Kokou (orisha)

In the Yoruba religion of Benin, a Kokou is one of the most highly feared warrior Undergods.^[1] It is the most violent and powerful of the Yoruba spirits and the voodoo rituals surrounding it involves its followers to fall into a deep trance with rapidly beating drums. Once possessed by the spirit, the body in which the Kokou inhabits may remain in a trance all day and in due course demonstrate a thirst for blood with glass bottles and knives, swallow sharp objects or repeatedly beat its head against the wall until it bleeds profusively, revealing a high tolerance to pain.^[1]

One who fails to respect the Kokou during a ceremonial trance may have a sacred calabash placed on his head until it becomes excessively heavy.^[1]

References

1. Butler 2006, p. 32.

Bibliography

• Butler, Stuart (2006), Benin, Guilford, Connecticut: Bradt Travel Guides, The Globe Pequot Press