Priests and Priestesses

As I discussed in my last blog, Voodoo is a polytheistic religion. As a cult (cult in this context only means “religious group”), Voodoo can also be categorized as religion of animatism. Animatism is a belief in super natural forces that do not reside in beings/souls. One example that may be familiar to most people is Charisma. Another popular example is “the force” known in the Star Wars movies. In Voodoo, that natural force is known as coeleth, which is wisdom and discipline. Coeleth is usually given to Voodoo priests/priestesses by the loas, spirits of ancestors.


In Voodoo, male priests are called houn’gan and female priestesses are known as mam’bo. In regards to power, these religious leaders are comparable to the pope in the catholic church. I find it interesting that women and men can both be religious leaders, since many religions do not allow women to become religious leaders. I suspect this indicates that men and women are considered to have roles of equal importance in the Voodoo culture. Like many other polytheistic religions that worship many goddesses as well as gods, such as cults of Greek deities, I have found that there is a more equal treatment between men and women than in a religion, such as Judaism or Christianity where there is one God who is referred to as a male. Though I am not familiar with the history Voodoo’s society, I can imagine there has not been as much dispute between rights of men and women as there have been in the United States, which originated as a Christian nation.



Works Cited

Laguerre, Michel S. Voodoo Heritage. 98 vols. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1980.