioners believe that women must be kept apart from Gbădu's presence, for if they get near her they may be struck barren or die.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=49}} Devotion to a particular deity may be marked in different ways; devotees of the smallpox spirit Sakpatá for instance scar their bodies to resemble smallpox scars.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=175}}

Patterns of Vodun worship follow various dialects, spirits, practices, songs, and rituals. The [[Creator deity|divine Creator]], called variously [[Mawu|Mawu or Mahu]], is a female being. She is an elder woman, and usually a mother who is gentle and forgiving. She is also seen as the god who owns all other gods and even if there is no temple made in her name, the people continue to pray to her, especially in times of distress. In one tradition, she bore seven children. Sakpata: Vodun of the Earth, Xêvioso (or Xêbioso): Vodun of Thunder, also associated with divine justice,{{Sfn|Ojo|1999|p=63}} Agbe: Vodun of the Sea, Gû: Vodun of Iron and War, Agê: Vodun of Agriculture and Forests, Jo: Vodun of Air, and Lêgba: Vodun of the Unpredictable.{{Sfn|Pinn|2017|p=7}}

The Creator embodies a dual [[Cosmogony|cosmogonic]] principle of which Mawu the moon and Lisa the sun are respectively the female and male aspects, often portrayed as the twin children of the Creator.{{Sfn|Pinn|2017|p=5}} In other stories, Mawu-Lisa is depicted as a single hermaphroditic person capable of impregnating herself, with two faces rather than being twins.{{Sfn|Herskovits|Herskovits|1958|p=125}} In other branches, the Creator and other {{lang|mis|vodus}} are known by different names, such as Sakpo-Disa (Mawu), Aholu (Sakpata), and Anidoho (Da), Gorovodu.{{Sfn|Montgomery|Vannier|2017|p=127}}