Description

Erzulie Freda: Goddess of Love and Desire Freda is the sister of Ezili Dantor, and her opposite in every way. Where Dantor is a hard working single mother, Freda is a glamor girl. The mistress of three powerful spirits - Ogoun, Agwe and Danbala - she is said to be the most powerful sorceress in the pantheon. So pure and so good is Freda, that nothing malefic may happen in Her presence. She is purity - her horses must be clean, dressed immaculately and scented with her favorite Pompie lotion, before she will manifest in service. Syncretized with Our Lady of Calvary, Freda is seen to have the wealth of the world at her finger tips and yet, she weeps uncontrollably in service. There is never enough champagne (pink) or cakes (white with white frosting) or candies or clothing or jewelry to satisfy her. Her desires must be met or she turns in upon herself and becomes Je Rouge (Red Eyed), the most fearsome of the Ezili group. Erzulie Fréda Dahomey, the Rada aspect of Erzulie, is the Haitian African spirit of love, beauty, jewelry, dancing, luxury, and flowers. She wears three wedding rings, one for each husband - Damballa, Agwe and Ogoun. Her symbol is a heart, her colours are pink, blue, white and gold, and her favourite sacrifices include jewellery, perfume, sweet cakes and liqueurs. 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 Mater Dolorosa, 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 as she relates to the Yoruba Vodu goddess of erotic love, gold and femininity.