Gbadu is a god in the
Dahomey mythology
The Dahomean religion was practiced by the Fon people of the Dahomey Kingdom. The kingdom existed until 1898 in what is now the country of Benin. People taken from Dahomey to the Caribbean used elements of the religion to form Vodou and other rel ...
of the
Fon people
The Fon people, also called Fon nu, Agadja or Dahomey, are a Gbe ethnic group.[Fon people]
Encyclopædia Britan ...
, who are now based in
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, and
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
.
She is one of
Mawu-Lisa’s daughters, and just like her parents, consists of both a female and male aspect though she is mostly referred to with female pronouns.
Gbadu is described as the female counterpart to Fa.
According to certain accounts, Gbadu is considered
the goddess of fate in Dahomey mythology.
Her myths are heavily associated with the Ifa or
Fa divination, and according to Dahomean folklore, her offspring were responsible for teaching and spreading the practice among humans.
[{{Cite journal, last=Sørensen, first=Jørgen Podemann, date=1999-01-01, title=On divination: an exercise in comparative method, url=https://journal.fi/scripta/article/view/67252, journal=Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis, language=en, volume=17, issue=1, pages=181–188, doi=10.30674/scripta.67252, issn=2343-4937, doi-access=free]
Representation
Since her birth, Gbadu was instructed by
Mawu
Mawu-Lisa (alternately: Mahu) is a creator goddess, associated with the Sun and Moon in Dahomey mythology. In some myths, she is the wife of the male god Lisa. Mahu and Lisa are the children of Nana Buluku, and are the parents of Xevioso.
After c ...
to sit on top of a palm tree and watch over the Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom of the Earth, the Kingdom of the Sky, and the Kingdom of the Sea. According to certain accounts, the name of this palm tree is “Fa”.
Gbadu has sixteen eyes surrounding her head, which will later signify her abilities to see the future. However, these eyes remain closed to what is present before her, and if she wishes to open even one of her eyes, she must ask for
Legba
Papa Legba is a lwa in Haitian Vodou, Winti and Louisiana Voodoo, who serves as the intermediary between the lwa and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits of Guineé, and is bel ...
’s assistance.
Relationship with other Dahomey gods
Legba
Just like Gbadu, Legba is one of Mawu-Lisa’s children. Yet, at the same time, Gbadu is also one of Legba’s lovers—and so is Gbadu’s daughter, Minona.
Legba’s role in Gbadu’s mythos cast him in a central position since without him, Gbadu is unable to open her eyes to see her surroundings. Since Gbadu’s ability to speak is also limited in her role as overseer of the Three Kingdoms, Legba can only communicate with Gbadu through the use of
palm kernel
The palm kernel is the edible seed of the oil palm fruit. The fruit yields two distinct oils: palm oil derived from the outer parts of the fruit, and palm kernel oil derived from the kernel.
The pulp left after oil is rendered from the kernel is ...
s.
Mawu
Gbadu is the daughter of Mawu and was born after the twins Agbè and Naetè.
Although Legba often intermediates the communication between Mawu and Gbadu, the former has directly interacted with Gbadu, most notably during the events where Legba was discovered to have engaged in sexual intercourse with both Gbadu and her daughter Minona. As a result of this incident, Mawu punished Legba with a form of
priapism
Priapism is a condition in which a penis remains erect for hours in the absence of stimulation or after stimulation has ended. There are three types: ischemic (low-flow), nonischemic (high-flow), and recurrent ischemic (intermittent). Most cases ...
that will never reach climax.
Myth
The origins of Fa divination
It is said that one day, Legba informed Mawu that a war is about to break out in the Three Kingdoms, leading to their destruction. To prevent the war from taking place, Mawu told Legba to find three men who can teach the people living in these kingdoms “the alphabet of Mawu”, which would allow them to use Fa divination to guide their actions in life.
Prior to this, Mawu had taught Gbadu how to understand “the alphabet of Mawu”, which in turn she taught to her children; her two daughters, which included Minona, and her six sons, Aovi, Abi, Duwo, Kiti, Agbanukwè, and Zosẽ. And so, when Mawu asked Legba to send three men to earth to teach them his alphabet, Legba chose to send Gbadu's sons: Duwo, Kiti, and Zosẽ.
Before Gbadu's sons set down to earth, Mawu gave Gbadu the keys to the future—thus affirming her position as the goddess of fate—which are connected to her eyes. Each of her eyes represents a different meaning to a person's future. To access this knowledge, just like Legba, humans must use palm kernels to communicate to Gbadu. This knowledge is then organized in the teachings of Fa divination, which Duwo, Kiti, and Zosẽ set out to teach to humanity.
Further reading
* ''Landry, R. T. (2018). Vodun: Secrecy and the Search for Divine Power. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.''
See also
*
Dahomean religion
The Dahomean religion was practiced by the Fon people of the Dahomey Kingdom. The kingdom existed until 1898 in what is now the country of Benin. People taken from Dahomey to the Caribbean used elements of the religion to form Vodou and other rel ...
*
List of African mythological figures
This is a list of African spirits as well as deities found within the traditional African religions. It also covers spirits as well as deities found within the Afro-American religions—which is mostly derived from traditional African religions. ...
*
Papa Legba
Papa Legba is a lwa in Haitian Vodou, Winti and Louisiana Voodoo, who serves as the intermediary between the lwa and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits of Guineé, and is bel ...
References
Dahomean goddesses
Time and fate goddesses
Androgynous and hermaphroditic deities