There are many different aspects to this Goddess, or as the Haitians call her, this “Loa.” "The Erzulies" make up the varying and unique aspects of this extremely complex Goddess. They range from the loving and passive Erzulie, to the violent Erzulie, and then on to the Erzulie who constantly remains in a catatonic state. Even though her aspects are so very different from each other, there still exists some small degree of relationship between each one of them and Erzuliue’s main Loa, the Goddess of Beauty and Love.
Erzulie’s main aspect is that of a Goddess of Love, and she is also considered to be a Goddess of Elemental Forces. In this aspect Erzulie is seen as the perfect woman, gentle and inviting, living in luxury and appearing as though she had just been bathed, powdered and perfumed.
Erzulie is considered to be an extremely lavish Goddess, and she is lavish with love, as well as with the various qualities that she bestows upon her followers. Her followers know, quite well, that Erzulie is extremely generous, and it is because of that generosity that they love her even more. They also know, all too well, that Erzulie will not always be so sweet and loving; but even so, they would not want her to be any other way.
The main aspect of Erzulie governs a wide variety of things, including all of the arts; but most importantly it governs dance. She has also been associated with various bodies of water, such as rivers and streams, which seems to verify that she grew out of the Orisha named Oshun, the Goddess of rivers and streams.
Erzulie represents love, beauty, purity, the ideal woman and the moon, and it is well known that she is the most beloved Loa of all. As with other Gods and Goddesses, a variety of different myths exist about Erzulie, and they have been handed down from one generation to the next, through the oral telling and retelling of those myths.
People have always prayed to Erzulie, because they believe that she has the ability to influence their romances, marriages and even their artistic abilities. Erzulie’s symbol is the heart, her favorite colors are pink and blue, and for some rather strange reason she is represented by a model boat, known as a peristyle, which frequently is seen hanging from the ceiling of people’s homes. In all likelihood, the peristyle is related to one of Erzulie’s minor aspects that is related to the sea.
When the Church began to convert the Haitian people to Catholicism, something very interesting happened. Rather than having the Church convert the people into the strict orthodoxy of Catholicism, many Haitians began to practice both religions, side by side as one, finding no contradiction whatsoever in that particular practice. In a way, the Haitian people have actually developed their own unique religion, through the merging of those two religions into one, although the Catholic Church refuses to admit that Voodoo even exists. This combination of Catholicism and Voodoo appears to work, hand in hand, in a kind of partnership with the Haitian people, and it appears to satisfy their powerful need to keep their religious roots alive. What I find extremely interesting, is the fact that Erzulie is actually considered by many to be the Haitian-Catholic's equivalent of the Virgin Mary.
When the Haitian people leave offerings to Erzulie, they usually leave desserts, champagne, perfumes, flowers, and on some occasions white doves. During the Voodoo rights, the Gods and Goddesses take over the bodies of their devotees, and then they speak to their worshippers through them. The devotees who are possessed by Erzulie wear feminine clothing and dance and flirt coquettishly. That behavior always leads to the devotee, as Erzulie, crying, with tears streaming down her face, becase of all of her lost loves and lost dreams, which always remain unfulfilled. That behavior continues, until Erzulie finally relinquishes possession of that devotee on the material plane. By possessing people on the material plane, Erzulie seems to gain some kind of satisfaction in the spiritual world, while satiating her powerful longing for the joys of the physical plane.
Another aspect of Erzulie is known as Erzulie La Flambeau. It is she who is believed to burn with the fire of overwhelming passion. However, that burning passion all too frequently turns into such a violent rage, that it consumes anything and everything that gets in its way. It is for this reason, and because of all those contrasting emotions, that their final resting place is Erzulie. This particular aspect of Erzulie is looked upon as the corn mother, who has a powerful energy which enables her to turn different objects into food.
Another aspect of Erzulie is Erzulie Freda-Dahomey, and she governs what has been described as a "Sphere of Air." This aspect allows Erzulie to walk upon a Sphere of Air, which she creates solely from the strength of her emotions. It is in this particular aspect, as well, that Erzulie is looked upon as a virgin, although it is not in the sexual sense of the word. Rather, she appears to have a newness and freshness about her, which allows her to appear pure and unmarked, much like the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, whose annual ritual swim did the same for her. When Erzulie appears as Erzulie Freda-Dahomey, she is considered to be an aspect of the Santaria Goddess Oshun.
The most tragic aspect, out of all of Erzulie’s various aspects, is Erzulie Ge-Rouge, which is a negative and tragic side of Erzulie. Whenever she happens to appear in this aspect, Erzulie just sits there, pulling her knees close to her chest; and then, with her fists clenched and with tears streaming down her face, she cries out at the enormous sadness that life and love always seem to bring. It is in this aspect as well, that Erzulie is able to shape-shift into a water snake known as Ezili. Whether she is known as Erzulie, or as Ezili, both of these names mean the exact same thing; she is Erzulie, the Voodoo Loa of Women and of Love.
Erzulie is comprised of many unique and different aspects that change from the feminine coquette into the fierce warrior mother, and then on into the constantly crying Crone, and when you combine these three aspects together, they form of a Triple Goddess trinity, which allows Erzulie to be counted among either the Rada, or the Petwo Loa.
The Petwo rites first came into existence during the Middle Passage, when the African people were forced onto crowded sailing ships, and were then taken to the New World where they were sold into slavery. The Petwo Loa are those Voodoo Gods who are considered to be extremely dark and powerful, and who have earned the title of "bitter" or "anme."
When the slaves first arrived at the various Caribbean Islands, the slave owners did exactly what they pleased with what they considered to be their “property.” They often would divide families, selling each slave to whomever was able to pay the highest price. It was then that Erzulie's power really began to grow stronger. The slaves needed something powerful to believe in, while they watched their families being torn apart, and their women and female children raped. The slave owners appeared to be quite proud of themselves, because by owning female slaves, they were able to at least double, if not triple, their investment. During the day, the female slaves performed their normal duties. Then, when the sun went down, the slave owners saw nothing wrong with raping those very same women. The slave owners considered their actions to be more then just profitable, because at the same time they were also quite enjoyable. Then, when those female slaves became pregnant, and gave birth to children, that only increased the number of slaves to work on the plantation. Each new slave that was born only contributed to the slave owner’s worth.
It was from those terrible events that Erzulie’s many different aspects were born. Every one of Erzulie’s aspects is filled with great passion, and with moods that have been known to swing wildly from the heights of great joy to the depths of despair. When Erzulie takes over or “mounts” the body of a follower, that follower takes on the many different characteristics that make up Erzulie. While that follower is under, Erzulie is able to change, very quickly, from being sensual and self-assured to suddenly becoming filled with such a deep despair, that she just lies there until she is finally able to cry herself to sleep. It is believed that when Erzulie cries, her tears are those of recognition, realizing the limitations that are a part of love.
Voodoo is a somewhat unique religion, because it does not necessarily have a female Goddess of Fertility. The Voodoo Gods and Goddesses are considered to be equal, and it is this unified principal that allows a God or a Goddess to be a deity of fertility. Erzulie, however, is completely different from any of the other of the Gods and Goddesses. She is known to be the exception to the rule, due to the uniqueness about her, which gives Erzulie a very special place in the Voodoo pantheon.
Erzulie is the Voodoo Loa of Beauty, and that, ideed, is a very special Loa. Since she appears to be so uniquely human, it is believed that Erzulie may actually bridge the gap between mankind and the Gods. Looking at this in a different light, Erzulie is the only Loa who has the ability to conceptualize and dream, and to also have artistic expression. These qualities make Erzulie totally unique among all of the Voodoo Loa.
Two separate and unique groups follow Erzulie. The first group worships her as the Loa of Elemental Forces, while the second group sees her as the greatest and most important of all the Loa, because Erzulie is the Loa of ideals, aspirations, hopes and dreams. It really doesn’t matter which particular group her followers belong to, however, because all of them worship Erzulie as the most beloved Voodoo Loa of all.
Being revered and being loved definitely has its advantages. The Voodoo mambos or houngans always have every possible kind of luxury which Erzulie might desire, waiting there just for her. That is one of the many ways that Erzulie’s followers show her how greatly she is loved.
When Erzulie decides to appear, she is always the most beautiful and feminine woman there; and when Erzulie dances, she is in a class by herself. No one can even come close to Erzulie when it comes to dancing, because no one can dance like Erzulie can dance.
Surprisingly, when you consider how delicate and refined she is believed to be, no one will ever call Erzulie a prude. When she dances with men, she likes to give them her very special attention, as she kisses and caresses them, frequently in a very private way. When that happens, Erzulie has been known to cause her partners more then a little embarrassment. However, they would not have it any other way.
When you finally become aware of Erzulie’s true nature, then you will understand that it is extremely doubtful whether she has ever considered, even once, whether a mortal might be embarrassed or not. She is Erzulie, and Erzulie can do and will do, exactly what Erzulie chooses to do. Taking that into consideration, what is extremely interesting, and rather surprising as well, is that even with her open views towards sexuality, Erzulie sees herself as being similar to the Virgin Mary.
Like many other Goddesses of Love, Erzulie controls her love affairs in the same way that she is so blatant with her sexuality. She chooses her lovers as she deems them worthy of her affection, whether it is for an hour, a day or more. Then, in the same manner that she has chosen them, she just as easily dismisses them, whenever she happens to find a replacement to keep her amused.
Every man who has ever been with Erzulie agrees that there has always been something missing in that relationship. Their relationships with Erzulie were never really fulfilling experiences, because once the lovemaking ended, Erzulie would always begin to cry. This is a pattern that happens time and time again; and through her tears, Erzulie cries out that she can no longer carry all the sorrows of mankind upon her lovely and delicate shoulders. When I look at Erzulie, I see her as an empath, having no control over the misery that she feels. As she goes on, it appears quite clear that she finds sorrow around every corner, and tears behind every smile.
Many women who never in a million years would ever consider respecting, much less following, Erzulie, now find themselves drawn to her. When they see her, carrying all of the sadness of the world within her, they are able to find a connection, not only with Erzulie, but also with all the other women in the world; because by seeing this side of Erzulie, they realize that she is just another woman, with all the same feelings of pain and suffering that all the women of today seem to share. I hope that people will finally recognize, once and for all, what a truly amazing Goddess Erzulie is; because when the end finally does arrive, it is believed that the only thing remaining will be Erzulie, carrying the weight of the world upon her own delicate shoulders.
Erzulie is a fascinating Goddess, not only because she has so many different and unique aspects, but also because of her ability to love, both carnally and ethereally, not only for herself, but for all of mankind. She has been loved by so many for so very long, and just as strongly she is still loved today. Erzulie is a Goddess who is well ahead of her time, as she continues through the love of her followers, to allow the old religion and traditions to live on with the new.
"Erzulie" Painting By
Sandra M. Stanton
Used With Permission
