Voodoo is a belief structure shrouded in mystery. Its primary elements are similar to other faiths. Voodoo has a very complex background, gathered from many areas. While there are many rumors and stories about Voodoo, many are merely misconceptions.

The primary elements of Voodoo are similar to other faiths: There is a central god, who is responsible for the creation of the universe. There are also several lesser gods or spirits, called either loa or orishas; each is the master of their own spheres of influence. The central spirit (in that respect, the one most like the Christian concept of "God") is Oloddumare. Other loa include Eleggua and Obatala.

Eleggua is the owner of all roads and opportunities, so he is definitely considered one of the most important loa. It is he that plays "messenger" between humans and the other gods, not unlike Nike, of Greek mythology. At the beginning of all ceremonies, he is the first orisha to be honored; if he is not honored, nothing can happen. In the Brazilian Candomble tradition, he is seen associated with the devil, as he is fond of playing tricks on people. However, other belief paths, like the Yoruba, his tricks are seen as lessons. This "trickster figure" is also similar to another entity: Loki, from Norse mythology.

Obatala is also similar to the Christian idea of "God", but more so than Oloddumare. Obatala is the loa of peace, harmony, and purity; he also fathered most of the orishas, as well as humankind. While often portrayed as a man, in some paths he is female. Obatala represents justice, clarity, and wisdom, and is often called upon when the subject is presented with a difficult decision or challenge, or has been wronged in some criminal way.

Initiation into Voodoo requires a very complex ritual, under the guidance of a Voodoo priest. Things as simple as calamities in his daily life can be a cause for initiation; if the priest diagnoses these calamities as coming from the loa, the initiation will placate the loa into ceasing their actions. Initiation will also satisfy any dead spirits of the victimÕs relatives; they will haunt the victim if he or she is wasting their potential, or their energy is being put to poor use.

The entire initiation process is a mock death of the victim; in Haiti in particular, the initiation is preceded by illness are personal problems, and the ritual is symbolic of a cure for the disease or problem. Once the initiate has been accepted, he prepares for the preparatory rites, which all occur within the span of one week. During the rites, songs and prayers speak of the misery and pain that is passing.

After this first week of rites, the heads of all involved (initiate and those helping in the ceremony) are washed in water, and the initiate is placed in "solitary" for another week. During this time, prayers and songs are sung about how the loa is to possess the person, thus freeing the person from the pain in their lives.

Voodoo comes from a very diverse background. Originally, it was formed when various African tribes were thrown together when slave trading began picking up during colonial times. Various African-native religions blended, and their primary deities became the various gods and spirits seen in Voodoo. The African gods also melded with the native religions in Haiti and other colonial areas; their influence can be seen in some of the various loa.

Hoodoo is a variant form of voodoo. Voodoo concentrates more on summoning loa to both worship and receive help from. Hoodoo, however, is concerned more with magical spells and hexes than spirit summoning. Both voodoo and hoodoo have positive and negative sides (white magic and black magic, respectively), and hoodoo does recognize the existence of the loa, but the similarities end there.

There are many misconceptions about the voodoo faith. The most famous is the Voodoo Doll. The Voodoo Doll is a physical symbol of a person; a relative, a friend, or an enemy, for example. The person who created the doll must use body "debris" from the subject; most usually, this is hair or fingernail clippings. The owner of the doll then subjects the doll to different stimuli, depending on the desired result. Needles in the dollÕs head, for instance, would obviously signify pain, specifically headaches and migraines. Sprinkling dust that signified something positive, however, would affect the person in a similar way, just through more passive means.

Another voodoo myth is that of the Zombie, or the walking dead. While stories persist of voodoo priests being able to raise the dead, however, this is more of a Hollywood-hyped myth than actual truth. The real truth, however, is that the "dead" are victims of the houngan, another name for voodoo priests. The houngan "kill" their victims with a chemical that simulates death. After the burial ceremony, the houngan comes back to the grave and "revives" the person, keeping them heavily sedated, so that it appears the body is alive, but the soul is dead. The priest then usually leases the zombie out as hired labor, receiving income from his victimÕs work.

Voodoo is also commonly thought of as devil worshiping. While voodoo is the worship of gods that are not recognized by the Christian church, it is far from Satanism. There is black and white magic, each used for malicious and beneficiary results. A good priest needs to have a working knowledge in both fields, so that he can counter-attack curses and hexes.

Voodoo is a widely misunderstood set of beliefs. Culled from a wide variety of sources, it is a perfect blending of faiths that, under any other circumstances, never would have combined. Since voodoo is so widely misunderstood, many rumors are well known about the religion, but the facts are more vague.