Ogou is a national hero to the people of Haiti. Every Haitian knows that Ogou is the senior brother of a military lineage broad enough to include the founding heroes of Haitian History - Dessaline, Louverture, Christophe. Through the fantastic process of appropriation, major events in Haitian history have been refigured through the lineaments of a Spanish warrior saint. (Sacred Arts, p 246).

But the image resounds with more than just war. Each saint is a weapon carrier - thus Ogou must like metal, and has become associated with things of metal - machetes, knives, iron. Each image shows victory over an someone, so Ogou is the most likely Lwa to vanquish enemies. The syncretization goes on and on, and there are many books that speak of the many Ogous who are served all over Haiti.

Ogou is the one Lwa who retains much of his African origins in the New World. A Nago spirit, he was the warrior patron of the armies and militia of the Nago kingdom. Upon landing in the new world, he continued his appropriation of military images, knowledge and power through men like Toussaint Louverture, a former general in Africa and Louverture's right hand man, Dessaline.

Along with the above mentioned Ogous, there is Ogou Shango (from the orisha Shango), Ogou Bhathalah (from the orisha Obatala) and Ogou Deux Manieres. It sometimes seems as if there is an Ogou for every purpose and reason. And perhaps, as a man of the people, he is really a Renaissance Lwa, capable of becoming what is needed at the time he is called. It was much the same for Dessaline and company.

Serve Ogou on his traditional day of Wednesday. Offer him rum, machetes, red scarves and grilled pork.