Voodoo/Hoodoo? Etched Red Bottle.. Any idea?

[Kaija]

Today I went to my Witches Meetup and one of the organizers brought me a bag.. she said that she noticed it at Pagan Pride.. walked by it a few times.. and the guy gave it to her (he said she'd know who it was for.. and she feels it was for me). It's a sort of square red bottle (she said it was called a death bottle.. for leaving offerings for the dead, but didn't know much else) with a small bottle of Anna Riva's Black Water.

The energy coming from the bottle feels right.. and like i've had it all along.. but I have no real idea what it is for..



The etchings are Hoodoo or Voodoo.. I have a book on Hoodoo and many of them are similar.. but not quite the same.

On one side the top has what looks like the 2 X's side by side (touching) with lines that look similar to Ogham in the diamond shape in the center. There is a cemetery type etching below it.. coffin shape with a cross in it slightly above a cross grave stone.. with three small crosses below it and 3 small check marks above and to the right..

on the reverse side there is a very elaborate heart with a knife through it and below that there is an even more elaborate gate

The other sides are identical and have stars and smaller less elaborate versions of the double x design.. (some are almost identical to the rune of partnership but the others look kind of like a diamond shape with a C design on either side.. )

I have looked online, but am coming up with nothing.. mostly things about new coke bottles our small bottles for herbs.. So, I'm wondering if anyone has a clue what this would be called.. or any info at all.. (I have no way of putting up a pic).. and this Pagan Pride event was unusual.. I had no money, and thought about not going.. but when I got there people kept giving me things.. One actually drove hours just hoping to run into me to give me something.. and none of them have any clue what's going on in my life.. so, I'm feeling there must be a reason.. (as this has never happened there before, and I've gone every year) The Bottle and Black Water are the only thing I don't know the history of though..

Anyone have a clue what to call it, or anything about it?


Okay, so, I figured out one of the symbols.. the big double x type thing.. It's the symbol for.. Veve of Aziyan (first Mambo of Voodoo)

[Teresa]

Sounds like a Voodoo Spirit or Libation Bottle to me, the symbols you are describing sound like veves . There are many bottles common to Voodoo. It would be something similar to a spirit pot or a govi, it is dedicated to the Gede. It is a place where offerings are placed and the dead honored like an altar dedicated to the dead.
The veves on it represent the Gede family most likely.

The Gede are masters in the realm of human sexuality, as they not only over see death, but also the source of life itself. Therefore, the Gede represent the aspect of balance within all of Voodoo and Hoodoo spirit belief. Perpetual balance between life and death. The Gede view sex as a natural part of life, in as much as death is inescapable.

The Gede have their own hierarchy,the Barons. There are different symbols for different Barons.

Baron Samedi: cross, coffin, phallus
Baron Cimetiere: bones, cemetery
Baron la Croix: the cross
Maman or Grande Brigitte: cemetery, elm, weeping willow.

The Barons, who are numerous, are not spirits of the dead, but are representative of death itself. It is believed that the first male buried in the cemetery is the Baron Samedi and the first female is Grande Brigitte. The barons remind us that no matter how rich or poor, no walls or social status can stop or even slow down their progress.

Did it have any equal armed crosses on it? Any boats? Spades? Shovel looking symbols?

The Gede are the loa of the dead and the holders of knowledge of the ancestors, as well as guardians of children. They are well known for their healing powers and are able to prevent a person's soul from entering prematurely the realm of the dead. Baron Samedi is the Chief of all the Gede, he is the gatekeeper to the world of the dead. He sits at the gates of all graveyards. Offerings of rum and tobacco and nine pennies are traditional before entering any graveyard, they are usually left at the cemetery gate.


A good book to invest in if you wanna read more on Voodoo is "Secrets of Voodoo" by Milo Rigaud
I can recommend others if you wish. This one seems to be more accurate and gives more inside
info than others I have seen.



Here is an article you may find an interesting read.

Haitian Voodoo Magic Bottle


Voodoo (or Vodou) is a set of supernatural beliefs and practices found in portions of Africa and the New World, including parts of South America and the West Indies, notably Haiti. A mixture of Roman Catholicism and African polytheistic magic, it includes belief in loa, spirits that interact with humans, some of which are identified with Catholic saints. At ceremonies, the priest or priestess invokes the loa who may seemingly possess members of the vodou congregation.

The altar of a vodou temple is typically a stepped structure loaded with such varied objects as a cross, candles, a skull, sacred stones, a magic rattle, a picture of the Virgin, dolls, a little coffin, offerings of food and bottles of rum, and other items that give it baroquely ornate character. Smaller home altars are similarly bedecked.

Decorated bottles are common to vodou, being a combination of magic and folk art. "Libation bottles"—often rum bottles covered in sequins or beads—are placed on most altars as offerings. "Magic bottles" that serve as protective amulets may be covered with a patchwork of cloth and festooned with objects lashed to it, such as small mirrors (to attract desired people and things and deflect others), scissors (to cut or stab a harm-doer) and other items chosen by the bòkò (or sorcerer).

Small coffins, emblematic of death, are placed on Haitian Gédé altars—Gédés being spirits of the ancestral dead. Sometimes the coffins, invariably bearing crosses, are lodged in bottles. The feast day of the Gédé, the Day of the Dead, is November 1, the same as the Catholic All Saints' Day.



Voodoo Libation Bottle


Voodoo libation bottle "made by Voodoo Witch Priestess Storm Heart" exclusively for the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum. About 9-3/8" tall, it is decorated with crossed bones, yarn, beads, feathers, etc.

[BlackLili]

Obviously I'm coming in way late! hah! Shalaye Sabariego said it all pretty much, and quite eloquently.

All I was gonna add was that, yes it sounds like a bottle for the Ghede (I was taught a different spelling, but it references the same spirits), but not any of the Barons.

Wow, I feel totally outclassed with my lame answer. /grinz

Good luck with it - that bag should come in handy this time of year!

[Kaija]

Well, that makes a lot of sense as far as why I need it.. although, still don't know about the black water that came with it..

I've tracked all but one of the symbols now.. the last one is the heart.. I've seen a Veve symbol with a heart, but not the same at all.. this one almost looks like a valentine heart complete with lace trim with a knife through it.. (and it almost looks like it's hanging from something.. like a pin going down the center)..

As for the equal armed cross .. Yes, it does have several.. along with the same number of little check marks.. (I don't see those as shovel like.. but.. I suppose the could be) No boats of any kind..

http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/M/v/ayizan2.jpg

http://www.arcadia93.org/pics/samedi3.jpg
this one is a bit different.. the two coffins are not even close to elaborate. just vague coffin shapes with the even armed crosses but he rest is the same.

http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/e/v/ogoun.jpg

Other than the heart the rest are all just little stars and crosses..

(This is more of an update now.. I think the other answers gave me enough info for now.. but if anyone knows what that heart might be let me know!.. I'll keep searching)

[BlackLili]

Well, that makes a lot of sense as far as why I need it.. although, still don't know about the black water that came with it..

I've tracked all but one of the symbols now.. the last one is the heart.. I've seen a Veve symbol with a heart, but not the same at all.. this one almost looks like a valentine heart complete with lace trim with a knife through it.. (and it almost looks like it's hanging from something.. like a pin going down the center)..

Was this the one you're seeing?

http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/X/g/erzulie2.jpg


This is the vévé of Erzulie Freda, one of my favorite lwa. She is the lwa of grace, beauty, love, and wealth. She is a Mistress, and loves being treated as such. She likes presents of fine perfume, jewelry, roses, etc. (My presents to Erzulie are a hand mirror and a dozen dried purple roses, everything covered in Florida water.)

Yey research! </nerd>:T

[Teresa]

The middle picture would represent Baron Samedi.



The heart would represent Erzulie if it looks something similar to this , if not there is a veve for Grande Brigitte that is a heart but it is a bit different than this.

[BlackLili]

The middle picture would represent Baron Samedi.



The heart would represent Erzulie if it looks something similar to this , if not there is a veve for Grande Brigitte that is a heart but it is a bit different than this.
Shalaye? What's the differences between those two vévés for Erzulie? I've never had anyone to ask before.

[Teresa]

Shalaye? What's the differences between those two vévés for Erzulie? I've never had anyone to ask before.

Every Loa has his or her own unique veve, although regional differences have led to different veves for the same loa in a few cases. I would say it comes from regional preferences and some houses adding a bit of their own flavor to the veves.

[Kaija]

The middle picture would represent Baron Samedi.



The heart would represent Erzulie if it looks something similar to this , if not there is a veve for Grande Brigitte that is a heart but it is a bit different than this.



Yeah.. that one is almost the same.. (the heart doesn't have as much detail inside.. but the shape, including the outer "lace" and the knife are the same..)

I kind of figured that was who it represented.. but I looked for different versions than the one posted above, and got nothing from the search..


So, Thank You!.. Mystery is now solved.. :abanana:

[Teresa]

Shalaye? What's the differences between those two vévés for Erzulie? I've never had anyone to ask before.

Also the ability to draw a veve correctly is considered to be a skill of an initiate. A veve is believed to be more powerful if it is drawn with the correct details. The better the detail, the better its power to invoke the Loa. There are similar designs in Santeria and Candomble and Palo.

Curiously, the veve is similar in appearance and use to the Hindu Kolams, symbols drawn in rice flour for the Hindu deities used in a similar fashion.

[Teresa]

http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/e/v/ogoun.jpg



This one is Ogoun, BTW.