Editing Maman Brigitte

{{Short description|Death loa in Haitian vodou}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Vodou
| name = Maman Brigitte
| god_of = [[Lwa]] of life, death, cemeteries, healing, and justice/vengeance
| member_of = [[Guede]]
| image = VeveBrigitte.svg
| alt = <!-- for alternate text of the title image per [[WP:ALT]] -->
| caption = [[Veve]] for Maman Brigitte
| other_names = Grandma Brigitte, Manman, Maman Brijit, Grann (or Gran) Brigitte, Brigitte, Manman Brijit
| abode = Voodoo [[underworld]]
| mantra = [[Haitian Vodou drumming#Loa and nanchons|Banda]]
| animals = Black rooster, horse
| symbol = Rum, hot peppers, fire, gravestones, crosses
| tree = Elm, weeping willow
| color = Purple, black, green
| consort = [[Baron Samedi]]
| offspring = [[Guede Nibo]] <small>(adopted)</small>
| gender = Female
| Christian_equivalent = [[Brigid of Kildare]] <br/> [[Mary Magdalene]]
| equivalent1_type = Yoruba
| equivalent1 = [[Oya]]
| equivalent2_type = 
| equivalent2 = 
}}

'''Maman Brigitte''' ([[English Language|English]]: ''Mother Brigitte'') sometimes also written as '''Manman Brigitte''' and also known by '''Gran Brigitte, Grann Brigitte''', '''Manman''', '''Manman Brigit''', and '''Maman Brijit''' is a death [[loa]] (or ''lwa'') and the consort of [[Baron Samedi]] in [[Haitian Vodou]]. She drinks rum infused with hot peppers and is symbolized by a black rooster.<ref name="Torres">Torres, Rafael Agustí. "Loas y Vèvès del Vudú", pp. 30-31 (in Spanish)</ref> Maman Brigitte protects graves in Haitian cemeteries that are marked by the cross of Baron Samedi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Métraux |first=Alfred |title=Voodoo in Haiti |publisher=Sphere Books |year=1974 |isbn=0805208941 |page=70}}</ref><ref name="Deren">{{Cite book |last=Deren |first=Maya |title=Divine horsemen: the living gods of Haiti |date=1983 |publisher=McPherson |isbn=0-914232-64-9 |location=New Paltz, NY |page=103 |oclc=9830272}}</ref> Graves that are protected by Brigitte are marked by a mound of stones.<ref name="Deren" /> In Vodou practice, the first burials serve as offerings to either Baron Samedi or Maman Brigitte depending on the sex of the person being buried: if male, the grave is dedicated to Baron Samedi; if female to Maman Brigitte.<ref name=":0" />

Like Samedi and the [[Guede]], she is foul-mouthed.<ref name=":0">[http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Voodoo/ancestors.htm "The Ancestral Lwa - Baron, Maman Brigitte, And The Lwa Ghede"], Meta Religion.</ref> <!-- She is an Afro-Diasporic/Caribbean spirit being, do not add new age books or blogs that claim she is white/caucasian --> She is also the adoptive mother of [[Guede Nibo]].<ref name="Torres" />

Due to the religious persecution of [[Atlantic slave trade|enslaved African and Caribbean people]] in Haiti and the Americas, Maman Brigitte was disguised via [[syncretism]] and represented by various saints, usually those depicted with fire or snakes, including [[Brigid of Kildare]] and, less frequently, [[Mary Magdalene]].<ref name="Torres"/>

== In popular culture ==

=== Literature ===

* In the 1988 cyberpunk novel ''[[Mona Lisa Overdrive]]'', one of the [[Artificial intelligence|AIs]] inhabiting cyberspace puts on the persona of Maman Brigitte to communicate with human characters.

=== Video games ===

* In the game ''[[Cyberpunk 2077]],'' there is a character named Maman Brigitte who comes from Haiti that leads the gang, the Voodoo Boys.<ref>CD Projekt RED. ''Cyberpunk 2077''. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020.</ref>
* Maman Brigitte appears as a playable character in the 2014 [[multiplayer online battle arena]] ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]'', alongside her husband Baron Samedi. She is the second playable Voodoo Lwa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maman Brigitte A Closer Look |url=https://www.smitegame.com/news/maman-brigitte-a-closer-look/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=www.smitegame.com }}</ref>

=== Art ===

* Haitian artists such as Andre Pierre and Gerard Paul painted representations of Brigitte in their artwork, which was informed by Haitian Vodou.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Grande Brigitte Lacroix 
| url = https://haitianartsociety.org/grande-brigitte-lacroix
| website = Haitian Art Society
| access-date =2024-12-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title =Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte
| url = https://stokeshaitianart.com/product/baron-samedi-and-maman-brigitte/
| website = Stokes Haitian Art
| access-date =2024-12-25 }}</ref>
===Television===

* In season 2, episode 5 of the television series ''[[American Gods (TV series)|American Gods]],'' Maman Brigitte is portrayed by [[Hani Furstenberg]] as the lover of [[Baron Samedi]] (portrayed by ''[[Mustafa Shakir]]'').

==See also==
*[[Ọya]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*[[Laënnec Hurbon]], ''[[Voodoo: Truth and Fantasy|Voodoo: Search for the Spirit]]'', "[[Découvertes Gallimard|Abrams Discoveries]]" series. [[Abrams Books|Harry N. Abrams, Inc.]] (1995)

{{Afro-American Religions}}

[[Category:Death goddesses]]
[[Category:Haitian Vodou goddesses]]
[[Category:Health goddesses]]
[[Category:Justice goddesses]]
[[Category:Vengeance goddesses]]
[[Category:Voodoo goddesses]]

{{Deity-stub}}