Editing Erzulie

{{Short description|Family of Voodoo spirits}}
{{about|the Vodou goddesses|the song|Erzulie (song){{!}}"Erzulie" (song)|the fictional character|Erzulie Gogol}}
{{Infobox saint
| name = Erzulie Freda 
| image =Czestochowska.jpg 
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| caption =[[The Black Madonna of Częstochowa]], the inspiration typically used in the depiction of [[Erzulie Dantor]] 
| titles = Loa of Love and Beauty 
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| venerated_in = [[Haitian Vodou]], [[Louisiana Voodoo]], [[Folk Catholicism]] 
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| attributes = Pale bejeweled woman, pink dresses, three wedding rings, heart-shaped medals, heart pierced by sword 
| patronage = Love, health, beauty, passion, prosperity, perfumes, jewelry, flowers  
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'''Erzulie''' (sometimes spelled '''Erzili''' or '''Èzili''') is a family of [[loa]], or spirits, in [[Haitian Vodou|Vodou]].<ref>[[Joan Dayan|Dayan, Joan]] (1994). [http://www.jstor.org/stable/4618262 "Erzulie: A Women’s History of Haiti"]. ''Research in African Literatures'', ''25''(2), 5–31.</ref>

== Overview ==
The Erzulie is a family of [[loa]] that are often associated with water (fluidity), femininity, and feminine bodies. They are one of the only group of spirits directly tied to these characteristics and those who become possessed (through [[spirit possession]]) often are women or Masisi ([[Effeminacy|effeminate]] and or [[Homosexuality|homosexual]] men).<ref name="Erzili's mirrors">{{Cite book|last=Tinsley, Omise'eke Natasha, 1971-|title=Ezili's mirrors : imagining Black queer genders|date=19 January 2018|isbn=978-0-8223-7208-0|location=Durham|oclc=1013507396}}</ref>

==Maîtresse Mambo Erzulie Fréda Dahomey==

''Erzulie Fréda'' [[Dahomey]], the [[Rada loa|Rada]] aspect of Erzulie, is the Haitian African spirit of love, beauty, jewelry, dancing, luxury, and flowers. She wears three [[wedding ring]]s, one for each husband - [[Damballa]], [[Agwe]] and [[Ogoun]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coulter |first1=Charles Russell |last2=Turner |first2=Patricia |title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities |date=4 July 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-96397-2 |page=172 |language=en}}</ref> Her symbol is a heart, her colors are pink, blue, white and gold, and her favorite offerings include jewelry, perfume, sweet cakes and liqueurs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deesse |first=Labelle |date=9 July 2023 |title=Maitresse Erzulie Freda |url=https://www.labelledeesse.com/lb-spirits/maitress-erzuli-freda/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424184916/https://www.labelledeesse.com/lb-spirits/maitress-erzuli-freda/ |archive-date=24 April 2022 |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=www.labelledeesse.com}}</ref> Coquettish and very fond of beauty and finery, Erzulie Freda is femininity and compassion embodied, yet she also has a darker side; she is seen as jealous and spoiled and within some Vodoun circles is considered to be lazy. During ritual possession, she may enter the body of either a man or a woman. She enjoys the game of flirtation and seduces people without distinguishing between sexes.
In [[Christian iconography]] she is often identified with the [[Our Lady of Sorrows|Mater Dolorosa]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=White |first1=Krista |title=Espousing Ezili: Images of a Lwa, Reflections of the Haitian Woman |journal=Journal of Haitian Studies |date=1999 |volume=5/6 |pages=62–79 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41715065 |access-date=15 April 2024 |issn=1090-3488}}</ref> as well as another loa named Metres Ezili. She is conceived of as never able to attain her heart's most fervent desire. For this reason she always leaves a service in tears. Common syncretizations include Iyalorde Oxum, that is the goddess [[Oshun]] as she relates to the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] goddess of erotic love, gold and femininity.

==Èrzulie Dantòr==
{{Main|Ezili Dantor}}
Erzulie Dantòr is the Queen of the Petro nation and the mother of "Ti Jean Petro", she is often depicted as a fearsome black woman, protectively holding "Ti Jean Petro" in her arms. She is a particularly fierce protector of women, children and the neglects of society. She is the ''lwa pwen'', in contrast with Èrzuli Freda who will bless you with material riches, Èrzulie Dantòr will give you the Spiritual Knowledge needed to navigate through this material reality. Èrzulie Dantòr's wealth lasts and can be passed on from one generation to another, whereas Èrzuli Freda, in any of her jealous fits, can deprive you overnight of the gains she helped you to achieve.   

She is often portrayed to resemble the [[Black Madonna of Częstochowa]], as she is represented as being dark-skinned with two scars on her face. Her colors are red, black and blue. Her favourite offerings include black pigs, ''griot'' ([[Haitian cuisine|seasoned fried pork]]), blood (seven stabs of the sword), and [[Rhum agricole|rum]].

Ti Jean Petro is her son and Jean Petro is her lover or husband.

==Erzulie Family==
===Rada===
* '''Erzulie Freda''' (Lady Erzulie) – the vain and flirty goddess of love. Her "horses" tend to cry tears of longing and regret. She is [[Syncretism|syncretized]] with [[Our Lady of Sorrows]] (the Virgin Mary as suffering mother).
* '''Erzulie Mansur''' (Erzulie the Blessed) – represents maternal love and protects children from harm.
* '''Granne Erzulie''' (Grandma Erzulie) – represents the wisdom granted by experience and maturity and grandmotherly kindness and love. She is syncretized with [[St. Anne]], the mother of the Virgin Mary.

===Petro===
* '''Erzulie D'en Tort''' or ''Erzulie Dantor'' (Erzulie of the Wrongs) – protects women and children and deals revenge against those who wrong them.
* '''Erzulie Balianne''' (Erzulie the Gagged) – "silences" (heals or calms) hearts. Keeps secrets or ensures that secrets will not be revealed. Helps people to forget past loves and overcome passionate emotions. Her "horses" tend to speak as if they have a gag in their mouth. She is syncretized with [[Immaculate Heart of Mary|The Immaculate Heart]].
* '''Erzulie Mapiangue''' (Erzulie the Suckler) – deals with the pain of childbirth and the protection of unborn and newborn babies. Her "horses" tend to get in a fetal position or birthing position and cry tears of pain. Common syncretization is as the [[Infant Jesus of Prague|Virgin and Infant of Prague]], who wear matching red velvet robes and gold crowns.
* '''Erzulie Yeux Rouge''' or ''Erzulie Ge-Rouge'' (Red-Eyed Erzulie) – takes revenge on unfaithful lovers. Her "horses" cry tears of bitter sadness.
* '''Erzulie Toho''' – aids the jealous or slighted in love. Her "horses" cry tears of anger.

===Others===
* '''Erzulie La Flambeau''' (Erzulie of the Torch)
* '''Erzulie Wangol''' (Erzulie of the [[Wangol|Sacred Banner]])
* '''Erzulie Shango Pye''' Nago loa that is a feminine aspect of Shango.

==Similar spirits in the pantheon==
* '''La Sirène''' (Lasirenn) or '''[[Mami Wata]]''' is associated with '''Erzulie''' and sometimes is displayed in Erzulie's roles as mother, lover, and protector. She is often depicted as half-fish, half-human and has a strong connection to water.<ref name="Erzili's mirrors" /> Her husband is [[Agwe]], the King of the Sea and patron of sailors and fishermen.
* '''[[Marinette (Vodou)|Marinette Bras-Chêche]]''' or ''Marinette Bwa Chech'' ("Marinette of the Dry Arms/ Marinette skinny arms "), a Kongo Loa, is similar to ''Erzulie Dantor''. She represents revolt and misfortune and is prayed to either to placate her wrath or to direct her fury at another. She is in the form of a skeleton or rotting corpse and is syncretically represented by the ''[[Anima Sola]]'' ([[Purgatory|"Forsaken Soul"]]).
* '''Mai-Louise''' is an Ibo goddess.
* '''Ti-Quitta''' / '''Ti Kitha''', a Loa of sexuality and fertility, is one of the Quitta Loas. One of her aspects is ''Ti Quitta Demembre'' (Dismembered Quitta). 
* '''[[Maman Brigitte]]''' ("Mother Brigitte"), a [[Guede|Guede goddess]] who is the wife of '''[[Baron Samedi]]''' and protector of gravestones or funerary markers. She is syncretically represented by [[St Brigit]].
* '''Tsillah Wedo''' is associated with '''Erzulie'''. She is depicted as a beautiful virgin of great wealth.

==Erzulie in popular culture==
;Music
*"[[Erzulie (song)|Erzulie nennen O]]", a song in honor of Erzulie Freda that was composed in the 1890s by [[Auguste de Pradines|Kandjo]], continues to be played in Haiti as part of its folkloric repertoire.
*A 1991 song on the album ''[[Rising Above Bedlam]]'' by [[Jah Wobble]]'s Invaders of the Heart. Released by Oval Records in 1991, the album was a shortlisted nominee for the 1992 Mercury Prize.
*A 1988 solo album by free-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor is called ''[[Erzulie Maketh Scent]]''.
*"Mistress of Erzulie" was the first track on [[Alannah Myles]]' 1995 album ''[[A-lan-nah]]''.
*Erzulie (Freda) is also a character in the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Once On This Island]]'' as the beautiful goddess of love.
*In the [[Steely Dan]] song "Two Against Nature" (the third track [[Two Against Nature|from the album of the same name]]), the narrator describes Madame Erzulie as a [[succubus]] who "bangs you silly but leaves a nasty bite."
*In the [[Natacha Atlas]] song "Le Printemps" from the album [[Something Dangerous]], Erzulie sets the beginning of spring.
*"Erzili" is a song on the album by [[Beverly Glenn-Copeland]], ''Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland''.
*"Ezili" - (from the album "Potomitan") is a song written by Sélène Saint-Aimé a French-Caribbean contrabass player, vocalist and poet.
*"Erzulie - Interlude" - (from the album ''Tristesse Business Saison 01'') is a song by the French singer and rapper Luidji. He also refers to Erzulie in the song "Le Rouge" from the EP ''Boscolo Exedra''. He says, "Je vais faire de toi ma nouvelle Erzulie," which translates to "I'm going to make you my new Erzulie".

;Literature

* ''Ezilis Mirrors: Imagining Black Queer Genders'' is a book by [[Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley]] that covers the contemporary works of queer and non-traditional artists and how they embody Erzulie in their work. 
*A powerful swamp witch/voodoo woman in [[Terry Pratchett]]'s 1991 Discworld novel ''[[Witches Abroad]]'' is named Erzulie Gogol. She is the lover of Genua's former ruler, Baron Saturday (Baron Samedi).<ref>Fantastic Fiction [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/terry-pratchett/witches-abroad.htm "Witches Abroad" by'' Terry Pratchett''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214124/http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/terry-pratchett/witches-abroad.htm |date=3 March 2016 }}</ref>
*In the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' comic ''[[Past Lives (comics)#Buffy the Vampire Slayer #30|Past Lives, part 4]]'', Erzulie is invoked to clear a room of all magic.
*Erzulie, [[Papa Legba]] and [[Baron Samedi]] all appear in the [[Wildcats (comics)|WildCats]] original comic series, assisting [[Voodoo (Wildstorm)|Voodoo]].
*In the [[Dark Shadows]] novel, ''[[Angelique's Descent]],'' [[Angelique Bouchard Collins|Angelique Bouchard]] was forced to pose as Erzulie in a series of religious rituals as a child in order to appease her father's slaves.
*There is discussion of a portrait of Maitresse Erzulie in [[Zadie Smith]]'s 2005 novel ''[[On Beauty]]''.<ref>Smith, Zadie, ''On Beauty'',  London, 2005, {{ISBN|0-241-14293-8}}.</ref>
*Erzulie is a love goddess in ''House of Whispers'' in ''[[The Sandman Universe]]'' comics series.
*Erzulie is one of six characters of Michèle Césaire's ''La Nef.'' <ref>{{Cite book|last=Césaire|first=Michèle|title=La Nef|publisher=éditions Théâtrales|year=1992|isbn=978-2-84260-585-8|location=Montreuil}}</ref> She is described as "l'amoureuse-type" by the author in her preface "Les passagers de la nef".

;Television
*In ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series)|The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' animated series, "Ezili" is the surname of the villain [[Calypso (comics)|Calypso]], a voodoo practitioner who had no last name in the original comics.
*In the British TV series ''[[Death in Paradise (TV series)|Death in Paradise]]'', the island of [[Saint Marie (fictional island)|Saint Marie]] has an annual festival dedicated to Erzuile. The festival is first celebrated in the premiere of the second season, and is shown again in the third episode of season seven.

;Broadway
*In the Broadway show ''[[Once On This Island]]'', Erzulie is one of the four main gods that guide and influence the main character. ''Once On This Island'' came to Broadway from 1990 to 1991 and had a revival from November 2017 until January 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/shows/once-island/|title=Once On This Island|website=broadway.com|access-date=13 January 2024}}</ref>

;Video games
*''[[Cyberpunk 2077]]'' contains a poster of "St Erzulie" during a mission with Briggit among the Voodoo Boys.
*''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner]]'' includes Erzulie as a regular Megami-Race demon.
*''[[Bloons TD 6]]'' contains the hero monkey named Ezili.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Arts goddesses]]
[[Category:Beauty goddesses]]
[[Category:Black Madonna of Częstochowa]]
[[Category:Haitian Vodou goddesses]]
[[Category:LGBTQ themes in mythology]]
[[Category:Love and lust deities]]
[[Category:Love and lust goddesses]]
[[Category:Polish diaspora in North America]]
[[Category:Vengeance goddesses]]
[[Category:Voodoo goddesses]]