Apr
Agasou is an ancestral leopard spirit born by a divine spirit Kpo and the daughter of King Tado, Princess Aligbono. After the death of King Tado, he wanted to become the king but the people didn’t allow him because he had a leopard origin. This made him flee to Dahomean.
At Dahomean he formed an empire and became a strong war chief. He got married to Silibo Vavou, who became the founder of another lineage. After his death he was revered as a royal ancestor who comes to aid when called upon.
Other Names:
Agassou; Agassu; Roi d’Agasou (Haiti).
Characteristics of Loa Agasou
- As a war chief, he has strong magical power that makes others nervous.
- He can either appear in human or leopard form.
- His colors are brown, white, and spectrum from yellow to gold.
- The day of consultation is Thursdays while 25th of August is the day of feast.
- He is often represented with a crab and leopard totems.
- In France, he was syncretized to King Saint Louis IX. So his pictures are used to represent Loa Agasou.
The Worship of Loa Agasou in Haiti
In Haiti, Agasou is revered as the lwa of home, family, lineage, and ancestry. History says that he served as a lieutenant in Lord Agwé’s army. Thereafter he was asked by Ayida Wedo to bring vodou to Haiti. Agasou was able to fulfill this mission through the help of crabs and for this reason the Haitians refer him as a king. Also, voodoo worshippers of Agasou are known to refrain from eating crabs since it is a representative of the Agasou deity.
During a ritual ceremony, Loa Agasou is invoked with some songs of praises. When a devotee becomes possessed with this spirit he crooks and stiffens his hands like they were claws. He also displays some fierce animal like attributes. This spirit works alongside with Loa Silibo Vavou.
