Voodoo queens. Legends of Marie Laveau, the Brutal Witch of Voodoo Maria Laveau American Horror Story

According to historical records, Marie Laveau was born free from slavery in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans, Louisiana), on Thursday, September 10, 1801. She was the illegitimate daughter of two free people of color, one of whom was a Creole.

On August 4, 1819, Maria married a certain Jacques Paris (in other records, Santiago), who emigrated to Louisiana in 1809, after the Haiti Revolution of 1791-1804. The marriage certificate is kept in St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. The wedding ceremony was performed by Father Antonio de Sedella, a Capuchin priest known as Père Antoine.

According to the records, Jacques Paris died in 1820 under unclear circumstances. The life story of Mary herself is shrouded in legends, there are very few reliable facts from her biography. She worked as a hairdresser, and this helped her win the favor of wealthy clients, to whom the priestess went to the house. It is believed that Mary gave one of her daughters her name, which is usually recorded as Marie Laveau II.

The mother possessed great power and was known as the founder of Louisiana voodoo, while the daughter felt great in public and performed rituals in front of thousands of people. Presumably, Lavoe II had three children, whom she sent to the Dominican Republic (Dominican Republic). She was afraid that the enemies who threatened to burn her children alive might turn out to be unfounded.

Marie Lavoe II's husband, José Huerta, raised her children as his own, thereby preserving the voodoo tradition in his family. The last descendants from the family of the daughter of the high priestess, who are mentioned in the surviving documents, were Victor Delgado-Huerta, born in 1999, and Maleny Delgado-Huerta, who was born in 2003. Victor and Maleni still practice voodoo, but they have not received any honorary titles.

One of the sons of Maria Laveau and her civil husband, Christophe Duminy de Glapion, was Alexis Celestine Glapion. He was born in 1834. The son remained in New Orleans, where he married Emma Wicknair, who gave birth to eleven children. The last known descendants of Alexis and Emma live in Detroit, Michigan (Detroit, MI), and Boston, Massachusetts (Boston, MA).

It is known that Mary was a liquor importer at least in 1832, on Dauphin Street in the suburbs of Marigny, New Orleans. She lived with her lover Christophe until his death in 1835. It is believed that the couple had fifteen children, including Marie Laveau II, born in 1827.

About the witchcraft practices of Marie Laveau, allegedly endowed with magical powers, folklore legends and tales speak more. It is not known whether she actually carried a snake named Zombie, named after an African god, or whether she actually “mixed” Roman Catholic saints with African spirits in her modified voodoo cult.

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There is an explanation according to which Lavoe was so skillful in divination because she had a talent for persuasion and used a whole network of informants. Her confidants worked in the homes of influential white people. Information about city events also came from a brothel that belonged to her.

Lavoe made voodoo charms known as gris gris using ingredients such as broken bones, fingernails, graveyard dust, horsehair, bird nests, colored stones, oils, and more.

Mary's influence grew, as did the number of her wealthy patrons, who admired her ability to keep their servants at bay. Mary won over slaves simply by bribing them or curing them of "mysterious" ailments. Some wealthy New Orleans Creoles, at the instigation of Lavoe, began to worship Dambala, the oldest loa (invisible spirit) in the religion of voodoo.

On July 16, 1881, Mary's obituary appeared in the Daily Picayune. She died on June 15, 1881, at the age of 86. According to the book "Voodoo in New Orleans" by Robert Tallant, the priestess died peacefully in her home. However, unnamed witnesses subsequently emerged who claimed to have seen Lavoe alive in the city after her alleged death.

Many believe that Mary's remains rest in the Glapion Family Crypt, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans. Tourists still visit the alleged burial place of the Voodoo Queen to this day. Some of them leave three coins laid out in a row on the grave or draw three crosses on the tombstone. In such strange ways they ask for intercession from the priestess.

On December 17, 2013, the grave was damaged by vandals. It was painted with pink latex paint. It is believed that this could have been done by a "homeless, mentally unstable guy" who wished to cover up all the crosses.

Marie Laveau served as the inspiration for some fictional characters. She appears as a main character in Jewell Parker Rhodes' 1993 novel Voodoo Dreams: A Novel of Marie Laveau.

Lavoe first appeared in comics in Dracula Lives #2 in 1973. She is presented as a powerful sorceress with great magical powers and the keeper of secret knowledge, who remains forever young and beautiful thanks to a potion made from vampire blood.

Maria Laveau's grave features prominently in Jane Jensen's "Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers" adventure video game.

So called the most famous American witches of the XIX century - mother and daughter Marie Laveau. They had the same name and practiced the same craft. The life of extraordinary relatives has long since become a legend.

Nimble Widow

Marie Laveau Sr. was born in New Orleans, presumably in 1794. The mixed breed, in whose veins the blood of white, black, colored and red-skinned ancestors flowed, was a freeborn. Marie was distinguished by striking beauty and drove many crazy. But she preferred the “colored” Jacques Paris from the island of Saint-Domingo (now Haiti) to everyone else. On August 4, 1819, she was legally married to him.

Marie and Jacques did not enjoy each other's company for long - the young hubby quickly disappeared. Marie insisted that he had returned to his homeland. Although evil tongues chatted, as if Marie personally sent her husband to the next world. The widow did not grieve for long.

She set up something like a beauty salon, whose clients were rich ladies and Creoles of New Orleans. Marie was known as a jack-of-all-trades: she combed, and curled, and cut her hair. Clients willingly shared their intimate secrets with her, talking about their husbands and their incomes, lovers, relatives, illnesses. Subsequently, the energetic lady used these revelations for selfish purposes: she did not hesitate to blackmail their former clients with them.

MASTER CLASS

Around the year 1826, Marie became the mistress of a certain Louis Christophe Dumigny de Glapion. Louis and Marie lived in love and harmony until 1855 - until his death. Lovers never sealed their bonds by legal marriage, but this did not stop them from producing 15 offspring. Having entered into a relationship with Dumigny, Marie closed the hairdresser and devoted herself entirely to witchcraft.

New Orleans of that time was the scene of a fierce battle between several queens of witchcraft, fighting for spheres of influence. Mari fearlessly got involved in the fight, wanting to subjugate everyone else. It was rumored that for the sake of her goals she resorted to the help of otherworldly forces.

The talented sorceress added elements of church worship to the already sensational sorcerer's covens - sprinkling with holy water, fumigating with incense, joint prayers to Christian saints. A born actress, she turned the secret ceremonies on Lake Pontchartrain into grandiose performances with prayers over a black coffin and the sacrifice of live roosters.

As a result, Marie Laveau's signature performances were wildly popular. The cream of society, members of the press, police officers and, of course, thrill seekers - everyone considered it an honor to get on the "show". Marie demanded only one thing from visitors - an entrance fee.

Meanwhile, there were other, more private events for the rich. One could spend the night there with a pretty mulatto, Negress, or Creole woman—for a fee, of course.

So, step by step, Marie achieved her goal and became the "ataman" of the whole city. All local sorcerers, healers, healers and sorcerers meekly obeyed her. Lavoe was approached for miracle cures and advice by blacks and whites alike. From whites for services, she did not hesitate to rip off exorbitant prices, while from blacks she did not take a penny.

CRIMINAL TALENT

In 1830, the offspring of a wealthy aristocratic family dishonored a young girl from a lower, albeit respected class. evidence against young man were pretty solid. Driven to despair, the young man's father went to Marie Laveau to enlist her support.

If the sorceress helps to achieve an acquittal for her son, the rich man promised her a house in the city center. Marie briskly set to work. At the dawn of the day, when the process was to take place, she went to pray in the Cathedral of St. Louis. There, the powerful soothsayer spent several hours at the altar grill with three pods of guinea pepper in her mouth.

Later, she contrived to put these peppers under the judge's chair. It is noteworthy that one of those young rake who used the services of the New Orleans sorceress was appointed judge. No matter how much the district attorney urged to find the defendant guilty, no matter how much he called for justice, his fiery speech did not affect either the judge or the jury. The defendant was found not guilty.

The happy father kept his word, and soon Marie and her large family moved to Saint Ann Street in the prestigious French Quarter, where she lived until her death in 1881. This house became the center of witchcraft, and small outbuildings probably served as a place for secret rendezvous between white men and black mistresses.

FAMILY BUSINESS

After her mother's death, one of her daughters took over her role. Marie Laveau was strikingly similar to her mother, only her skin was lighter.

Lavoe Jr. saw the light on February 2, 1827. It is not known whether Marie, the eldest, appointed her daughter as her successor or she took on this mission herself, but everyone agreed that Marie, the younger, lacked the scope and talent that her famous predecessor possessed. Marie, like her mother, started with hairstyles, opened a bar, and soon a brothel.

However, in some ways, Marie II still outdid her mother. She considered herself a zealous Catholic, trying not to encroach on the holy of holies - church services, rituals and holidays. The daughter pointedly neglected these things. She, for example, did not hesitate to completely redraw the day of St. John the Baptist, which fell on June 23, in her own way.

One of the newspapers described this festival as “a la Marie the Younger”. The event was celebrated in the St. John Delta on Lake Pontchartrain. First, the crowd greeted their queen with singing, then built a huge fire under the cauldron. The container was filled with water from a beer barrel. Salt, black pepper were also poured there, a black snake was lowered, cut into three parts (which was supposed to personify the Trinity), a cat, a black rooster and all kinds of powders.

Marie ordered everyone to undress, which was done to the singing of an endlessly repeated refrain. At midnight, everyone rushed into the lake to cool their ardor, and stayed in the water for about half an hour. When everyone came ashore, singing and dancing continued for another hour. Zasim Mari delivered a sermon and allowed the audience a half-hour "renewal of strength", that is, group intercourse.

Then they all had a bite, sang a little more, until the signal was given to put out the fire under the boiler. Four naked women filled the fire, the brew was again poured into the barrel. Now only Marie allowed everyone to get dressed and made another speech. By that time, dawn had already dawned, and everyone began to disperse to their homes.

WISH FULFILLING

Like her mother, Marie Jr. practiced sexual orgies, staged drunken brawls - in general, she promoted herself as best she could. But, no matter how hard she tried to achieve the same influence, she did not succeed. True, she reigned for some time at the witches' covens among the Negroes, hosted on Lake Pontchartrain, but her career was quickly declining. Very little is known about the second half of Marie's life, and this information is very contradictory.

Even the circumstances of her death are not exactly known. Some said that she drowned during a storm on the same Lake Pontchartrain in the 90s of the XIX century. Others said they had seen her back in 1918. It is believed that Marie II is buried in the cemetery of St. Louis. There, they say, girls from all over the area often rush: just one visit to the burial place - and young maiden miraculously finds the man of her dreams.

By the way, the famous “number one” sorceress, Marie Laveau I, rests in the same cemetery. There is not even a name on her crypt, but the path to it also does not overgrow. Here they leave sacrifices in the form of food, money or flowers, and then, turning around themselves three times and placing a red cross on a stone with a brick, they ask Marie for help.

Residents of New Orleans tell tourists that they have met the famous queens of witchcraft more than once in human or animal form. Mother and daughter allegedly turned into crows, into old women in long white dresses with characteristic structures of blue scarves on their heads.

Another time, the ladies wandered around the city in the form of Newfoundlands, turned into snakes, hovered in the air. And on the eve of St. John's Day, they made their way to Lake Pontchartrain to perform secret witchcraft rites. In general, to this day, the main New Orleans sorceresses do not give anyone peace.

Oksana VOLKOVA

Every resident of New Orleans knows about those times when the city was engulfed in darkness. One single woman inspired fear and terrified several tens of thousands of people. And no one dared to go against.

Marie Laveau was born in New Orleans in 1794. She was not an absolute black woman. Her father is the owner of local plantations, while her mother is a simple slave. Nevertheless, Marie grew up in prosperity and was brought up as a Catholic.

At the age of 25, she married a free black man, but soon became a widow - without money, without work.

On the remaining pennies from the dowry, the woman decided to open a hairdresser and did not lose. Her salon became very popular among the noble public. Rich ladies, sitting for hours in line with Marie, chatted about everything - about their husbands, lovers and their business.

Marie listened, memorized and pondered...how best to apply the information.

The solution has been found. Mari began to spread the word that she owns the ancient African voodoo magic. To the houses of noble ladies who were served in her salon, she began to toss Little home-made, very frightening dolls.

Black servants, seeing witchcraft, immediately began to frighten the owners about the curse imposed, which only a shaman can remove. The closest option was Marie Laveau.

Knowing much more about a person than he expected, she terrified clients, sold expensive elixirs, amulets and enchanted bracelets - in a word, she hyped them to the fullest.

Marie Laveau has a whole network of agents, And she herself began to call herself the Voodoo Queen. In other matters, soon she received this title quite officially. Marie Laveau was chosen as the next High Priestess, succeeding Sanit Dede.

Marie Laveau went into a frenzy. She began to organize open Voodoo evenings for everyone. Black slaves, and city moneybags, and laundresses, and noble ladies gathered there.

In her rituals, Marie Laveau now openly used body parts of corpses, hair, nails, animal entrails. Also, it was this woman who brought Catholic features to the voodoo religion - the use of incense, holy water and water. All this terrified the inhabitants of the city.

But most of all, the townspeople were afraid to find a voodoo doll or a bag of Gris Gris under their door. For all the absurdity of the situation, realizing that the damage was inflicted by none other than Marie Laveau, it was to her that they went to remove the curse.

Thus, in such a life, health and success, the one who paid the most to the Voodoo Queen won.

Did Marie Laveau actually have some kind of ability, or was her entire evil empire built solely on the psychology and fears of people? Of course, now no one can tell for sure.

Marie Laveau retired at the age of 70. However, she practiced Voodoo until the end of her days. The next queen, Malvina Latour, was not able to achieve such success, as, indeed, were her followers.

The power of voodoo magic over people began to decline. Although it has not been completely eradicated. Even today, on the grave of Mfari Lavoe, under the cover of night, secret witchcraft rites are held, and the tombstone is dotted with all sorts of spells and crosses, which, it seems, should bring good luck to those who left them there.

Hurricane Katrin almost completely destroyed the beautiful city of New Orleans. Gone is the stronghold of voodooism, with the famous French Quarter. There are no longer buildings that look like palaces. They turned into the ruins of a church with frightening crypts. This city was ruled by a terrifying magic, which at one time was called a cult at the official level.

However, she was unable to protect the city from natural element. No matter what tricks are resorted to for restoration, no one will ever be able to see the house, and later the grave, of the most famous woman in all of New Orleans - Marie Laveau, who turned into the very first and famous voodoo queen.

Hairdresser as a spy

The legend, in the person of this woman, was born more than 200 years ago - more precisely, in 1794. The birthplace was the city of the French colony - New Orleans. This year was marked not only by her birth.

At this time, the bloody dictator Robespierre terrified everyone. Europe was waiting with a shudder for the revolutionary events that were coming from France. But another mini-revolution took place at a great distance from Europe, on the present island of Haiti, the former French colony of Hispaniola.

Educated Negroes agreed with the priests and organized an uprising of slaves. After killing almost all whites, they declared themselves a republic. From that time until the beginning of the 20th century, whites were not seen here. They lived quite well and cheerfully. Just the fact that they chose a real four-legged goat as their king. Immediately after the horned one, the old necromancer Duval, who turned into a dictator, sat on the throne.

All the whites who managed to survive the terrible massacre in Haiti and, after the riots in Cuba, went to New Orleans as quickly as possible, along with their voodoo-addicted slaves. In total, there were about 10 thousand people in the city. Thus, these voodoo cultists ended up in New Orleans. It is not difficult to guess that the sorcerers now met at every corner.

Marie was the illegitimate daughter of a slave and plantation owner, and converted to Catholicism. She met voodoo only at the age of twenty-five, having married a native of Haiti. The husband of Marie Laveau, some time after the wedding, went to his homeland. He did not return from this trip.

Having become lonely, Marie began to explore a new kind of activity for herself. Her official business was hairdressing. With the money left from her father, she was able to open her own salon. Thanks to the dexterous hands of Marie, he became quite popular. Representatives of the local aristocracy came to her to fix her hair, make a mask or just chat.

It would be better if they came to the destination. As they say: silence is golden! A carelessly thrown word did its job. It is not known for certain whether Marie had a certain card index or she memorized everything, but she used all the information as needed. Very little time passed and all the talkers, with their husbands and children, fell into the hands of a clever hairdresser.

Bigger scandals aren't sensational these days. It’s hard for us now to imagine that a reputation can melt away from one hint that a noble beauty had blacks in her family, or that a young chevalier is an ordinary cheater. These unfortunate people had to remain on their plantations, surrounded by slaves, for the rest of their lives. They could no longer enter aristocratic society.

The whites ended up in the hands of Marie, who used blackmail. A more terrible weapon, whose name is voodoo, was used against blacks. To learn this science, she began to learn from knowledgeable specialist this area.

Once upon a time, John Montenet, the "prince of Senegal", was kidnapped into slavery. Marie had such success that the negro slaves, without hesitation, told all the secrets of their masters, if only she would not send angry spirits. The practice of carrot and stick became her weapon. Thanks to this tactic, she had the entire city in her hands. Very soon, the time has come for a revolution, but not an easy one, but a revolution in voodoo.

John Montene

Dancing with a python

Marie took great pleasure in destroying the purity of the Haitian cult. The first thing she did was to make the whole action spectacular. The main role was played by a giant python, whose name was Zombie. Embracing him, Marie began the ceremony with dancing. After that, everyone could enjoy the blood of a cockerel or hen, which was strangled alive by a python. It was believed that this contributes to successful witchcraft. The whole ritual took place surrounded by statues of saints from the Catholic faith. Holy water was poured on all participants and surrounding objects, including a python.

Marie was successfully able to link together the voodoo cult and the Catholic faith. A new area was born, which was called the voodoo of New Orleans. Instead of Latin, African prayers were used. The place of the spirits of Africa began to be occupied by saints. At the same time, the statues of these saints successfully replaced the masks on the altars. Many wondered: do the saints like these bloody-sadistic victims?

Marie's innovations did their job - whites began to take their place in the ranks of voodooists. Some were attracted by the possibility of ritual sex, others were attracted by witchcraft. Legends began to be made about Marie Laveau. Almost everyone believed that nothing was impossible for her. For the most part, she was simple. The main thing is that the named amount is paid.

One day a remarkable thing happened. One rich old man decided to marry a sixteen-year-old beauty. The old man was well over eighty, but the difference in age did not bother him at all. This is where money comes into play. The old man had plenty of them, but the girl's father suffered from their absence.

Grandpa, without thinking twice, agreed with the unfortunate dad, but the girl balked. The reason was trivially simple: the girl already had a fiancé, and she did not want to marry the old man at all. The bridegroom of the girl was a young adventurer who went to distant lands for large millions.

The father and the old man did not take the young man seriously, but the young romantic person put them in the first place. No persuasion worked on her, and, not having come up with anything better, they locked her in a hut. They put me on bread and water, sometimes they flogged me with whips. But she didn't give up. The old man had already begun to worry that instead of the bride he would receive a corpse. It was then that the girl's father offered to turn to Marie.

She hastened to assure them that the wedding would take place. Then she visited the newlywed, and gave the old man the magic powder in a bag. Marie didn't cheat. The girl agreed to everything, returned to her mansion, and a wedding date was set. The celebration took place. A chic dinner awaited the guests after the wedding ceremony.

After dinner, the ball began, and the old man began to waltz the young one. After taking just a few steps, he fell and died. A doctor was called, but he came too late. But for a young widow just right. Having become the legal wife, she became the legal heiress. The first thing the girl did, having gained wealth and freedom, was to call her beloved out of his journey. He no longer needed to chase big money.

Marie Laveau was such a clever person that her spiritual mentor Antoine considered her the most virtuous Catholic in New Orleans. All this despite the fact that she became the most powerful voodoo priestess. She was revered as the most virtuous woman, although, in theory, she should have been excommunicated.

Marie Laveau became the mother of 15 children born to her second common-law husband, Louis de Glapion. She devoted much of her time to prayer. Visiting the prisoners, she secretly sold them amulets so that they could leave the prison walls, helped those sick with yellow fever, which to this day is considered the most contagious.

To those who asked tricky questions, she replied that she had no idea about any African superstitions. All household members echoed her. The most amazing thing is that such a lie lived in a town where the population was less than 50 thousand. Considering how popular this woman was, many are wondering: for what reason did they believe her?

We can only assume that the provision was in effect: if you didn’t catch it, don’t call it a thief. It is unlikely that her spiritual mentor Antoine mustered up the courage to convict her of the coven. And in general, priests could not visit such places.

Death came to her as a devout Catholic. Pilgrims and voodoo worshipers came to her resting place. Until the water washed away the grave, jewelry, perfumes, crucifixes and other sacrifices were brought here to the great sorceress. Even after her death, she retained her lifetime activity: accepting gifts, fulfilling wishes.

The hurricane ended all of Marie's afterlife activities. How would New Orleans do without such an attraction? What will cost the spirit will appear near the stone, even if the remains are washed into the ocean.

voodoo tarot

Her personality is also displayed in the Voodoo Tarot cards. In this deck, Marie Laveau takes the place of the high priestess in the second arcana. This is not surprising. And here is the map itself:

Several cards from the Voodoo Tarot deck:

According to historical records, Marie Laveau was born free from slavery in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans, Louisiana), on Thursday, September 10, 1801. She was the illegitimate daughter of two free people of color, one of whom was a Creole.

On August 4, 1819, Maria married a certain Jacques Paris (in other records, Santiago), who emigrated to Louisiana in 1809, after the Haiti Revolution of 1791-1804. The marriage certificate is kept in St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. The wedding ceremony was performed by Father Antonio de Sedella, a Capuchin priest known as Père Antoine.

According to the records, Jacques Paris died in 1820 under unclear circumstances. The life story of Mary herself is shrouded in legends, there are very few reliable facts from her biography. She worked as a hairdresser, and this helped her win the favor of wealthy clients, to whom the priestess went to the house. It is believed that Mary gave one of her daughters her name, which is usually recorded as Marie Laveau II.

The mother possessed great power and was known as the founder of Louisiana voodoo, while the daughter felt great in public and performed rituals in front of thousands of people. Presumably, Lavoe II had three children, whom she sent to the Dominican Republic (Dominican Republic). She was afraid that the enemies who threatened to burn her children alive might turn out to be unfounded.

Marie Lavoe II's husband, José Huerta, raised her children as his own, thereby preserving the voodoo tradition in his family. The last descendants from the family of the daughter of the high priestess, who are mentioned in the surviving documents, were Victor Delgado-Huerta, born in 1999, and Maleny Delgado-Huerta, who was born in 2003. Victor and Maleni still practice voodoo, but they have not received any honorary titles.

One of the sons of Maria Laveau and her civil husband, Christophe Duminy de Glapion, was Alexis Celestine Glapion. He was born in 1834. The son remained in New Orleans, where he married Emma Wicknair, who gave birth to eleven children. The last known descendants of Alexis and Emma live in Detroit, Michigan (Detroit, MI), and Boston, Massachusetts (Boston, MA).

It is known that Mary was a liquor importer at least in 1832, on Dauphin Street in the suburbs of Marigny, New Orleans. She lived with her lover Christophe until his death in 1835. It is believed that the couple had fifteen children, including Marie Laveau II, born in 1827.

Folklore legends and tales speak more about the witchcraft practices of Maria Lavoe, allegedly endowed with magical abilities. It is not known whether she actually carried a snake named Zombie, named after an African god, or whether she actually “mixed” Roman Catholic saints with African spirits in her modified voodoo cult.

There is an explanation according to which Lavoe was so skillful in divination because she had a talent for persuasion and used a whole network of informants. Her confidants worked in the homes of influential white people. Information about city events also came from a brothel that belonged to her.

Lavoe made voodoo charms known as gris gris using ingredients such as broken bones, fingernails, graveyard dust, horsehair, bird nests, colored stones, oils, and more.

Mary's influence grew, as did the number of her wealthy patrons, who admired her ability to keep their servants at bay. Mary won over slaves simply by bribing them or curing them of "mysterious" ailments. Some wealthy New Orleans Creoles, at the instigation of Lavoe, began to worship Dambala, the oldest loa (invisible spirit) in the religion of voodoo.

On July 16, 1881, Mary's obituary appeared in the Daily Picayune. She died on June 15, 1881, at the age of 86. According to the book "Voodoo in New Orleans" by Robert Tallant, the priestess died peacefully in her home. However, unnamed witnesses subsequently emerged who claimed to have seen Lavoe alive in the city after her alleged death.

Many believe that Mary's remains rest in the Glapion Family Crypt, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans. Tourists still visit the alleged burial place of the Voodoo Queen to this day. Some of them leave three coins laid out in a row on the grave or draw three crosses on the tombstone. In such strange ways they ask for intercession from the priestess.

On December 17, 2013, the grave was damaged by vandals. It was painted with pink latex paint. It is believed that this could have been done by a "homeless, mentally unstable guy" who wished to cover up all the crosses.

Marie Laveau served as the inspiration for some fictional characters. She appears as a main character in Jewell Parker Rhodes' 1993 novel Voodoo Dreams: A Novel of Marie Laveau.

Lavoe first appeared in comics in Dracula Lives #2 in 1973. She is presented as a powerful sorceress with great magical powers and the keeper of secret knowledge, who remains forever young and beautiful thanks to a potion made from vampire blood.

Maria Laveau's grave features prominently in Jane Jensen's "Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers" adventure video game.