Found his name in the book of Tarot I'm reading and I was a little intrigued. 

Of course, you remember him from "Live and Let Die" - probably the most remarkable thing about the film, but he's an interesting part of Haitian folklore/religion/culture.

He's death come calling in a top hat, tails, and sunglasses. He favors rum and cigars. I mean, how can he not be intriguing? And how is he not a spokeperson for Haitian Rum or Cigars?

Wiki on Baron Samedi:

"Baron Samedi is usually depicted with a top hat, black tail coat, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in the Haitian style. He is frequently depicted as a skeleton (but sometimes as a black man that merely has his face painted as a skull), and speaks in a nasal voice. The former President-for-Life of Haiti, François Duvalier, known as Papa Doc, modeled his cult of personality on Baron Samedi; he was often seen speaking in a deep nasal tone and wearing dark glasses.[2]

He is noted for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a particular fondness for tobacco and rum. Additionally, he is the loa of resurrection, and in the latter capacity he is often called upon for healing by those near or approaching death, as it is only the Baron that can accept an individual into the realm of the dead.[3][4]

Baron Samedi spends most of his time in the invisible realm of vodou spirits. He is notorious for his outrageous behavior, swearing continuously and making filthy jokes to the other spirits. He is married to another powerful spirit known as Maman Brigitte, but often chases after mortal women. He loves smoking and drinking and is rarely seen without a cigar in his mouth or a glass of rum in his bony fingers. Baron Samedi can usually be found at the crossroads between the worlds of death and the living. When someone dies, he digs their grave and greets their soul after they have been buried, leading them to the underworld."

To read more on the old Baron: Wikipedia on Baron Samedi

TO read more on the LWA, or LOA: Wikipedia on LWA (more Haitian Vodou spirits)

Smart Search