Celtic Origins of Bosou Twa Kòn

This paper explores the possible Celtic roots of Bosou Twa Kòn, also sometimes referred to as Bosou Konblanmen, the three-horned bull lwa (spirit) of Haitian Vodou who is often associated with other bovine lwa such as Bosou Twa Grenn, Bosou Dlo, Manman Bosou, Bosou N'Towo, and Kadja Bosou. I argue that though bovine worship can be accredited to many antediluvian and animist religions, the deification of a three-horned bull is principally characteristic of Celtic traditions. I therefore offer an alternative interpretation of Bosou Twa Kòn's roots to that of Alfred Métraux, who argued that the lwa's origins were uniquely Dahomean. Rather, I suggest that in concurrence with the inherent syncretism and religious creolization of Haitian Vodou, it is hypothetically conceivable that such a Celtic religious tradition could have been appropriated during the French colonization of Saint-Domingue, from 1697 to 1804

Appropriation · Celtic languages · Creolization · Epistemology · Ethnology · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Syncretism (linguistics · Theology · Worship · African Studies and Ethnography · Caribbean and African Literature and Culture · Cultural Identity and Heritage · History · Philosophy · Religious studies · Religious Studies