Kings and Queens designed by the American artis Kindra T. Haugen (UlaFish) [UlaFish’s gallery on DeviantART].
© Kindra T. Haugen
The complete set of kings and queens of each traditional suit of playing cards, represented as different spirits of the voodoo pantheon. Voodoo deities are usually represented by images of catholic saints rather than direct depictions, so these portraits are derived from author’s own vision of them.
Voodoo is a syncretic religion practiced chiefly in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. Practitioners are called “vodouists” or “servants of the spirits”. Vodouists believe in the distant and unknowable the Creator (god Bondye). Bondye does not intermediar in human affairs. So vodouists direct their worship toward spirits subservient to Bondye – to Loa. Each Loa is responsible for a particular aspect of life. Vodouists cultivate personal relationships with the Loa in order to navigate their daily life. They present offerings, create personal altars and devotional objects and participate in special ceremonies of music, dance and spirit possession.
King of Spades – Baron Samedi
Baron Samedi is one of the Loa. He is a Loa of the dead and the head of the Guédé family of Loa. “Samedi” means “Saturday” in French. His wife is the Loa Grann Brigitte.