#2531: Gran Brijit et al (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Lois E Wilcken <makandal-ny@juno.com>

I can't speak with authority about Gran Brijit, but I have done some work
on Lasirenn, and I believe certain principles apply generally.

Many say that the Haitian Siren is European, citing her name and her
physical form as evidence.  A Haitian ougan told me she is Greek.  But
Maya Deren points to a source (The Mythology of All Races, Hartley Burr
Alexander, 1920) on the South American Orehu, a water spirit who abducted
Arawaks, kept them anba dlo for a certain period of time, then sent them
back to land with the sacred rattle of the priesthood.  This is
remarkably like the behavior of Lasirenn.

Must the origin of a lwa be either-or?  Aren't they universal?

Lois Wilcken
La Troupe Makandal - New York City's #1 Haitian Roots Ensemble
621 Rutland Road, Brooklyn NY 11203
718-953-6638 / makandal-ny@juno.com