Guédé

In Haitian Vodun, the Guédé (also spelled Gede or Ghede) are the family of spirits that embody the powers of death and fertility. They are closely associated with the Baron or Bawon spirits who rule death, the cemetery and the grave, Baron Samedi, Baron La Croix and Baron Cimetière. Well known Gede spirits include Gede Nibo, Gede Plumaj, Gede Ti Malis, Gede Zaranye, and many more others. They are known for the drum rhythm and the dance called the "banda" and in possession will drink or rub themselves with a mixture of raw rum or clairin and twenty-one habanero or goat peppers. Gede Nibo is a psychopomp and acts as an intermediary between the living and the dead, who gives voice to the dead spirits that have not been reclaimed from "below the waters". The Gede often dress as an undertaker dressed in black with black sunglasses. Some Gede will only have one lens, seeing as they do in two worlds. Gede Nibo's wife is called Maman Brigitte. The colors of the Gede are generally purple and black, and they enjoy unfiltered cigarettes like Pall Malls, rum steeped with hot peppers, dancing the suggestive "banda" dance with the ladies, and they are very protective of children, as many of the lwa are.