Erzulie

Voodoo has a most special place for Erzulie, the loa of beauty, the loa who is so uniquely human since she is the differentiating force between human and all other creation. She is the ability to conceptualize, to dream, and the artistic ability to create. She is the most beautiful and sensuous lady in the Voodoo pantheon, respected and wealthy; wears her hair long; is jealous and requires her lovers to dedicate a room for her ritual lovemaking.

Erzulie is not a loa of elemental forces, but of ideal dreams, hopes and aspirations. As such she is the most loved loa of all.

She is fabulously rich, and, when she mounts someone the first act is always to accomplish her elaborate toilette. The very best of things which the houngan or mambo has are reserved for Erzulie. She will bathe, using soap from a fresh wrapper if possible. She will dress in silks with fresh flowers and other signs of her femininity and specialness.

She is the mistress of coquetry. She may simply visit with her servants, or may eat or drink with great delicacy. She loves to dance and is the most graceful of all the loa. She loves men, will dance with them, kiss and caress them, often in an embarrassing manner.

Voodoo does not have a woman as loa of fertility. Fertility is regarded as a unified principle, equally held by male and female forces. Thus Dumballah is united to his Ayida. Agwe has his counterpart in La Sirene; the Marasa, the twins, are contradictory and complementary forces of nature and so on.

Erzulie wears three wedding bands since she has been (or is) wedded to Dumballah, Ogoun and Agwe. She has often flirted with Zaka, but she has completely dismissed his more course brother Ghede as unworthy. However, Erzulie is always in charge and may take any serviteur present as her lover for the day if she chooses.

However, the visit of Erzulie is never fully satisfying. In the end she always begins to weep. The world is just too much for her. At first people try to comfort her with more delicate food or drink or other gifts, but her tears continue to flow. It is this tearful and sad side of her that allows the women to accept her in her haughty ways. She is, in the end, one who suffers the burden of the world's sorrows.

Despite her flirtations and loving ways, Erzulie is a virgin. She is the complete converse of the crude sexuality of Papa Ghede. She is not a virgin in the physical sense, but in the sense that her love transcends the earth, it is a love of higher forces. She is closely associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary and her symbol is the heart, usually one broken with an arrow in much the same way as a dominant Catholic portrait of Mary.