Agassou (also Ati-A-Sou) is a

loa , also called loa, are spirits in the African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou and Dominican Vudú. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their iden ...

who guards the old traditions of

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African List of kingdoms in Africa throughout history, kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. It developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in ...

in the

West African Vodun West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

religion and the

rada loa The Rada are a family of lwa spirits in the religion of Haitian Vodou. They are regarded as being sweet-tempered and "cool", in this contrasting with the Petro lwa, which are regarded as volatile and "hot". Description The Rada lwa have been desc ...

Haitian Vodou Haitian Vodou () is an African diasporic religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West Africa, West and ...

Agassou: Royal Leopard King of Africa

Agassou is the product of a divine mating—his mother was princess Aligbonu and is said to have mated with a leopard, giving birth to Agassou. Agassou is further noted as ruler and king of a particular sect in Africa that has come to be known as the Agasuvi (children of Agasu). In an act of incest with his mother, he had three sons. Their lineage, their royal regalia, and their legacy are still held by the Agasuvi of West Africa. In that society, the men take their lineage from the clan of Agassou. His shield and his spear are still guarded today—gifts that are said to have been given to him by his angelic father. In the kingdom of Dahomey he is honored as their tohuio (ancestral spirit) along with his mother, Aligbonu. Together they form a dyad that serves as the creation story for Dahomean lineage. Agassou is then the first human who can be traced back to see how he ascended to the status of loa. In the Priyere, he is called "Houngan Agassou de Bo Miwa" in honor of his work as both a priest/king and a magician. His spears and shield are still in ancient Dahomey which is Benin today. In rada, he's referred to as Ati-Agassou; in petro Hougan Agassou. In African oral chant from Benin, Agassou is depicted as the chosen one sent to Haiti by Ayida Wedo to bring the practice to her African children to ease their pain and sufferings from slavery. Agassou was given a crab for the journey. His day is Thursday and his colors are brown and gold. Hougan (ou'k bon) meaning "you are the righteous one" or the mambo will invoke Agassou when money is needed in the temple; his specialty is making money out of cigarettes.

References

Voodoo gods {{Deity-stub