If you missed my article on Tiamat, you can find it here.
Baron Samedi is a Vodoun loa who governs the dead. Loa and Orishas are Gods and Goddesses of the Voodoo and Hoodoo practitioners. Baron Samedi is a guardian of cemeteries, God of the Dead, as well as the father of his Gede. A Gede is very similar to a family or a clan. They just have better powers. Baron Samedi’s symbols are coffins, farm implements, black crosses, and skeletons. His colors are black, purple, and white.
He is married to Maman Brigitte. Together they are the mother and father of their Gede. When there is a new cemetery, the first man to be buried there is said to embody Baron Samedi. Likewise, the first woman manifests Maman Brigitte. The Baron is said to have an insane appetite in bed and often has partners who are not Brigitte.
Baron Samedi is often portrayed as s skeleton. When he comes out to play he is most often dressed formally, top hat and tails included. Along with carrying a cane, he wears sunglasses no matter the time of day when he comes to the land of the living. The lights are much brighter here than in the grave. Though he does take out the right lens sometimes to watch his food.
Though Baron Samedi has the serious job of watching over cemeteries and greeting the dead, he loves tricks. He is not only a God of the dead but a Trickster God as well. He doesn’t seem to care for those who take themselves too seriously. When he is here, he drinks a whole lot and smokes a ton. His favorite liquors are gin and rum after his kleren. He also enjoys black coffee. His favorite foods are black goat and black rooster.
With the Baron being God of the Dead, you could potentially be in limbo forever. A person can only die if Baron Samedi greets them personally. He is also a resurrection deity. He can heal you for a price. Baron Samedi is connected to powerful magic and is the one to go to if you need to work with a relative who has been dead a long time.
To be honest, Baron Samedi reminds me of my best friend Jim. Jim was a whole hell of a lot of fun. Sometimes that fun got you in a whole lot of trouble. Baron Samedi seems to have welcomed my friend as he did pass. Oh crap. I wonder what kind of trouble they are causing. What do you think of Baron Samedi? Let me know in the comments. Also, please if I got any of this wrong, let me know. I am not as familiar with the Loa or the Orishas as I am with Greek, Egyptian, or Norse deities. Until next week…
