La Sirene

Offerings:

Mirror, comb, cigarettes, shells, perfume, sweet wine, pink rose petals, pearls, seaweed, fish, saltwater, mermaid dolls or images, statues, jewelry, sacred songs, blue sea glass.

Litany:

Pour La Sirene, enchanteresse, Reine-chanterelle.  Femme dÁgwe.  Demi-poisson, demi-femme, qui connait les Mysteres de léau, et des ondes,  Chantez pour nous la musique sacree.  Enchantez en chantant.  Acceptez nos offrandes.  Entrez dans nos coeurs, dans nos bras, dans nos jambes.  Entrez ici. Dansez avec nous!

Kreyol:

Pou Lasirene.  Ren shantrel.  Madan Agwe, mwatye pwason, mwatye fan-m.  Ki kon miste nan dlo.  Shante pou nou. Aksepte ofran'n nou.  Antre nan ke nou, nan bra nou, nan jam'm nou.  Antre vin'n danse avek nou!

Translation:

For La Sirene, enchantress. 'Ren Shantrel' (lead choir member).  Wife of Agwe, half fish, half woman, who knows the mysteries of waters and waves.  Sing the sacred music for us.  Enchant by chanting.  Accept our offerings.  Enter into our hearts, our arms, our legs.  Enter and dance with us!

Traditional:

'La Sirene' means 'mermaid' in French.  La Sirene is the wife of Agwe, and an aspect of Erzulie.  She rules under the sea.  Her power is in the depths of the ocean.  Some say Labalen is her mother, some say Labalen is her husband, or that she is the same lwa as La Sirene.

La Sirene is an enchantress, and the patron lwa of song and music.  She calls out with her trumpet and entrances with her siren's song.  La Sirene is a beautiful sorceress.  Half woman, half fish, she swims in the archetypal waters between Erzulies beauty and Danto's passionate violence.  La Sirene bestows luck on her devotees, but be careful!  Her beauty and seductive song can lure you to a watery death.  Some say, too, that she steals babies and takes them down to her watery kingdom.

La Sirene is usually syncretized with Saint Martha or Saint Philomene.  Her colors are all hues and ocean blues.

Her traditional song:

LaSiren, LaBalenn,
Chapo'm tonbe nan la me.
LaSiren, LaBalenn,
Chapo'm tonbe nan la me.

The Siren, the Whale,
My hat falls into the sea,
The Siren, the Whale,
My hat falls into the sea.