Marie Laveau From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the song, see Marie Laveau (song). Marie Laveau MarieLaveau (Frank Schneider).png Portrait by Frank Schneider, based on a painting by George Catlin (Louisiana State Museum) Born September 10, 1794 French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana Died June 15, 1881 (aged 86) New Orleans, Louisiana Nationality American Occupation Voodoo Queen of New Orleans Known for Louisiana Voodoo practitioner Religion Roman Catholic with Voodoo roots Marie Laveau (September 10, 1794 – June 16, 1881[1]) was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo renowned in New Orleans. She was born free in New Orleans. Her daughter Marie Laveau II (1827 — c. 1895) also practiced Voudoun, and historical accounts often confuse the two. She and her mother had great influence over their multiracial following. In 1874 as many as twelve thousand spectators, both black and white, swarmed to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain to catch a glimpse of Marie Laveau II performing her legendary rites on St. Johns Eve (June 23–24).[2] Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 3 In popular culture 4 Biographies 5 See also 6 Citations 7 External links Early life[edit] Marie was believed to have been born free in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, about 1794, the daughter of a white planter and a free Creole woman of color. On August 4, 1819, she married Jacques (or Santiago, in other records) Paris, a free person of color who had emigrated from Haiti.[2] Their marriage certificate is preserved in St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. The wedding Mass was performed by Father Antonio de Sedella, the Capuchin priest known as Pere Antoine.[3] Jacques Paris died in 1820 under unexplained circumstances. He was part of a large Haitian immigration to New Orleans in 1809 after the Haitian Revolution of 1804. New immigrants consisted of French-speaking white planters and thousands of slaves as well as free people of color. Those with African ancestry helped revive Voodoo and other African-based cultural practices in the New Orleans community, and the Creole of color community increased markedly. Career[edit] After Pariss death Marie Laveau became a hairdresser who catered to wealthy white families. She took a lover, Christophe (Louis Christophe Dumesnil de Glapion), with whom she lived until his death in 1835. They were reported to have had 15 children including Marie Laveau II, born c. 1827, who sometimes used the surname Paris after her mothers first husband.[4] Very little is known with any certainty about the life of Marie Laveau. Her surviving daughter had the same name and is called Marie Laveau II by some historians. Scholars believe that the mother was more powerful while the daughter arranged more elaborate public events (including inviting attendees to St. Johns Eve rituals on Bayou St. John). They received varying amounts of financial support. It is not known which (if not both) had done more to establish the voodoo queen reputation.[5] Of Laveaus magical career there is little that can be substantiated. She was said to have had a snake she named Zombi after an African god. Oral traditions suggested that the occult part of her magic mixed Roman Catholic beliefs, including saints, with African spirits and religious concepts. Some scholars believe that her feared magical powers of divination were actually based on her network of informants which she developed while working as a hairdresser in households of the prominent. As she visited her clients (mostly white) she listened closely to their gossip. Some assert that she ran her own brothel and cultivated informants in that way as well. She appeared to excel at obtaining inside information on her wealthy patrons by instilling fear in their servants whom she either paid or cured of mysterious ailments.[5] On June 16, 1881, the New Orleans newspapers announced that Marie Laveau had died peacefully in her home. This is noteworthy if only because people claimed to have seen her in town after her supposed demise. Again, some claimed that one of her daughters also named Marie (many of the daughters had Marie within their names due to Catholic naming practices) assumed her name and carried on her magical practice, taking over as the queen soon before or after the first Maries death. According to official New Orleans vital records, a certain Marie Glapion Lavau died on June 15, 1881, aged 98.[6] The different spelling of the last name as well as the age at death may result from the casual 19th-century approach to spelling as well as conflicting accounts of Laveaus birth. Marie Laveau was reportedly buried in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans in the Glapion family crypt (see External Links below for clickable tomb map.) This fact is in dispute, according to Robert Tallant, a journalist who has used her as a character in historical novels.[7] The tomb continues to attract visitors who draw three xs (XXX) on its side, in the hopes that Laveaus spirit will grant them a wish. Some self-styled researchers claim that Laveau is buried in other tombs, but they may be confusing the resting places of other voodoo priestesses of New Orleans. Although some references to Marie Laveau in popular culture refer to her as a witch, she is properly described as a Voodoo priestess. The mausoleum where Marie Laveau is buried, in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 In popular culture[edit] This section may contain excessive, poor, or irrelevant examples. Please improve the article by adding more descriptive text and removing less pertinent examples. See Wikipedias guide to writing better articles for further suggestions. (October 2013) Papa Celestin recorded a tribute song, detailing Laveaus life on Papa Celestins Golden Wedding. It featured in the episode Saints of HBOs Treme. In the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman Marie Laveaus fictional mother (also named Marie Laveau) is taught voodoo practises by another fictional character known as Madame Zouzou. Madame Zouzou features as an African slave who has magical powers as a result of being a twin. A character named Marie Laveau, based loosely on the real Marie Laveau, appears in Marvel Comics. She first appears in Dracula Lives #2 in 1973.[8] She is depicted as a powerful sorceress and Voodoo priestess with great magical powers and knowledge of arcane lore, including the creation of a potion made from vampires blood that keeps her eternally youthful and beautiful.[9] Marie Laveau is a country song by Shel Silverstein first performed by Bobby Bare in 1974, based on the legend of Marie Laveau. American rock group Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show recorded the song on their 1971 self-titled album. Laveaus gravesite, in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1, appears in a pivotal scene of Robert J. Randisis short story, Cold As The Gun, from Foreshadows: The Ghosts of Zero. The song Witch Queen of New Orleans (1971) by Redbone describes Marie La -voodoo- Veau, who is the witch-queen of New Orleans. The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. A character named Marie Laveau, based loosely on the real Marie Laveau, appears in the Italian comic book Zagor. The song Dixie Drug Store from Grant Lee Buffalos Fuzzy (1993) is about an encounter with Marie Laveaus ghost. The song Clare(UK #49) from Fairground Attractions debut album The First of a Million Kisses(1988) references Marie Laveau. The titular character who is a serpentine seductress learned the ways of old voodoo back in the days of Marie Laveau. Jazz pianist Joe Samples 2002 album, The Pecan Tree, contains a track titled X Marks the Spot (Marie Laveau).[10] Marie Laveaus tomb is the site of a secret, underground voodoo workshop in The Caster Chronicles novel Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Angela Bassett portrays Marie Laveau in American Horror Story: Coven.[11] Marie Laveau is the title of a song by Dr. John on his 2004 album NAwlinz: Dis Dat or dUdda. She is the protagonist of Jewell Parker Rhodes novel Voodoo Dreams: A Novel of Marie Laveau (1993). In the Disney animated movie The princess and the frog, the evil voodoo witch doctor Dr. Facilier refers to himself as royal on his mothers side, which suggests that he claims to be a decendant of Marie Laveau. Biographies
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 02:53:19 +0000
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