Ekwara Religion

Ekwara religion centers around honouring spirits which in turn obey the commands of a divine overlord called Bonjhe. The two kinds of spirits (though the distinction is not always clear, for there is some overlap) are the Khedhe and the Lwa.   The Khedhe are the spirits of the dead, those departed who have chosen to remain close to their flock; to guide them, out of a sense of attachment, or simple curiosity. The Khedhe are not generally differentiated, but honoured and called collectively; consequently a petitioner might never know precisely who will answer a particular call. In most worship ceremonies, it is hoped that one or more Khedhe will “descend from the tree” and “ride” one of the supplicants.   The Lwa on the other hand are more specific; they are spirits which have revealed themselves to the Ekwara and which represent certain things and concepts. Most of the Lwa are said to live in two or more “houses” – mainly the Radha and the Petwo. When a Lwa is said to “dwell in the Radha House,” which is the House of the Ancestors, Ekwara refer to a Lwa’s more benevolent or passive aspect, while the Petwo house is said to be the “House of Fear and Anger.” A Radha-Lwa and their Petwo equivalent are the same Lwa – though they may have very distinct personalities and even names. It is said that when the Darkness took the Ekwara for his slaves, that the Lwa built the Petwo house. At some worship ceremonies, it is a Lwa which will descend and ride an Ekwara – most often unannounced.   Different groups of Ekwara in different places have different Lwa; some are common to most however. What follows is a list of those Lwa that occur in southern Mondlokk and northern Lanyryck.  

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Bonjhe

Bonjhe has not been heard from in a long long time, before even the time when the Darkness took the Ekwara. Most of the Lwa will say he’s lost, but Legwa says he’s on a long journey to go buy fresh cigars. In the meantime, the Lwa watch over their noisy, squabbling children and kin.  

Legwa

Legwa is the Gatekeeper, but also he’s the Traveller and the Trickster; the dispenser of both wisdom and foolishness; of mellifluous song and drunken roaring. He is the intermediary between the Ekwara and most of the other Lwa. It’s said he’s the only one who has seen Bonjhe’s face. It’s also said that while Dambhala taught the Ekwara to speak, it was Legwa who taught them to love music. He likes offerings to be a little ambiguous, but he is particularly fond of rum. In the Petwo House he’s named Maitre Carrefour, and deals struck with him are not struck lightly. It is Carrefour who taught the Ekwara about juju sorcery, and it is said that there are three secret chords that Carrefour will teach musicians.  

Dambhala

Dambhala was once the Lwa who was the father to all the Ekwara. His lordship extended over birds and snakes. But the Darkness took him and corrupted him; now he is feared and reviled for being the First Slave of the Darkness. He is not worshipped so much as feared and avoided. Wise old birds say that the Darkness was the one serpent over which he had no lordship; but when the Darkness demanded worship in turn, it was Dambhala who obliged. When the Lwa built the Petwo house, they left Dambhala behind; and when they returned after the Darkness had been banished, they found him gone. They also say it was in revulsion at Dambhala’s surrender to the Darkness that Bonjhe turned his back on his children.  

Erzhuli

Erzhuli is the Mother, but also the Daughter and the Grandmother; together they administer over romance, love, fertility, and family. She likes flowers and cakes and diamonds. In the Petwo House she is called Erzhuli D’en Tort (of the wrong), who rages at wrongs committed and misfortune, or Erzhuli Youx Rouge (of the red eyes), who rages at unfaithful lovers.  

Papa Khedhe

Papa Khedhe is a different kind of gatekeeper; he is the spirit of the first bird who died; and he represents the Khedhe, while also accompanying the Ekwara from the world of the living to the next world. Papa Khedhe likes offerings of bone and wood, of cigar smoke and a little blood. In the Petwo House he is Baron Kriminel, who is the first Ekwara to kill another. He is the patron of murder and thievery and nightwork. It is said that Maitre Carrefour and Baron Kriminel have an ongoing wager over the souls of all Ekwara musicians.  

Loko At’sho

Loko At’sho is the Lwa of trees and plants and things that grow and thrive with nurture. He is married to Aizah. He likes offerings of grain and fruit. Ekwara druids tend to channel him exclusively. He does not have a Petwo aspect, but he does live also in the House of Storms; where in his Radha aspect he is the patron of agriculture, in the House of Storms he is implacable nature, wild and potentially destructive.  

Aizah

Aizah is the Lwa of commerce and enterprise. She is married to Loko At’sho. She likes offerings of money, but also of shares in business ventures. She is the patron of City Ekwara Unclebirds. La Maitresse d’Argent is her Petwo-aspect, and hers is greed and deceit.  

Agwé

Agwé is the Mistress of the Sea. Her daughter is La Sirène by her former lover, Dambhala. The sea is salty from her tears at his treason and cowardice. Offerings to her should contain seashells, pearls, colourful bottles, and trinkets. Her Petwo-aspect is Agwé Flambeau, who rules over volcanoes and destructive flame. The aspect of her that dwells in the House of Storms is named Agwé de Mèr invoked to bless voyages at sea.  

La Sirène

La Sirène is the daughter of Dambhala and Agwé; and hers are the rivers and lakes of the world. Offerings to her contain flowers and trinkets found in water. Her Petwo-aspect is La Sirène de Nuit, and hers are crocodiles and floods and pestilence. She has an aspect in the House of Storms also, where she is called La Silènce.  

The Darkness

is the Ekwaras’ worst nightmare; The Darkness was a serpent who rose out of the swamps to enslave the Ekwara, hiding them from the Lwa and the Khedhe, and causing them to turn away from their children. In Ekwara pictography the Darkness is depicted as a great black bird or bat with a serpent’s tail bringing pestilence and loss.   One particular aspect of Ekwara culture is that of juju sorcery; these are not those who honour the spirits, but who attempt to compel them to do their bidding. They have syncretised the Ekwara oracular tradition with alchemy and a pinch of arcana to perform ritual magic and science with extraordinary effects; it is juju sorcery that has made the Church suspicious of the Ekwara.