Agasou Gnenen

(n.)

1. In Haitian Vodou, a lwa (spirit) served in the Danwonmen, Petwo, and Rada rites, particularly associated with bodies of water and noted for healing powers. Revered as a masterful spirit who “rides” or possesses oungan (Vodou priests) during ceremonies. His sacred resting tree (repozwa) is the mango tree.
2. Symbolized by a large crab (banbara-tayba), whose form is reflected in the crab-claw-like lines of his ritual vèvè. Springs associated with Agasou are reserved for medicinal use; their waters are forbidden for domestic purposes. During invocations at such springs, traditional prayers are uttered, as recorded at the Plezans spring:
   “Mister Agasou Gnenen, Saint Agasou, guy coiffed by Dantò, Silibo Vavoun guy, ago, ago-si, ago-la, we draw water from the spring.”
   Following such invocations, phenomena such as the sudden appearance of a banbara-tayba crab and the flowing of spring water are considered signs of his presence.
3. In Vodou ceremonies, Agasou may be honored by balancing a goblet or jar of water on the head during possession; he is also classed among “climbing lwa,” as possessed individuals often climb the potomitan (the central post of the temple) or hanging vines.
4. His depiction varies: for some devotees, Agasou appears white; for others, black. Ritual offerings to him, performed at sacred springs, include white rice, plantains, speckled chickens, liqueurs, and other foods. He is sometimes classified as a minor lwa within the Rada rite and is regarded as an earth spirit.
5. Agasou embodies the ferocity of a wild beast; possession by him induces claw-like gestures, as if ready to strike.
6. In the Fon tradition of West Africa, Agasu (Agasou) is the offspring of a sacred panther and Princess Aligbonon. Regarded as the founder of the royal dynasty of Allada (present-day Benin), he is associated with the dissemination of the panther myth. He remains venerated as the panther-ancestor of the royal houses of Allada, Abomey, and Porto-Novo, and as a vodun among the Adja-Fon peoples of Benin.