Ayida Weddo (Rainbow Serpent)
Ayida Weddo is the lwa of rainbows, serpents, wind, and water in Haitian Vodou, and the beloved wife of Damballa, the great serpent lwa. Together they form the primordial cosmic couple -- Damballa is the sky father, Ayida Weddo is the rainbow mother. She is depicted as a iridescent serpent, a beautiful woman entwined with a serpent, or as the rainbow itself arching across the sky. Ayida Weddo represents the bridge between heaven and earth, the promise after storms, and the continuous cycle of life. Her origins are in the Fon and Yoruba traditions of Dahomey (Benin), where she is known as Aido-