Equally renowned for her skills as a hairdresser and voodoo practitioner, Marie Laveau rose to prominence in New Orleans during the last half of the 19th century, as her reputation as a powerful mambo (or priestess) soared. She was constantly sought out by rich and poor in order to enlist help in various matters, both good and not so good.
Most often, people turned to her for love spells, or asked for help during childbirth, so that the child would be born healthy, or when they wanted to receive an inheritance. But no less often did those who longed to take revenge for insults inflicted by an enemy come to her.
The annals of 19th-century Voodoo are full of stories of victims of this vengeful magic who woke up after a restless night of frequent awakenings to find on the threshold of their homes bones, cemetery soil and the inevitable doll, planted under the cover of darkness by Marie Laveau herself. All these stories would be just scary tales, but, according to reliable sources, almost all of Marie Laveau's witchcraft worked. Often, the simple phrase that the Voodoo Queen was "working" on a person was enough to cause physical or emotional collapse; Often after such news a person died. The powerful spells mastered by Marie Laveau are still practiced in New Orleans today, and the tradition of using dolls is still alive and popular.
Marie Laveau had enormous power over people, and anyone could see this.
Take this case, for example.
A wedding was being prepared in New Orleans. A rich groom, a beautiful bride - and everything would be fine, but the groom was in his eighties, and the bride was only sixteen. The obstinate bride became stubborn: it was rumored that she already had a betrothed - as expected, a handsome fellow, but poor, who went to distant lands to get rich and return to his beloved.
Of course, neither the father of the bride nor the old groom took him into account. Another thing is the girl! She did not agree to the wedding, although her father had already taught her senses with a whip and locked her in a room, putting her on bread and water.
Having learned that the bride stood her ground, despite the flogging and hunger, the rich groom became worried: after all, he wanted to get a young wife, and not her corpse!
He decided to turn to Marie Laveau for help: everyone knew that her love potion worked flawlessly. A couple of drops in a glass of water - and the beauty will certainly agree to marriage!
The elderly man thought so, but did not take into account one thing: the bride managed to turn to her before he did.
And when the groom came to Marie Laveau, she listened to him and reassured him - of course, if that’s what he wants, the wedding will take place!
Immediately, as if by magic, the bride stopped being stubborn and agreed to set a wedding day.
And the wedding took place - after the wedding there was a luxurious dinner, and then a ball. That’s when it all happened: right during the dance, the groom had a stroke and collapsed on the floor. They called a doctor, but, alas, it was too late! The beauty became a widow, having been a wife for no more than an hour, but having received legal rights to the wealth of her untimely deceased husband.
They say that the first thing the newly-made widow and heiress to a huge fortune did was to call her beloved from the West Indies, who no longer needed to hunt for money, and entered into a legal marriage with him.
In 1830, a wealthy townsman approached Marie Laveau: his son was accused of murder. If the accusation were confirmed, the young man would face the gallows.
The father promised Marie Laveau to give her own mansion if she ensured that her son was found innocent.
The Voodoo sorceress thought about it and agreed.
On the morning of the day when the trial was to take place, she came to church, putting three pods of pepper in her mouth, and prayed for a long time, casting spells on the pepper. Then she went to the courthouse (it was located on the same square as the church) and went into the hall where the hearing was to take place. There she placed a pepper pod under the seat of each of the judges.
The result of the meeting was this: the young man was found innocent, and the murder he committed was recognized as self-defense. The young man's father kept his word and handed over the mansion to Marie Laveau.
This incident, which became famous in the city, brought Marie Laveau even greater fame, and her witchcraft was recognized as omnipotent.
Yes, Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo witch from New Orleans, terrifying her enemies, was truly a living legend.
The mere threat of her curse made people become submissive and soft as wax and comply with all her demands and requests. She handled both love potions and curses with equal ease, was aware of all the secrets of New Orleans, and it was rumored that Marie could read minds.
Marie Laveau was considered by some to be a great witch, while others considered just a clever charlatan. For many years she held the honorary post of “voodoo queen” of New Orleans. She is remembered even after a century and a half. They say that her spirit did not find peace: even after her death and to this day he is capable of doing witchcraft... But let's figure out who Marie really was.
According to sources, Marie Laveau was born in 1794 in New Orleans (USA). She was a mulatto, the illegitimate daughter of a plantation owner and one of his slaves. The girl was brought up in her father's house and was introduced to the Catholic faith from childhood. At twenty-five, the girl married a certain Jacques Paris, a freedman. However, soon the husband left somewhere and disappeared without a trace. A few years later he was declared dead.
To earn a living, Marie opened a hair salon. She listened carefully to the conversations of her clients and collected information, which she then used for her own purposes. Marie Laveau's next venture was the opening of a brothel on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. As his owner, Laveau learned many secrets about the people of New Orleans.
Eventually, she became interested in the cult of voodoo, which was actively practiced by the colored and dark-skinned population of the city. She began to participate in gatherings in the vacant lot outside the French Quarter, where voodooists held their ceremonies, and it wasn’t long before she was declared the local “voodoo queen.”
Most often, the “queen” was turned to when help was needed in love affairs or when it was necessary to eliminate an enemy. Marie made voodoo dolls, which she threw on the doorsteps of victims, and soon they died... At least that's what the legend says.
In addition, the sorceress made “Gri-gri” talismans. They were a small cloth bag, a small handbag or a wallet made of cloth. Inside could be herbs, stones, bones, dust from a cemetery, spices, hair or nail clippings - it all depended on the purpose for which the talisman was intended. "Gri-gri" was used to attract health, money and love, protection from misfortune and much more. For example, gamblers were offered bags made of red flannel with magnets inside or bags filled with shark teeth and moistened with pigeon blood - it was believed that they could attract luck in the game...
Sometimes they ordered “gri-gris” to cast a spell on someone. Then Marie made a handbag from a piece of the shroud of a man who had died nine days earlier. Inside were a dried one-eyed toad and lizards, the little finger of a black man who committed suicide, bat wings, cat eyes, an owl liver and a rooster heart...
Rumor claimed that if you hide such a “gri-gri” in a person’s belongings, he will definitely die. “Damage” talismans were in particular demand among black slaves, who in this way tried to exorcise their white masters, who treated them cruelly, from the world.
However, Marie Laveau was also extremely popular among the white population of New Orleans. Representatives of the local elite approached her with their problems, the press wrote about her...
In 1869, Marie was forced to relinquish her official title of “Queen of Voodoo” as she had reached old age. But she did not stop practicing witchcraft. New Orleans' most famous witch died in 1881.
It is unknown who Marie really was - whether she was just a clever charlatan, or whether she still had real abilities for magic... However, it is not necessary to be a magician from birth. Magic rituals, unlike telepathy or clairvoyance, can be learned if there is a desire...
It is said that the ghost of Marie Laveau is often seen walking between the tombs in New Orleans' St. Louis Cemetery. You can recognize a voodoo priestess by her red and white turban with seven knots. The spirit mutters a special curse under its breath, intended to punish those who violate the cemetery's peace.
Sometimes a large snake is seen next to Marie Laveau. This is a symbol of Boa - one of the main voodoo deities. Marie had a real snake named Zombie, and when the witch died, she was buried along with her pet. The snake is also seen crawling near the grave of its owner...
There is a belief that Marie Laveau is able to make wishes come true even after death. To do this, you need to draw a cross on the wall of her tomb or put three coins, stand near the grave, turn around the axis three times and knock on the crypt door three times... Some also perform voodoo rituals here. They often leave behind various objects - flowers, candles, beads, dolls... But you should never touch them - they may contain a curse or a conspiracy to cause illness.
In a word, Marie Laveau is to some extent “alive” even after her death. However, the same can be said about any extraordinary personality...
Margarita Troitsyna
Date of Birth: 10.09.1794
Citizenship: USA
According to historical records, Marie Laveau was born free from slavery in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday, September 10, 1801. She was the illegitimate daughter of two free people of color, one of whom was a Creole.
On August 4, 1819, Maria married a certain Jacques Paris (in other records, Santiago), who emigrated to Louisiana in 1809, after the Haiti Revolution of 1791-1804. The marriage certificate is kept in St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. The wedding ceremony was performed by Father Antonio de Sedella, a Capuchin priest known as Père Antoine.
According to records, Jacques Paris died in 1820 under unclear circumstances. The life story of Maria herself is shrouded in legends; very few reliable facts from her biography remain. She worked as a hairdresser, and this helped her win the favor of wealthy clients, to whom the priestess visited their homes. It is believed that Mary gave one of her daughters her name, which is usually written as Marie Laveau II.
The mother had great power and was known as the founder of Louisiana voodoo, while the daughter felt great in public and performed rituals in front of a crowd of thousands. Laveau II allegedly had three children, whom she sent to the Dominican Republic. She was afraid that the enemies who threatened to burn her children alive might turn out to be unspoken.
Marie Laveau II's husband, Jose Huerta, raised her children as his own, thereby preserving the traditions of voodoo in his family. The last descendants from the family of the daughter of the high priestess, who are mentioned in the surviving documents, were Victor Delgado-Huerta, born in 1999, and Maleni Delgado-Huerta, who was born in 2003. Victor and Maleni still practice voodoo, but they have not received any honorary titles.
One of the sons of Marie Laveau and her common-law husband, Christophe Duminy de Glapion, was Alexis Celestin Glapion. He was born in 1834. The son remained in New Orleans, where he married Emma Vicknair, who gave birth to eleven children. Alexis and Emma's last known descendants live in Detroit, MI and Boston, MA.
It is known for certain that Maria was an importer of alcoholic beverages, at least in 1832, on Dauphine Street in the Marigny suburb, in New Orleans. She lived with her lover Christophe until his death in 1835. It is believed that the couple had fifteen children, including Marie Laveau II, born in 1827.
Folklore legends and tales speak more about the witchcraft practices of Marie Laveau, supposedly endowed with magical powers. It is unknown whether she actually kept with her a snake named Zombie, named after an African god, or whether she actually “mixed” the African spirits of Roman Catholic saints in her modified voodoo cult.
There is an explanation according to which Laveau was so skilled in divination because she had the talent of persuasion and used a whole network of informants. Her proxies worked in the homes of powerful white people. Information about city events also came from a brothel that belonged to her.
Laveau made voodoo talismans known as Gris-Gris using ingredients such as broken bones, fingernails, graveyard dust, horsehair, bird's nests, colored stones, oils and more.
Mary's influence grew, as did the number of her wealthy patrons, who admired her ability to keep their servants at bay. Maria won over slaves by simply bribing them or curing them of “mysterious” ailments. Some wealthy Creoles in New Orleans, at the instigation of Laveau, began to worship Dambala, the oldest loa (invisible spirit) in the voodoo religion.
On July 16, 1881, Maria's obituary appeared in the Daily Picayune newspaper. She died on June 15, 1881, at the age of 86. According to the book "Voodoo in New Orleans" by Robert Tallant, the priestess died peacefully in her home. However, unnamed witnesses subsequently emerged who claimed to have seen Laveau alive in the city after her supposed death.
Many believe that Mary's remains rest in the Glapion family crypt, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans. Tourists still visit the supposed burial site of the "Voodoo Queen" to this day. Some of them leave three coins laid out in a row on the grave or draw three crosses on the tombstone. In such strange ways they ask for intercession from the priestess.
On December 17, 2013, the grave was damaged by vandals. It was painted with pink latex paint. It is believed that this could have been done by a “homeless, mentally unstable guy” who wanted to cover up all the crosses.
Marie Laveau served as the prototype for some fictional characters. She appears as a major character in the 1993 novel Voodoo Dreams: A Novel of Marie Laveau by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
Laveau first appeared in comic books in Dracula Lives #2 in 1973. She is presented as a powerful sorceress with great magical powers and the keeper of secret knowledge, remaining forever young and beautiful thanks to a potion made from vampire blood.
Marie Laveau's grave features prominently in the adventure video game Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers by Jane Jensen.
Hurricane Katrina almost completely destroyed the beautiful city of New Orleans. Gone is the citadel of voodooism, with its famous French Quarter. There are no more buildings that look like palaces. They turned into ruins of a church with terrifying crypts. This city was under the rule of terrifying magic, which at one time was called a cult at the official level.
However, she was unable to protect the city from natural disasters. No matter what tricks are resorted to for restoration, no one will ever be able to see the house, and later the grave, of the most famous woman throughout New Orleans - Marie Laveau, who turned into the very first and famous voodoo queen.
Hairdresser as a spy
The legend, in the person of this woman, was born more than 200 years ago - or rather, in 1794. The place of birth was the city of the French colony - New Orleans. This year was marked not only by her birth.
At this time, the bloody dictator Robespierre terrified everyone. Europe awaited with trembling the revolutionary events that came from France. But another mini-revolution occurred at a great distance from Europe, on the present-day island of Haiti, the former French colony of Hispaniola.
Educated blacks agreed with the priests and organized a slave uprising. Having killed almost all the white-skinned inhabitants, they declared themselves a republic. From that time until the beginning of the 20th century, whites were not seen here. They lived quite well and cheerfully. The only fact is that they chose a real four-legged goat as their king. Immediately after the horned one, the old necromancer Duval sat on the throne, who turned into a dictator.
All the whites who were able to survive the terrible massacre in Haiti and, after the riots in Cuba, went to New Orleans as quickly as possible along with their voodoo slaves. In total, there were about 10 thousand people in the city. Thus, these voodoo cultists ended up in New Orleans. It is not difficult to guess that sorcerers were now found on every corner.
Marie was the illegitimate daughter of a slave and a plantation owner, and converted to Catholicism. She became acquainted with voodoo only at the age of twenty-five, having married a native of Haiti. Marie Laveau's husband, some time after the wedding, went home. He did not return from this trip.
Having become lonely, Marie began to explore a new type of activity. Her official business was hairdressing. With the money left over from her father, she was able to open her own salon. Thanks to Marie's deft hands, he became quite popular. Representatives of the local aristocracy came to her to fix their hair, make a mask, or just chat.
It would be better if they arrived as intended. As they say: silence is golden! A carelessly thrown word did its job. It is not known for certain whether Marie had a specific card index or whether she memorized everything, but used all the information as needed. Very little time passed and all the talkers, with their husbands and children, fell into the hands of a clever hairdresser.
These days, bigger scandals don't cause sensations. It is now difficult for us to imagine that a reputation can melt away from one hint that a noble beauty had blacks in her family, or that the young chevalier is an ordinary sharper. These unfortunates had to remain on their plantations for the rest of their lives, surrounded by slaves. They could no longer enter aristocratic society.
The Whites ended up in the hands of Marie, who used blackmail. A more terrible weapon was used against blacks, whose name was voodoo. To learn this science, she began to study with the most knowledgeable specialist in this field.
Once upon a time, John Montenay, the “Prince of Senegal,” was kidnapped into slavery. Marie was so successful that the black slaves, without hesitation, told all the secrets of their masters, if only she would not send angry spirits. The practice of carrot and stick became her weapon. Thanks to these tactics, she had the entire city in her hands. Very soon the time came for a revolution, but not an easy one, and a revolution in voodoo.
John Montene
Dancing with a python
Marie took great pleasure in destroying the purity of the Haitian cult. The first thing she did was to add spectacle to the whole action. The main role was played by a giant python, whose name was Zombie. Embracing him, Marie began the ceremony with dancing. Afterwards, everyone could enjoy the blood of a cockerel or hen that was strangled alive by a python. It was believed that this contributed to successful witchcraft. The entire ritual took place surrounded by statues of saints from the Catholic faith. Holy water was poured onto all participants and surrounding objects, including the python.
Marie was able to successfully connect the voodoo cult and the Catholic faith. A new area was born called New Orleans Voodoo. African prayers were used instead of Latin. Saints began to take the place of the spirits of Africa. At the same time, statues of these saints successfully replaced masks on altars. Many have wondered: do the saints like these bloody-sadistic victims?
Marie's innovations did their job - whites began to take a place in the ranks of voodooists. Some were attracted by the possibility of ritual sex, others were attracted by witchcraft. Legends began to be made about Marie Laveau. Almost everyone believed that nothing was impossible for her. By and large, everything was simple for her. The main thing is that the specified amount is paid.
One day an outstanding incident occurred. One rich old man decided to marry a sixteen-year-old beauty. The old man was well over eighty, but the age difference did not bother him at all. Money became the main thing here. The old man had plenty of them, but the girl’s father suffered from their absence.
Grandpa, without thinking twice, came to an agreement with the would-be dad, but the girl balked. The reason was simple to the point of banality: the girl already had a fiancé, and she didn’t want to marry an old man at all. The girl's groom was a young adventurer who went to distant lands to earn big millions.
Dad and the old man did not take the young man seriously, but the young romantic lady put him first. No amount of persuasion had any effect on her, and, unable to come up with anything better, she was locked in the hut. They put me on bread and water, sometimes they flogged me with whips. But she didn't give up. The old man was already beginning to worry that he would receive a corpse instead of a bride. It was then that the girl’s father suggested contacting Marie.
She hastened to assure them that the wedding would take place. After which she visited the newlywed, and gave the old man the magic powder in a bag. Marie did not deceive. The girl agreed to everything, returned to her mansion, and a wedding date was set. The celebration took place. A sumptuous dinner awaited the guests after the wedding ceremony.
After dinner, the ball began, and the old man began to lead the young woman in a waltz. Having taken just a few steps, he fell and died. They called a doctor, but he came too late. But just right for a young widow. Having become a legal wife, she also became a legal heir. The first thing the girl did after gaining wealth and freedom was to call her beloved from his journey. He no longer needed to chase big money.
Marie Laveau was so clever that her spiritual director Antoine considered her the most virtuous Catholic woman in New Orleans. All this despite the fact that she became the most powerful voodoo priestess. She was revered as the most virtuous woman, although, in theory, she should have been excommunicated.
Marie Laveau became the mother of 15 children born from her second common-law husband, Louis de Glapion. She devoted a lot of time to prayer. Visiting prisoners, she secretly sold them amulets so that they could leave the walls of the prison, and helped patients with yellow fever, which to this day is considered the most contagious.
To those who asked tricky questions, she answered that she had no idea about any African superstitions. All household members echoed her. The most amazing thing is that such a lie lived in a town where the population was less than 50 thousand. Considering how popular this woman was, many wonder: for what reason was she believed?
We can only assume that the rule was in force: if you haven’t caught him, don’t call him a thief. It is unlikely that her spiritual mentor Antoine mustered up the courage to convict her of the Sabbath. And in general, priests could not visit such places.
Death came to her as a devout Catholic. Pilgrims and voodoo worshipers came to her resting place. Until the water washed away the grave, jewelry, perfumes, crucifixes and other sacrifices to the great witch were brought here. Even after death, she continued her lifetime activities: accepting gifts, fulfilling wishes.
The hurricane ended all of Marie's afterlife activities. How will New Orleans manage without such a landmark? Whatever costs the spirit will appear near the stone, even if the remains are washed into the ocean.
Voodoo Tarot
Her personality is also reflected in the Voodoo Tarot cards. In this deck, Marie Laveau takes the place of the High Priestess in the second arcana. This is not surprising. And here is the map itself:
A few cards from the Voodoo Tarot deck:
Maria Lavey, or in other words Marie Laveau, was a “free person of color,” which was quite unusual in those days. She was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Creole planter, Charles Laveau. Her mother was Charles' mistress, Margaret, half black, half Indian. Marie was probably born around 1794. At the age of 25, she married a carpenter named Jacques Paris, also a free man, although not white. Soon he went missing and was presumed dead.
According to the custom of that time, she began to call herself "Widow Paris." After some time, she entered into a civil marriage with Christophe de Glapion. From him Marie gave birth to 15 children. But even after this, newspapers called her “Widow Paris” or “Marie Laveau.” Widow Paris studied Voodoo with the then famous Doctor John. And by 1830 she was one of several New Orleans Voodoo queens. Marie soon rose to dominance, taking charge of the rituals performed in Congo Square and the sale of Voodoo paraphernalia throughout the city. 
At the same time, Madame Laveau worked as a hairdresser in the homes of rich and influential people. That is why she had a developed network of informants. According to an article in Tallant (1946, no. 64), “No event in any family in New Orleans was kept secret from Marie Laveau.” She put her knowledge on the line and enjoyed significant influence in the city, because the most authoritative people in New Orleans read fortunes to her, ladies asked for love advice, she cured diseases, bewitched and performed other Voodoo rituals. Marie Laveau was cunning and smart, so the Christian church, which, by the way, simply hated her, could not harm her. The Voodoo Queen knew all the deepest secrets of the rich and influential residents of New Orleans, who in turn were the guarantors of the integrity of women. The photo shows her house. 
According to one legend, one very authoritative man turned to Marie to help him avoid punishment. Madame Laveau performed several rituals, spoke red hot peppers and placed one each under the chairs of the judges and jurors before the trial. What a surprise all participants in the process were when the accused man was acquitted. The same newspaper, Tallant, noted: “If Marie Laveau actually managed to save anyone on death row, she used such stories to prosper. Widow Paris worked for advertising. Legends about her spread very quickly, and the Voodoo Queen seems to enjoy them." 
In New Orleans there lived a young beautiful girl from a famous but not very rich family. A rich, but much older than the girl (50-60 years old) admirer began to visit her father. The girl loved another - a young but poor guy - and did not want to marry an old man. Her father tried to persuade her, but she did not give in, so he punished her: he locked her in the house and cut her food to water and bread. But she didn't give up. Then the father and grandfather-groom decided to turn to Marie Laveau. The Voodoo Queen confidently stated, “There will be a wedding. I see a lot of guests and a young bride.” Marie gave her elderly betrothed a special bag - “For good luck.” She also went to the girl and talked to her. Imagine the father's surprise when his daughter happily agreed to the wedding. The magnificent celebration was in full swing when the bride and groom walked out into the middle of the hall and began to dance. And then a misfortune happened: the groom died in the arms of the bride and in front of the shocked guests. The girl remained a rich widow and soon married her beloved. Such stories are still told in New Orleans today. After all, here is the tomb of the Voodoo Queen. But her knowledge did not sink into oblivion with her: at the age of 75, Marie Laveau passed on her knowledge to her youngest daughter, Marie Laveau II. Due to the external similarity of mother and daughter, legends about the eternal youth of Marie Laveau soon began to circulate. 
Today, the grave of the widow Peris is a place of pilgrimage for Voodoo devotees. It is even believed that if you make a wish and pay the spirit of Madame Laveau, your wish will come true. Interesting fact: during Hurricane Katrina, the tomb of the Voodoo Queen was destroyed, but it was soon restored, because it is one of the main attractions of New Orleans.
