Basic Information
Alternative spellings: Damballa, [2] Dambella Wedo, [3] Danbala [6]
Title: Bon Dieu [5]
Translation: Bon Dieu means 'good god' [5]
Type/Species: Great Serpent
Origin: Vodoun Mythology, Haitian Mythology, [1] Caribbean Mythology [5]
About Damballah
Damballah was the snake-god or loa [5] and the great cosmic serpent [3] of the Rada pantheon. [5] All loa regarded Damballah as their father, [2,5] and he was a fertility deity and a god of the sky. [5]
Damballah was seen a remote loa. [7] Though he did not concern himself with mortal problems, [4] he was venerated on Haiti, [2] as he was the patron of rivers, streams, and rain. [4] Special pools were built so that he could bathe. [4] Damballah never spoke, but every blessing he gave was very powerful. [7]
He lived in trees [4] near springs, [5] and he usually was found around the water. [4] Whenever he came to earth, deep valleys and fissures were made by his movements, and whenever he swam through the oceans, he created tremendous waves. [3]
His wife and counterpart was the rainbow goddess Ayida; [5] whereas he was the serpent of the earth, she was the serpent of the sky. [6] Entwined, the two represented marital unity. [1] Together, they are depicted on musical instruments and furniture. [6]
Damballah formed the arch of the heavens, though he sometimes basked in the sun on the earth. [3]
Associations of Damballah
His wife and counterpart was Ayida. [1]
His day of the week was Sunday. [7] His sacred color was white, [2,5] and ileke designed for Damballah were white, sometimes with pink and blue as alternating colors. [7] His symbols were the snake [2] and the egg. [4] Offerings of eggs were made to him. [7]
Damballah was identified with the Christian figures of Saint Patrick, who drove the serpents from Ireland, [1] and John the Evangelist, who was identified with snakes because of the legend of the beaker of wine that was poisoned. [2]
Physical Description
Damballah was a great serpent, often shown arching across the sky. [1] He was brilliantly multicolored, like a rainbow. [4]
He can still be seen to this day; when light reflects off his scales, the rainbow can be seen in the sky. [7]
Quick Facts
- Damballah was the serpent loa of the Rada. [5]
- He was the great cosmic serpent. [3]
- All loa regarded Damballah as their father. [2,5]
- He was a fertility deity as well as a god of the sky. [5]
- Damballah lived in trees [4] near springs, [5] and he usually was found around the water. [4]
- He was identified with the Christian figures of Saint Patrick [1] and John the Evangelist. [2]
- He was the patron of rivers, streams, and rain. [4]
- His symbols were the snake [2] and the egg. [4]
- Damballah was considered a remote loa. [7]
- He was brilliantly multicolored, like a rainbow. [4]
- Entwined, the Rainbow Serpents Damballah and Ayida represented marital unity. [1]
Related Articles
Term Reference
Footnotes
- Cotterell 193
- Lurker 89
- Rose [Dragons] 94
- Turner 141
- Damballa
- Tann 100
- Damballah Wedo. Link defunct: <http://www.geocities.com/beargomke/Damballah.html>
For more information on footnotes and references, please see the bibliography.
