Voodoo Authentica: Erzulie Freda
Last week our New Orleans Religions class visited Voodoo Authentica in the French Quarter. This isn't your typical Voodoo tourist attraction. The store has Voodoo alters where offerings are given to Voodoo spirits. Several alters were elaborated on, but there was one that struck me as being the most interesting.
Perhaps it is the femininity that exuded from the alter, or it's the tragic story of the spirit, but Erzulie Freda struck me as being one of the most interesting and symbolic of Voodoo spirits.
Erzulie Freda's alter contained offerings of sweet smelling perfume, pink items, and chocolates. This shows that these are the items associated with her, and that she desires delicate, delectable, luxurious and sweet things.
One may assume that this spirit is simply materialistic, however her story is one that gives an example of a life lesson. In the article titled "Four- Erzulie Freda," the notion that Erzulie Freda has several admirers who offer her these luxury items is something that is made quite clear. She isn't fully content in life however, hence her crying in the picture shown above. No matter how many wonderful, feminine and sweet things she is given, no matter how many lovers she may have, the adversities in life simply will not go away.
Another story or lesson to be taken away from Erzulie Freda is the permenant scar on her sister's face. In the article, a story of a fight between Erzulie Freda and her sister Erzulie Dantor is told. It is said that Dantor seduced one of Freda's husbands, thus leading to a fight where Freda scared her sister's face.
The two paradoxical sisters are very interesting to me, and I look forward to reading further about their history.
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