loa

Definition

In the voodoo religion, a spirit intermediary between Bondye (the creator god) and human beings.

Etymology

From Haitian Creole lwa.

Example Sentences

• "Here, on the Island Below the Sea, the loa have their permanent residence, their primal location."
• "Some will caution you at great length about the dangers of Vodou. They will tell you that the lwa are jealous, thin-skinned, and hot-tempered."
• "Equally surprising is to find St Patrick so prominent in many Vodou shrines, until one remembers that he too had been a slave who had twice crossed the sea, the second time to freedom, and that he had particular power over snakes, like the loa (Haitian equivalent of orisha) Dambala Wèdo."