10th September: Marie Laveau, the Witch Queen of New Orleans

Born this date in 1801 was Marie Laveau, Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voudou -the original Witch Queen Of New Orleans. The song, The Witch Queen of New Orleans by Redbone, is about her.

1. She was born in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Her mother was Marguerite Henry (or Darcantrel), who was of Native American, African and French descent, and her father was Charles LaVeau, a merchant of African and French descent.
2. Not much is known of Marie's early life, but we do know she was married at the age of 18 to a refugee from Haiti called Jacques Paris, by whom she already had a daughter, Felicite, aged about two, and there was another child, Angele in 1820. This is where things start getting weird because Paris died in 1820 - there was speculation at the time about what happened to him; and the two daughters had vanished from the records by 1830.
3. A year after Jacques died, she started a relationship with Louis Christophe Dominick Duminy de Glapion. It's not clear whether they actually married or not, or how many children they had. There are records showing the birth and baptism of seven, but rumour has it there were as many as 15.
4. Only two of her children survived to adulthood, both daughters, and both called Marie. The elder of the two, Marie Euchariste Eloise Laveau, took over as the "Witch Queen of New Orleans" known as "Marie II". There is some confusion as to which of them did most to establish the reputation. The older Marie was an influential woman in her time, while the younger one held public rituals which were somewhat theatrical in nature.
5. The only regular job Marie Laveau is recorded as having was as a liquor importer. According to tradition, she was a sought after hairdresser who visited her clients' homes, which may have been a way of getting useful information about people of high standing in the city. There is a theory that she manipulated the servants of her wealthy clients either bribing them or scaring them into giving her information. She may also have worked as a matchmaker, helping men find consorts.
6. She may have practised voodoo, but she was a devout Catholic at the same time. She was married in the Catholic cathedral and had all her children baptised there. She is also known to have ministered to condemned prisoners and the sick. It's not known to what extent she mixed the two religions in her work, calling on both African spirits and Catholic saints.
7. It's not known how many of the stories told about her are true. It may or may not be true that she had a pet Snake called Zombi, or that she could make or break the careers of people in City Hall, or that she was responsible for the deaths of both a lieutenant governor and a governor through voodoo. Another story that's been told is that she once prayed in the cathedral for 24 hours while holding hot peppers in her mouth, for a man whose son was about to go on trial for a crime he didn't commit. When she'd done that, Marie went to the courthouse next door and put the peppers under the judge's seat. The son was acquitted.
8. Her death wasn't without speculation either - while by all accounts she died peacefully at her home at a grand old age, there were people who claimed to have seen her out and about after her death. It's entirely possible they'd actually seen her daughter, who had possibly taken over as "Witch Queen" some years previously when her mother had stopped her public practice of voodoo.
9. Marie Laveau is generally believed to have been buried in plot 347, the Glapion family crypt in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, although even this has been disputed. Nevertheless, the tomb has become a tourist attraction. It's said that if a person draws an "X" on the tomb, turns around three times, knocks on the tomb and yells out their wish, Marie Laveau will grant that wish from beyond the grave. When the wish is granted, the person must return to the tomb, draw a circle round their "X" and leave an offering. These days, however, it's only possible to visit the tomb as part of an official tour, because of concerns about vandalism.
10. Marie Laveau has been elevated to the status of loa, or minor saint, in the voodoo religion.

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