The following words and phrases include a number of terms taken directly
from Vodun, sans accent marks. Accent will be added as time allows.
Please remember that any information found on Vodun belief on this site, or
anywhere else in the Decay world, is a representation of the faith as it
applies to the Decay world. It is not intended to provide an accurate
description of real Vodun beliefs, nor does it necessarily portray the
beliefs of the creators, players or administrators of Decay.
Ago - "Amen."
Angajan - Literally, engagement; a business transaction between a person and
a loa in which the person seeks malevolent magic in exchange for his/her
confirmed service to the loa.
Asson - Sacred rattle of the houngan or mambo; to be "given the asson" is to
be raised to priestly authority in a very secret ceremony known as the
"taking of the asson."
Bagi - Room containing an altar dedicated to a loa.
Baka - Evil spirit or supernatural agent that roams at night; they can
possess members of the bizango, and often take the forms of animals
(leopardmen, serpentmen, elephantmen, pythonmen, owlmen, crocodilemen,
lionmen, and loup-garou, or wolfmen); can also transform into birds of prey
that fly invisibly through the air, leaving only a luminous trail and an
odor of sulfur, pouncing on prey and carrying them off.
Baptime - Ritual of baptism in which all sacred objects are consecrated.
Baton - Long stick or crutch, as that used by Legba.
Batterie - Also Batterie Maconnique; a specific system of sounding the
asson, clapping hands and sounding drums in rhythm during a ritual.
Bizango - Secret society known for its practice of zombification; often
cloak themselves in red to hide their identities; may be possessed or
mounted by totem animal protectors (baka).
Bokor - Houngans who perform black magic, including creating zombis, calling
the dead to inflict harm upon others, creating ouangas that house baka (to
be used for evil purposes), etc; some Petro loa are partners in black magic
and will perform harmful services in exchange for sacrifice and a pact,
known as a angajan.
Boula - Also Bula; the smallest of the set of three Rada drums.
Boule Zen - Ceremony in which a govi containing the ti-bon-ange of a person
is burned to dispatch the soul to its final abode.
Charge - Magical energy or power enabling one to accomplish unusual feats.
Cheval - Literally, horse; a person mounted or possessed by a loa.
Cochon Gris - Literally, the gray pig; a secret society in Vodun known for
cannibalism; may cloak themselves in white to hide their identities; may be
possessed or mounted by totem animal protectors (baka).
Corps Cadavre - Body, flesh and blood, which, along with the spirit, makes
up the whole mortal person.
Daromain - The part of Guinen which is the residence of the loa.
Doom Knight - A body consisting of flesh, organs, bone and blood which has
been revived from death to work as a slave or warrior for the loa; the most
powerful body a spirit can inhabit; far stronger and more powerful than even
a vampire; possessing all that a living body has, the doom knight (or dk)
also forms a bond with the possessing spirit, giving the spirit stronger
powers, and the ability to actually bring the dead body back to life by
fueling itself with other n'ames.
Debetement - Period of intense physical struggle between the gros-bon-ange
and the loa over the possession of the physical body of a devotee.
Desounen - Ritual separating of a person's gros-bon-ange from the body.
Drapeaux - Ceremonial flags that are heavily spangled and used during
rituals.
Duppy - Lifeforce released from a dead body with the power to do evil.
Esprit - Spirit or soul of the dead.
Farine - Flour used to trace veves.
Farine Guinee - Powdered ash used to trace veves.
Geist - The weakest, invisible form of the n'ame; completely incapable of
any physical interaction other than possession of a dead body.
Ghost - The second-weakest, partly visible form of the n'ame; can interact
with the physical world on a limited basis, usually involving making things
warmer or colder.
Ghoul - A body consisting of flesh, organs and bone (lacking only bodily
fluids) which has been revived from death to work as a slave or warrior for
the loa; the third-most powerful body a spirit can inhabit; quicker and
tougher than a zombie.
Govi - Sacred clay vessels in which spirits of the dead or loa are housed.
Gros-bon-ange - Literally, big good angel (grosse-bon-ange); also Ba; aspect
of the soul that is part of the vast pool of cosmic energy; presents "the
person" to God and makes the person's case; keeps the body sentient and
after death passes back into the reservoir of energy; without the
gros-bon-ange, a person loses control of their lifeforce; it is possible,
according to Vodun belief, to separate a person's gros-bon-ange and store it
in a bottle where the energy can be used for other purposes.
Guinen - The world of the dead, said to be under the water below the earth,
where the gros-bon-ange rejoins the cosmic energy and becomes a loa; it is
akin to a sort of universal recycling bin where souls resonate until they
fade, like files dragged to the trash bin until they're overwritten; this
is the realm in which the grid currently exists.
Hounfo - The parish or region of a houngan or mambo's influence.
Hounfort - Inner sanctuary or altar room where Vodun is practiced.
Houngan - Fully initiated priest of Vodun.
Houngenikon - Female ritual assistant to the houngan or mambo whose status
is just below theirs and who leads the chanting in ritual; she also
supervises the offerings made to the loa and demands their presence.
Hounsi - Accepted devotee at a hounfort.
Hounsi Bosal - A hounsi not fully trained, charged with mundane duties.
Hounsi Kanzo - A hounsi who is fully trained and has undergone the kanzo
initiation; under the direction of the houngenikon, they send chants to the
loa in the astral plane and so call the loa down to earth.
Hounsi Cuisiniere - The sacrificial cook during ritual.
Hounsi Ventailleur - Initiate who obtains the sacrificial animals.
Houn'tor - Spirit of the Vodun drums; also the tambourine player.
Kafou - Literally, crossroads; the central image in Vodun, the place where
the two worlds (earth and spirit) meet.
Kanzo - Initiation ceremonies for those moving into a very serious level
of Vodun practice. Very secret services involving ordeal by fire.
Kleren - Raw rum; the favorite drink of Guede.
Konesans - Knowledge of the loa and Vodun rites.
Ku-bha-sah - The sword carried by La Place in ritual; used to cut away the
material world, leaving the faithful open to the loa; symbolizes Ogou, the
loa of iron and weaponry.
La Flambeau - Literally, the torch; title added to the names of certain
Rada loa when an especially fiery form of their power is invoked.
Lambi - Conch shell used as a horn in ceremonies.
Langage - Sacred language in which the loa are addressed.
La Place - The master of ceremonies who bears the ritual saber (ku-bha-sah);
he acts as the marshal of the ritual and directs the overall movement, flag
waving and drumming.
Laver Tete - Literally, washing of the head; ritual baptismal initiation
ceremony for serviteurs who have been mounted for the first time; takes
place on a mat or couch sprinkled with flour and syrup, with the devotee
wearing a long white shirt - while chanting, the houngan sprinkles water
over the person's head while asking Damballah for a blessing.
Les Invisibles - Refers to all the invisible spirits, including the loa.
Les Mysteries - The loa; also, sacred knowledge.
Loa - Vodun deity.
Maman - Largest of the three drums in the Rada battery.
Mambo - Initiated Vodun priestess who has been given the asson.
Mange Morts - Ritual offering to the spirit of the dead.
Manger Loa - Feeding of the loa, a ceremony where offerings, including
animal sacrifices, are made to nourish, enliven or fortify the loa; each
loa has "favorite" foods, and if these are offered then more magic will
be available in the ceremony; ritual food is placed on a veve or at a
crossroads before being tasted; libations of drinks are poured three times
on the ground; animal blood is collcted in gourds and drunk so participants
can share in divine energy.
Mange Sec - Dry feeding of the loa, offerings made without animal sacrifice.
Mete Tete - Master of the head, a person's guardian loa.
Monter la Tete - Literally, to mount the head; the act of possession; when
the loa comes, the person is gone; the body is the body of the person, but
it is really the loa, so if a male loa mounts a female person, he is
referred to as "he," not she, during the mounting.
Morts - The dead.
N'ame - Refers to the spirit that allows the body to function while alive,
which, along with the body, makes up the whole mortal person.
Novena - Nine-night death ritual for the soul of a recently deceased person,
taking place during the period in which the ti-bon-ange is supposed to hover
over the body.
Ouanga - Magical charm used in malevolent sorcery.
Paquets - Small package which serves as a person's effigy to magically
protect him/her from illness and evil spirits.
Pe - The Vodun altar; a houngan may lean upon this altar and call a loa down
into a govi.
Peristyle - Small, open-sided Vodun temple adjacent to the hounfort where
the public ceremonies are held.
Petro - Group of rites distinguished by the violent energy and practicality
of the Petro loa; special drums and chants mark the Petro rites.
Poteau-mitan - The center-post of the peristyle, sacred to Legba and around
which most ceremonies are performed; functions as the major avenue to the
world of the loa.
Prise du Mort - Obtaining a dead person's spirit from the cemetery where the
person is buried.
Rada - Group of rites distinguished by the benevolence of the Rada loa and
marked by a particular type of drumming and chanting.
Range - Ceremony in which an object is charged with the power of the loa.
Reposoir - Circular basin enclosing the foot of a tree sacred to a loa.
Retirer d'en bas de l'eau - Ceremony in which the soul of the living-dead; A
year and a day after a spirit goes to Guinee, their relatives can recall the
spirit using a govi; this is very expensive, requiring the sacrifice of an
ox or other large animal; if too much time passes the ancestor may start to
cause trouble.
Seconde - Middle drum in the Rada battery.
Serviteur - One who serves the loa; practitioners of Vodun.
Shadow - The strongest, entirely visible form of the n'ame; possesses
features identical to that of the spirit's original physical body, but with
a dark, shadowy form that seems to absorb light; can interact with the
physical world by directly draining and destroying other n'ames it comes
into contact with; this form is so strong that even when it is inside a
possessed body, it can still be seen dragging along behind the body when the
sun shines on it.
Siyale - Ritual movement performed by the houngan or mambo in recognition of
the loa at the four cardinal points.
Skeleton - A body consisting of merely bone, with some connective tissue,
which has been revived from death to work as a slave or warrior for the loa;
the least powerful body a spirit can inhabit.
Societe - Association of devotees who support a hounfort.
Socle - The masonry or cement base of the poteau-mitan where offerings are
placed.
Spectre - The third-strongest, mostly visible form of the n'ame; possesses
features similar to that of the spirit's original physical body; can
interact with the physical world, often by scaring those individuals it
comes into contact with.
Ti-bon-ange - Literally, little good angel (short for petit-bon-ange); also,
Ka; apect of the soul responsible for personality, conscience, character,
willpower, individuality, memory, knowledge and experience; it is also the
aspect of a person that is most vulnerable to sorcery, and can be written
over when one is possessed by a loa or other spirit.
Ti Guinin - Sons or daughters of Ginen; how devotees of Vodun refer to
themselves.
Traitement - Herbal cure administered by a houngan.
Vampire - A body consisting of flesh, organs, bone and blood which has been
revived from death to work as a slave or warrior for the loa; the
second-most powerful body a spirit can inhabit; far stronger and more
powerful than even a ghoul; possessing all that a living body has, the
vampire still lacks its own life-force, and can only be controlled like a
puppet by the inhabiting spirit.
Verser - Ritual pouring of drops of water, coffee, liquor, etc., on the
ground for the loa.
Veves - Ceremonial drawings which represent loa to be invoked, serving as
both a focal point for the invocation and an altar for offerings; to invoke
the loa, the houngan strikes the veves with his asson to open the astral
power of the loa, allowing the loa to descend to earth; Tesla's grids are
a form of veves, energized with electricity and done on an immense scale.
Vodun - Religious system formed in Haiti and based mainly on beliefs and
practices brought from Africa, also incorporating Catholic components.
Wraith - The second-strongest, entirely visible form of the n'ame; possesses
features identical to that of the spirit's original physical body, but with
a hazy, grayish-white overcast; can interact with the physical world by
directly draining energy from bodies.
Z'etoile - A person's star of destiny that resides in the heavens; this is
technically the fifth part of a human being, but it is not of importance in
Vodun belief, or in the Decay world.
Zombie - Also, zombi cadavre; a body consisting of flesh and bone which has
been revived from death to work as a slave or warrior for the loa; the
second-least powerful body a spirit can inhabit; slower, but stronger and
tougher than a skeleton.
Zombi Astral - A ti-bon-ange that has been captured after death by a bokor
and is made to perform deeds for him.
