Terms and Spirit Listing
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Saint (Sen)

(V.ENC) A Saint of the Catholic Church; sometimes used as a synonym for loa.

Salutations in the ritual

(V.ENC) After the invocation to Legba, the priest presents water to the four cardinal points. He also makes salutations to Legba, to the Christian Trinity, and to the vodou Trinity of Mystères (spirits), Marassas (twins), and Morts (dead). He pours water in front of the poteau-mitan, tracing a line from the entrance of the peristyle back to the center-post. This post is sacred to Legba and provides an entranceway for the loa to enter the peristyle. Finally, the houngan pours water three times before each drum. After the libations, La Place and two hounsis, or vodou initiates, perform salutations with sequined ceremonial flags and the sacred sword to the four cardinal points, the center post, and the drums. They salute the houngan and any visiting dignitaries, and then they light candles inside the circle around the center-post.

Seconde

(V.ENC) The middle-sized drum used in Rada rituals.

Servi loa (service, servir)

(V.ENC) Literally "to serve the loa," this term is used by vodou devotees to refer to their faith. The most important thing to understand about vodou is that practitioners think of their religion in practical terms. They don't believe in vodou; rather they serve the gods that represent the major forces of the natural world, and so devotees of vodou are called serviteurs. In return, the serviteurs expect the gods to go to work for them, healing illnesses, imparting advice, and providing help in times of need. Because practitioners of vodou are largely poor, they need the gods to help them get through the trials of everyday life. Devotees believe that all things serve the loa and so be definition are expressions and extensions of the spiritual. What is sacred in vodou is not a particular person or place, but rather the moment when the divine is invoked. In vodou, divinity is found in the act of ritual itself, in chanting and drumming and dancing to call the immortal spirits down from the cosmic plane where they live. It is this act of service, and not any magical object or spell that infuses the practitioners of vodou with divine power.

Servir a deux mains

(V.ENC) Literally "to serve with both hands," this term refers to someone who serves both the Rada and the Petro loa and practices black magic.

Serviteur (sèvitè, servitor)

(V.ENC) A vodou devotee.

Signaler (siyale)

(V.ENC) The ritual movement performed by the houngan to the four cardinal points at the beginning of the ritual in recognition of the loa.

Simbi (Sim'bi d'l'Eau, Simba, Simbe, Simbi Andezo)

(V.ENC) The loa who represents fresh waters and rainfall and who oversees the making of protective and destructive charms. His symbol is the water snake, his color is green, and his sacrifice is the speckled cock.

(DL) Simbi is guardian of the fountains and marshes and cannot do without the freshness of water. Voodoo rituals are held near springs. Several of their songs mention these sorts of places. He is a very knowledgeable loa because he spends a lot of time learning about the nature of illnesses of supernatural origin and how to treat them. He is either with you or against you by protecting those who have good relations with him and turning his back on those who do not. As part of Ogou's army he is the chief of the coast guard and goes wherever he pleases. He is the petro loa of the coast; one of the respected members of the petro family. He belongs to rada because of his nature. Sometimes neglected by their devotees and gnawed by hunger, he tends to be cruel. He lives in springs and rivers. He cannot stand being away from water, children who go to fetch water at springs run the risk-particularly if they are fair-skinned-of being kidnapped to work for him under the water for a few years, gifting them with second sight for their trouble.

Siren and Whale

(DL) These two loa are marine divinities, so closely linked that they are always worshipped together and celebrated in the same songs. Some people say the Whale is the mother of the Siren, others that he is her husband; others say they are used for one and the same deity. Popular opinion says the Siren is married to Agwe. When Siren turns up in a sanctuary, the person possessed by her appears simply in the role of a young coquette most careful of her looks, and speaking in French, often offending the peasant serviteurs. Both the Siren and the Whale are often viewed as "upper class."

Snakes

(V.ENC) Snakes are important in vodou as the symbol and servant of Damballah-Wedo, and so sometimes a snake will live in the hounfort or in one of the sacred trees nearby. However, practitioners of vodou do not worship snakes.

Sobo (Sobo Kessou)

(DL) Loa of strength. Sobo is a very powerful loa and well known for his bravery as a warrior. When he possesses someone, that person must dress up like a general in the army. When he addresses the congregation during a mounting it is like a general addressing his troops. Sobo is considered an important figure in voodoo mythology. He is the symbol of strength, the ideal of voodoo priests who want to be respected figures in their communities. Because of the strength he procures for his followers, Sobo's presence is continually requested to bring security and protection to the congregation. He who is with Sobo is protected against wild spirits. Sobo is said to have healing power and is often called upon to cure illnesses of the supernatural origin to his devotees. He dines upon goat meat and mutton, and often lives under trees. His servitors wear kerchiefs of white and lemon, his favorite colors.

Société (socyete)

(V.ENC) Practitioners of vodou come together in a neighborhood community, called a société. The société centers around a temple where rituals are performed and offerings are made to the immortal spirits that are revered in that community. The société is always led by a single priest or priestess, who possesses a wide range of knowledge in religious and practical matters, ranging from telling the future to communicating with the gods to healing the sick with herbal medicines. Vodou sociétés are very close-knit and provide a central organizing structure to small villages in Haiti. A highly malleable religion, vodou rituals and other practices can very hugely from community to community inside Haiti itself. The structure of the vodou société, the role of the priest or priestess in the community, and the elements of the ceremonies have many basic elements in common. But in vodou, it's perfectly acceptable for a community's traditions, which are passed down from generation to generation, to deviate from the traditions of other communities.

Socle

(V.ENC) The cement base at the foot of the poteau-mitan where offerings to the loa are placed.

Sogbo (Soybo)

(DL) He is the god of lightning and the protector of flags. Sogbo is the brother of the three-horned Bosu. Sogbo is always accompanied by his companion Bade, who is the loa of the winds. These loa share functions with Agau, who is also a storm loa. When possessed by Sogbo, one hurls down polished stones which are piously collected and used as symbols of the loa. Despite their divine origins, thunderstones are not uncommon in Haiti. The spirit hurls a lightning bolt to the earth, striking a rock outcropping and casting the stone to the valley floor. There it must lie for a year and a day before the houngan may touch it.

Sorcière

(V.ENC) A female bokor, or sorceress.

Soul, components of

(V.ENC) According to vodou belief, a human being's soul is made up of five basic components: the corps cadavre, or mortal flesh; the n'âme, or spirit of the flesh; the z'étoile, or star of destiny; and the gros-bon-ange and the ti-bon-ange, the two major parts of the soul.