A New Orleans Voudou PriestessA New Orleans Voudou Priestess
the Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau
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Book, 2006
Current format, Book, 2006, , Available .eBook
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Against the backdrop of 18th and 19th-century New Orleans, Long disentangles the complex threads of the legend surrounding the famous Voudou priestess. According to mysterious, oft-told tales, Laveau was an extraordinary celebrity whose sorcery-fueled influence extended widely from slaves to upper-class whites. Some accounts claim that she led the "orgiastic" Voudou dances in Congo Square and on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, kept a gigantic snake named Zombi, and was the proprietress of an infamous house of assignation. Though legendary for an unusual combination of spiritual power, beauty, charisma, showmanship, intimidation, and shrewd business sense, she also was known for her kindness and charity, nursing yellow fever victims and ministering to condemned prisoners, and her devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. The true story of Marie Laveau, though considerably less flamboyant than the legend, is equally compelling. In separating verifiable fact from semi-truths and complete fabrication, Long explores the unique social, political, and legal setting in which the lives of Marie Laveau's African and European ancestors became intertwined. Simultaneously, Long examines the evolution of New Orleans Voudou, which until recently has been ignored by scholars.
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- Gainesville : University Press of Florida, c2006.
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