Voodoo

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Voodoo (ブードゥ, Būdo~u^?) is an African diaspora religion, a mishmash of Afro-Caribbean witchcraft and necromancy.

Principles

The veve for Baron Samedi. A veve is religious symbol commonly used in Voodoo. The veve acts as a "beacon" for the Loa, and will serve as a Loa's representation during rituals.

Voodoo is described as not actually having fixed teachings or spells, being a culture that draws in other cultures, borrowing gods and ceremonies from other mythologies and religions, and adding to them while making them its own to continually expand. Isabella Theism, a necromancer who uses a mix of Voodoo and Christianity, has highlighted the affinity and called Voodoo a greedy religion that takes in every last miracle it comes across.

There are a number of concepts which are associated with Voodoo, some originating from cultures where Voodoo is also present, but are technically the result of misconceptions or falsities. Despite this, these concepts and their associations can be put into practice regardless.

There are a number of spirits or deities within Voodoo, referred to as the Loa (also spelled lwa), or Mystère (ミステール, Misutēru^?). One of these figures, Legba Atibon, serves as intermediary between his kind and humanity, and thus indirectly appears in all Voodoo ceremonies. Another notable figure is Baron Samedi, who dwells at the crossroads between life and death. In the process of incorporating ideas from elsewhere, Voodoo has also taken in a number of deity figures from other religions, even including Yahweh.

Voodoo is known for having many curses. One type commonly associated with it is a voodoo doll (呪術の人形, voodoo doll^?), a straw effigy representing a person (often with a piece of them attached) which is used to manipulate or harm them, though this is actually just one derivation of an idea which has spread into various other cultures besides Voodoo. The Ceremony of Ba Moun is considered the worst and most wicked spell in Voodoo and its most horrific curse, where a magician makes a contract with a demon which will grant them their every wish in exchange for the magician annually sacrificing someone they care for, being devoured by the demon if they fail to carry out the sacrifice.

As well as curses, Voodoo has a variety of drugs and concoctions, from wound-healing paste mixed from different vegetables and meat, to a deadly poison created from a single lime growing on a tree. One of the most notable is zombie powder (ゾンビパウダー, Zonbi Paudā^?), which is used in the creation of zombies - one of the most well-known specialities associated with Voodoo. Rather than making corpses rise from the dead, as is often thought of with zombies, chemicals are used to intentionally harm the body and remove the Ti Bon Ange from the five components of the soul, putting a person into a state of pseudo-death, robbing them of their mind and remaking them into a living unit which can be controlled. In the past, zombification was apparently used as an extreme form of punishment.

Background

Voodoo has its roots in traditions and religions from West Africa. These beliefs were brought over to the New World with the slave trade, where they became syncretized with the culture of the slave owners together with a little Native American influence, eventually producing several varieties of the religion which came to be known as Voodoo. One notable variety developed in Haiti.

Voodoo was present in the Caribbean during the age in which pirates terrorized the seas.

During the Cold War, there was a dictator who apparently eliminated his political rivals with Voodoo curses.

Chronology

Toaru Majutsu no Index

Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Agnese's Magic Side Work Experience

Main article: Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Agnese's Magic Side Work Experience

Necromancer Isabella Theism uses aspects of Haitian Voodoo in some of her spells and utilized them during her mock battle with Stiyl Magnus in Barcelona, as part of Agnese Sanctis, Lucia and Angelene's training. Concepts associated with voodoo were also referenced during the nuns' investigation of the forensic cleaning at Nihili Padpois's restaurant, given the owner's past in Haiti.

The incident which the nuns later investigated in Frankfurt was the result of a magician trying to escape from the curse of the Ceremony of Ba Moun. The magician in question, Frau Halveria, also made use of other spells involving Voodoo.

Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

St. Germain Arc

Main article: St. Germain Arc

A member of the true Gremlin, Zombie, had a background rooted in Voodoo as well as actively drawing in a great number of cultures, giving her an affinity for almost anything which allowed her to devise a spell which would allow the Magic Gods to safely enter the world after their Hidden World was breached.

Kamisato Rescue Arc

Main article: Kamisato Rescue Arc

Toyama Luca of the Kamisato Faction makes use of Voodoo-based magic as a follower of Legba Atibon.

Uses of Voodoo and associated concepts in the story

Name	Description	Usage in Toaru Majutsu no Index
Baron Samedi	The head of Ghede loa, associated with the dead. Dressed in a top hat and black tail coat, he is often depicted with the appearance of a skeleton. Found at the crossroads between life and death, he digs the graves of the deceased, greets their souls and leads them to the underworld.	Frau Halveria invoked Baron Samedi's name when casting a barrier spell.
Brave Ghede	The guardian and watchman of graveyard, who keeps dead souls in and living souls out.	Frau Halveria invoked Brave Ghede's name in an incantation when she was finished using a healing paste.
Legba Atibon	A loa who serves as the intermediary between the loa and humanity, standing at a spiritual crossroads, and a facilitator of communication, speech and understanding, believed to speak all human languages.	Luca follows Legba Atibon and makes use of his role as a deity who manages ceremonies (indirectly appearing in all Voodoo ceremonies through his role as intermediary), therefore not just existing on a specific ceremonial day but at all times, to achieve control of subjective time, allowing her to change the age of her external appearance and prepare magic normally once-in-a-decade in seconds.
Lime Poison	A deadly poison made from a single lime cut from a tree.	Frau Halveria referred to the lime in an incantation and may have been able to utilize lime poison. Isabella Theism used lime poison to temporarily stop Stiyl Magnus's heart to save him from the Sickle of Saturn's lethal attack.
Loko Atisou	A loa associated with healers and plants.	Frau Halveria invoked the name of Loko Atisou while applying a healing paste.
Sacrificial Rituals	There are some pacts associated with Voodoo which involve a person selling their soul to gain power and require them to regularly sacrifice others, otherwise they pay with their own life. These sacrifices can't just be anyone and have to be people whom it pains them to sacrifice, such as family members or lovers.	Salome refers to Voodoo practitioners who, having sold their soul, must annually sacrifice someone dear to them or forfeit their own life, when describing her own sacrificial magic and what she has sacrificed. Lucia referred to this type of sacrifice during her, Agnese Sanctis and Angelene's investigation of the magical forensic cleaning at Nihili Padpois's restaurant. The Ceremony of Ba Moun was at the center of the incident which Agnese, Angelene and Lucia tackled in Frankfurt.
Ti Bon Ange	A dualistic aspect of the soul in Haitian Voodoo traditions, which is responsible for an individual's identity and personal characteristics, while the Gros Bon Ange is responsible for biological functions.	The Ti Bon Ange was mentioned by Isabella Theism in an explanation of how zombies are made. One of Isabella Theism's spells, which involved the use of zombie powder, has a command which includes the Ti Bon Ange.
Voodoo Dolls	Effigies which represent a person, sometimes with a piece of them attached, and used to manipulate or bring harm upon them.	The Lotus Wand's method of causing attacks based on effects occurring to the wand is noted to be similar to the ones used on voodoo dolls.
Zombie	Originating from Haitian culture and associated with Voodoo, a person placed into a death-like trance through magic and substances (including one known as zombie powder) to serve as a slave, though they are commonly thought of as a dead person reanimated as an undead.	A Magic God of the true Gremlin is known as Zombie and has a background in Voodoo. Isabella Theism makes use of zombie powder in some of her spells, and has explained how zombies are created.

External Links

• Voodoo (Wikipedia article)