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| Marie Laveau |
This could not possibly be a blog about New Orleans Voodoo without the mention
of Marie Laveau. Who was Marie Laveau,
you ask? Marie was perhaps the most renowned Queen of New Orleans Voodoo that ever existed. She was born as Marie Catherine Laveau in
1794 in the French Quarter of New Orleans and died an old woman in 1881. Respected and feared by all, she began her
adult career, believe it or not, as a hairdresser and later, during the Yellow
Fever epidemics, became a nurse. She was very skilled in the practice of
medicine and in the blending of herbs for their healing properties. Extremely concerned about the soul, she would
sit with the condemned in their last moments of life, sometimes even serving them
their last meals. She was the first
commercial Voodoo Queen and she specialized in romance and finance. Respected and feared by all, both white people and
people of color went to her and she would use prayers, potions amulets, charms and herbs to
keep harm from coming to them; to improve their finances and to attract the love
they wanted, all with great success. Her
legacy of magic power still lives on.
Her tomb, which is located just one block away from the
French Quarter (St. Louis Cemetary #1), is still visited by thousands of people
yearly. It is reputed to be the third
most visited cemetery in the world, after those of President John F. Kennedy
and Elvis Presley. With hope in their
hearts and in keeping with a long time
tradition, visitors go to take offerings and place an XXX on the tombstone of
Marie Laveau, in the hopes that this powerful priestess will grant them their
wishes.
The Veve for Marie Laveau is:
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