User:Josage18/Ezili Dantor

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Ezili Danto, or Ezili Danto', is the "manifestation of Erzulie, the divinity of love,". It is said that Ezili Danto has a dark complexion and is maternal in nature. The Ezili are feminine spirits in Haitian vodou culture that personify womanhood. The Erzulie is a goddess, spirit, or loa of love in Haitian voudou. She has several manifestations or incarnations, but most prominent and well-known manifestations are Lasirenn (the mermaid), Erzulie Freda, and Erzulie Dantor. There are spelling variations of Erzulie, the other being Ezili. They are English interpretations of a Creole word, but do not differ in meaning.

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In Haitian mythology, there are multiple spiritual entities, or lwa, that work between this world (the mortal world) and the divine world. The Ezili is the Rada spirit that personifies different aspects of womanhood. Ezili Freya represents romantic love and erotic sexuality, while Ezili Danto represents the hardworking and sometimes angry mother. In Haitian society, Ezili Danto strongly resonates with lower class women.

While she represents hardworking women and mothers, Ezili Danto also has the power to destroy. Her vehement displeasure has earned her the reputation of being the red eyed, "Erzulie, ge-rouge." Her destructive powers often come in the form of natural disasters and the forces of nature. In Zora Neale Hurston, Haiti, and Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ezili's Danto's rage is described as "violent reminder to the folk that their passive faith in Euro-Americans, or Christianity, to determine their fate is misguided."


 * Appearance in Books

The 2013 novel Zora Neale Hurston, Haiti, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. is a collection of ten (10) essays from various authors that break down and analyze the literary work of Zora Neale Hurston, and her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston's stories follow a light-skinned woman by the name of Janie Crawford. Hurston writes the character of Janie with characteristics that resemble Ezili Freda, but that both Freda and Danto live within her. Janie falls in love with and marries a dark-skinned man named Tea Cake, but must show him that she is not above working in the fields like other working class folk. By working in the fields, Janie shows that she is not afraid of hard work and is mature and embraces Ezili Danto.