How St. Patrick comes to be associated with Damballa
advertisement
The voodoo spirits were brought in from West Africa to Haiti in slave ships. The common paintings of St. Patrick illustrate snakes at his feet. St. Patrick, an escaped slave, is perhaps a good match for Damballa. Damballa is a patron protector of the handicapped, cripples, deformed, albinos and young children and provides guidance, healing, and blessings to his worshippers. Damballa does not speak but makes hissing and whistling noises like a snake in Rada rites. Rada rites follow the more traditional African patterns emphasizing the gentler, more positive attributes of the loas or Voodoo gods.
In the present day, the legend of Saint Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland seems to be a misreading of an ancient text. The word ‘snake’ was symbolically used to represent pagans who were driven out by him from their ancient site of worship called Crom Cruich (bloody crescent).
