Voodoo

Haitian Vodou
Haitian Vodou is a syncretic mixture of Roman Catholic rituals developed during the French colonial period, based on traditional African beliefs, with roots in Dahomey, Kongo and Yoruba traditions, and folkloric influence from the

indigenous Taino peoples of Haiti. The Loa, or spirits with whom Vodouisants work and practice, are not gods but servants of the Supreme Creator Bondye (pronounced Bon Dieu).

West African Vodun
Vodun (meaning spirit in the Fon and Ewe languages) is practiced by the Fon people of Benin, and southern and central Togo; as well in Ghana, and Nigeria.

Vodun cosmology centers around the vodun spirits and other elements of divine essence that govern the Earth, a hierarchy that range in power from major deities governing the forces of nature and human society to the spirits of individual streams, trees, and rocks, as well as dozens of ethnic vodun, defenders of a certain clan, tribe, or nation.

Legba is often represented as a phallus or as a man with a prominent phallus. Known as the youngest son of Mawu, he is the chief of all Vodun divinities; in his Diasporic portrayal, Legba is believed to be a very old man who walks on crutches.

Louisiana Voodoo and Hoodoo
Louisiana Voodoo describes a set of spiritual beliefs and practices developed from the traditions of the

African diaspora in Louisiana. It is sometimes referred to as Mississippi Valley Voodoo when referring to its historic popularity and development in the greater Mississippi Valley. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions developed by the West and Central African populations of the U.S. state of Louisiana, though its practitioners are not exclusively of African descent. Voodoo is one of many incarnations of African-based spiritual folkways, rooted in West African Dahomeyan Vodun.

Native American "Vudu"
In Dominican Vudu, the water division has spirits of Pre-Columbian origin (usually refers to Taíno ancestral spirits of the island). Most spirits are syncretized with a catholic saints image. These are some of the main features that distinguishes Dominican Vudú from other forms of Voodoo.

List of Spirits in Voodoo

 * Legba
 * Baron Samedi
 * Loa
 * Zombie
 * Ghede