Erzulie Freda
Haitian Vodou
The Loa of Love and Beauty
Protector of Women and Children
Erzulie Freda is one of the most beloved loas in Haitian Vodou. Her origins are from the goddess Oshun in the Yoruba religion of West Africa. The Fon people also worship her in Vodun.
She is the loa of love, luxury, beauty, and motherhood. Additionally, she represents divine feminine energy, material abundance, and spiritual purity. In Haitian Vodou, depictions of Erzulie Freda often compare her to the Catholic Virgin Mary.
Attributes of Erzulie Freda
Love, abundance, material wealth, and protection for women and children are the traits associated with this loa. She is also worshipped as the goddess of rivers, fertility, and love. Many pray to Erzulie Freda for material abundance or to bolster romantic relationships.
While she bestows love and grace upon practitioners, they often come with a hard lesson. Love is never perfect and cannot match divine perfection. Therefore, love often brings sadness and pain upon people. This duality portrays a complex emotional trait of Erzulie Freda.
Despite the lessons of love from this loa, practitioners invoke her to mend broken hearts. In contrast, practitioners may summon Erzulie Freda to attract the love and affection of others. Ultimately, she is a loa that is responsible for beauty, luxury, and emotional empathy. Her counterpart is Ayizan, the Queen of the Market. Both loas bestow wealth and fortune for those who invoke them.
Erzulie Freda’s Appearance
Erzulie Freda traditionally wears elegant clothing and fancy jewelry. As the most beautiful loa, she emits grace, sensuality, and luxury. Her clothing is flowing and regal, made of silk and lace, often in pink, blue, and white. In addition, her smile emits a serene and calming presence while her eyes exude soft gentleness.
A floral fragrance, generally rose or jasmine, surrounds Erzulie Freda. Furthermore, she adorns elaborate jewelry made of gold, pearls, and radiant gemstones. Her features are soft, often light-skinned, and she has the appearance of a Creole woman. Erzulie Freda’s clothes are made of the finest materials, including silk, satin, and lace.
To match her elegant appearance, this loa is often seen carrying a mirror, a handkerchief, or a fan. Doves may also be associated with Erzulie Freda as they symbolize purity, love, and peace. In addition, perfume is a representation of this loa’s self-admiration and passion for the finer things in life.
Offerings
Offerings often include flowers and luxury goods. These offerings serve to secure prosperity, affection, sensuality, and luxury. The type of offering provided should match the particular request the follower makes when invoking this loa.
- Flowers, generally roses
- Jewelry
- Perfume
- Chocolate
- Sweets
- Champagne
- Mirrors
- Pink and white candles
Symbols
Hearts, roses, perfume, jewelry, mirrors, butterflies, and water personify Erzulie Freda. These symbols represent feminine energy, material prosperity, spiritual transformation or cleansing, love, and emotional healing.
July 16 is celebrated as a feast day for this loa. On this day, followers receive a fresh start, symbolizing emotional healing. Offerings, feasts, and prayers are made to Erzulie Freda to honor her protection of women, feminine energy, and romantic relationships.
Rituals and Worship
When beginning a ritual, one must consider whether they are asking for love, prosperity, or emotional healing. The offering given to Erzulie Freda will depend on the request from this loa.
First, the follower must cleanse a sacred place before starting the ritual. Next, white cloth covers an altar, symbolizing purity. Burning pink or white candles symbolize gratitude and love as the ritual progresses. A follower prays to offer blessings to Erzulie Freda. Finally, libations such as champagne, water, or coconut water are provided as a gesture of respect.
Jewelry and perfume can be given as gifts or kept by the invoker. However, fruits, libations, or other perishables should be left under a tree or near a river. These areas represent sacred places where spirits can receive gifts.