  |
||||||||
|
|
In our previous discussion, we saw how the popular biographies of
Catholic saints were often founded on Pagan lore. Using examples such as
Brighid becoming Saint Bridget, we saw the shared beliefs of Irish Pagans and
Irish Catholics.
Now, we're going to show another side of this tradition, where African-based deities became identified with existing Catholic saints and deities. This is not as quaint as some might like to believe. In fact, it shows a commonality among most religions: A belief in a senior deity or pair of deities, and then lesser degrees of intermediaries who may have the special attention of the senior deity/ies. In the Irish tradition, there are references to Danu. In Yoruba, Olodumare is the Supreme Being. There is also a consistent belief in aspects of deity. Catholics traditionally believe that there is one God with three aspects: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Hindus regard their gods and goddesses as facets or aspects of a senior deity. And, when we discuss the saints related to the African gods, these are generally regarded as aspects of those gods. For example, the female Saint Barbara is clearly not the male African fire god, Shango (also called Chango or Xango), but she is an aspect of him because they share similar biographies and attributes. This is a huge field of study, and the chart below can help you to pursue this subject in more depth. I have included the African names, the Santeria (S) names, and the Voudou (V) names, followed by the corresponding Catholic saints. This list includes only a few of the gods, as examples of shared traditions. There are many other important gods and goddesses, and no disrespect is intended. There are also many other important African-based traditions, including Candomblé, the national religion of Brazil. However, space limitations prevent the listing all of the traditions and names. See the bibliography, below, to pursue this study further.
| |||||||
