The Princess and the Frog

(Note: I use the word symbols a lot because I could not find a better word and the definition somewhat fit.)

The Princess and the Frog is probably the only Disney movie set in Louisiana. In the New Orleans area, there is sort of a magic to it. The city itself is said to be alive. We all know about the Voodoo queen Marie Laveau. She is one of the famous figures in New Orleans. Sure they have jazz musicians from there, but she goes back farther than the jazz.

In the early to late 1800s, Marie Laveau lived (one was the original the other her daughter). She was born of a slave and a rich plantation owner. She was a free woman of color. Sunday morning after church, free people of color and slaves would go to Congo Square and perform Voodoo ceremonies. That is where Dr. John is said to have taught Marie Laveau about Voodoo and hoodoo. She rose to power in New Orleans through her supposed hoodoo and Voodoo powers.

I mentioned this bit on Marie Laveau for later reference. Now: how is the Princess and the Frog related to real Voodoo? Well, a lot of it is just Disney Magic, but if you look deeper, you can see hidden symbols.

Now Doctor Facilier, also known as "The Shadow Man", is one of these hidden symbols. To me he looks like a Boron Samedi (but with skin). He has the usual symbols of Samedi: with his top hat, he is thin, and he has a cane. Now Samedi is well known for his ability to heal and curse (like most Barons). If you look at a picture of Dr. Facilier, he has a red stripe on his hat. In Voodoo, the Petro Loas traditional color is red. Petro Loa is referred to as the more aggressive and warlike of the Loa nations. Dr. Facilier is known for his cursing and more aggressive sides of hoodoo.

Mama Odie was my favorite character in the movie. She is also an example of some hidden symbols in the movie. Look at what she wears. She is in all white. The Rada nation is the more gentle and helpful Loa. The Rada nations traditional color is white.

Now remember Marie Laveau. If you look further at what Mama Odie and Marie Laveau are wearing, they are wearing the same thing for a hat. It is the same color and in the same style. I think that Mama Odie is like a Disney version of Marie Laveau. If you go into what the characters say about her, she is a power house in the bayous, with her all kinds of Voodoo, hoodoo, and magic. Marie Laveau was a power house in New Orleans when she was alive, and she is still a strong force in New Orleans. Also, one of the characters calls her a Voodoo Queen. What was Marie Laveau again?

Bellow is some links to pictures of the characters and people I referred to.

Marie Laveau: http://www.bobgrahamart.com/i/artforsale/Marie_Laveau_to day_640.jpg

Moma Odie: http://www.filmeducation.org/theprincessandthefrog/image s/characters/mama_odie_large.jpg

Boron Samedi: http://funnybookbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/b aron_samedi_by_domigorgon.jpg

Dr. Facilier: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-snzLnJL_24/Srsc7kx40nI/AAAAAA AABv8/KOdp5dpscX4/s400/princess-and-the-frog-promotional +dr+facilier+mural.jpg

Sources:

http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/biglist.ht m

http://www.occultistradio.com/

Serving the Seven African Powers , By: Denise Alvardo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaJP8w-jW2k

http://www.voodoomuseum.com/

Any thoughts?

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Only thought is that there is MUCH MUCH more that happened with Marie before she ever did a single dance in "Congo Square" and earned her title.

I bet. Do you know of any good books or essays about her and her life?

Awesome observation.

I actually enjoyed this movie because I think, even with being a children's cartoon, it did an excellent job of showing the balance within Voodoo with the positive and negative influence that are part of it; the embodiment of the negative, as well as the embodiment of the positive.

Nice post hun ;)

"Marie Laveau" by Francine Prose, if you can find a copy. ;)

And, yes, an excellent post.

Just a reminder more for the newbies out there, hoodoo and Voodoo are two entirely separate things. Hoodoo is a system of American folk magic used predominately by southern Black Christians. Voodoo is an Afro-Caribbean religion, and most of its adherants DO NOT practice magic.

Marie Laveau did practice a form of hoodoo, as was common for many southern Blacks, as well as being an initiated Voodoo priestess. This is uncommon. You ask most modern priest/esses of Voodoo or other African Traditional Religions if they do spellwork, and they will roll their eyes at you.

The Loa are not worshiped or worked with in hoodoo. Most hoodoo practitioners are protestant Christians - the same is true to this day. They are church-goers and dedicate their spellwork to God the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

I've never seen the Frog Princess but now I think I will.

Thank you Lady Grey. I did hear the Hoodoo is also used to define folk magick in general.

My only confusion is the difference between Voodoo and Voudun. The sources I've read are vague on the seperation. Could you enlighten me? =)

Folk magic practices exist in every indigenous culture. They may be well hidden or subsumed into folklore, old wive's tales, or superstition. Russian jews have their own folk magic, people from Appalachia have their own folk magic, Tasmanian islanders have their own folk magic, orthodox Greeks have their own folk magic, and on and on.

Hoodoo is just one form of a very diverse field of American folk magic (i already mentioned the magic of Apalachia, think Pow-Wow magic, magic of the indigenous American Indians, magic of all the immigrants adapted to the new country, Mexican/Catholic folk magic, etc.). Hoodoo specifically pertains to the magic of southern Black Americans, and is a mix of Congo/West African magic, American Indian herb lore, Psalm and Bible-based magic, Kabbalistic influences from Jewish peddlers and store owners, and a smattering of European grimoires and astrology.

In my understanding, the spellings Vodou and Vodoun are Creole spellings used mainly to differentiate the religion from the pop-culture New Orleans-ish misconceptions when one spells it "Voodoo."

thank you for mentioning that ldygry in the afro caribbean voodoo, the believers and followers are not allowed to do magical workings only the priest/esses are. apparently american voodoo is different from some of the things i read.

but in the caribbean those who practice a form of traditional African traditional magick it is kept within the family and bloodlines; part of the reason of this is because in the caribbean countries practicing magick is still or was illegal so you will find most of them passing down a history of traditions from relatives and that lived as far back as 3-4centuries by way of watch, learn, listen, and follow.

and only the french afro-caribbean countries practiced voodoo, it gets mixed up with spiritual baptist which is also considered an African traditional and diasporic belief and resemble voodoo from outside looking in, in the English speaking caribbean countries

To add:

For the most part Voodoo is an initiatory religion, though there are probably more uninitiated practitioners than there are initiated. I don't see anything wrong with not being initiated personally. ( I am not ) But I think there is a problem when you pretend to be an initiated hougan or mambo (priest and priestess). So you might want you use caution when it comes to internet mambos and hougan, some may be lying. :S