Pomba Gira

The Enchantress of Brazilian Quimbanda

Excerpt from Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly Vol. 1 Issue #2

by Denise Alvarado and Madrina Angelique

 

She is one of the povo da rua—people of the street—one of a class of spirits intimately connected to urban street life. Her sultry and provocative demeanor attracts the underdogs of society——prostitutes, the unemployed, homosexuals, transvestites—and just as often is sought out by professionals and politicians seeking wealth and power.

 

Pomba Gira is often called the Sacred Whore, Lady of the Cemeteries, Queen of the Crossroads, and Mistress of the Night. She is thought to be a Kongo deity unique to Brazil and her name is thought to be a corruption of Mbùmba Nzila, a district of Mayombe in Congo (Frisvold, 2011). Some say she is the wife of Exu and shares many of his characteristics. Some say she is a separate Spirit and a female path of Exu. She is a powerful protectress and is often called "the last chance.” She will help you when you are desperate, down on your luck and no other Spirit will cooperate. She is very powerful and very dangerous. She always gets paid in advance and nonpayment will bring great suffering to those who cross her. She is always willing to sell you what you need for the right price—positive or negative. She works fast and to the point so it's always a good idea to be very sure of what you ask for.

 

Pomba Gira is a spirit that is easy to relate to in that her imagery in her many manifestations is related to the everyday animal instincts and desires of people (vices, lust, indulgences, etc). She is very human, with concerns of the flesh and material nature, and shares in our human weaknesses. Pomba Gira, as well as the many Exus, are often considered amoral because they will fight the fight of justice and will destroy enemies without concern for morality and do so with complete and utter self-service in mind. This is one reason why she is considered by some to be dangerous to work with because she is called upon by people of varying moralities. The person who works with her can energize her dangerous nature or her helpful nature, depending on how she is petitioned and which path is petitioned.

Some of her magickal correspondences are as follows:

Food: honey, flour, palm oil

Drink: anisette or champagne

Color: red and black

Place: female  “T” crossroads

Scent: Red roses, cigarillos

Time: Midnight

Day: Monday or Friday

Container: metal or clay vase

For more information about Pomba Gira including a Pomba Gira Spell for quick money fro noninitiates, please see the full article in Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly Vol. 1 Issue #2.

REFERENCES

Frisvold, N. D. (2011). Pomba Gira and the Quimbanda of Mbùmba Nzila. London: Scarlet Imprint.

Hayes, Kelly E. (2009). "The Dark Side of the Feminine: Pomba Gira Spirits in Brazil". In Chima Jacob Korieh. Gendering global transformations: gender, culture, race, and identity. Routledge Research in Gender and Society.

A Prayer to Pomba Gira for Love

 

My Queen Pomba Gira Maria Padilha of the 7 crossroads, go wherever (insert name) goes, don't let him rest, don't let him sleep, don't let him talk, don't let him be cheerful, don't let him feel pleasure until he talks to me, it is, for the powers of earth, for the presence of fire, for the inspiration of air, for the virtues of water, I invoke the 13 blessed souls for the power of the sacred hearts. The tears shed for love, so that they go to wherever (insert name) is at this moment and bring his spirit to me, to tie it definitely to mine.

His spirit will soak in the essence of my love he will be back in double. (Insert the full name of the person) will never desire another woman and his eyes will always be only on me...
It will be!

Hail Pomba Gira Maria Padilha Queen of the 7 Crossroads! I ask you: go, turn around, go woman, turn around in my favor bringing (insert name) to me, asking; move air, transform fire, move air, transform fire, water becomes, earth heals, it turns the wheel turns, it turns the wheel turns it will bring (the full name of the person) back to me as soon as possible next to me, he won't desire another woman, he will be fine only by my side, he will miss me and will come to meet me and ask me to never let him go. (Insert the full name of the person) will want me and will not stop thinking about us together. It is and it will be.

Hail Pomba Gira! Hail 7 skirts! Hail your sisters, Maria Mulambo, Maria Padilha, and all the others! Hail 7 skirts! My good friend, woman of 7 Exus, defender of the women! Hail 7 skirts! My kind and glorious princess. I know your strength and your power, I ask the following: (insert name) will not sleep if he is not sure that we are together, his body will burn into desiring me, (insert name) desire for me will make him blind for other women, the other women will not see him as a man, the other will not make (insert name) desire them, they will not give him pleasure.

I am the only one who will have this power.  (Insert name) will not love, kiss, hug any other woman anymore and will let me be in his heart. Tear other women apart from him, the other women will not want him anymore. (Insert name) will look for me at all times, today, now wishing to be by my side, he misses me, (insert name) will always have my image in his thoughts at all times of his day and night. Right now, with whomever and wherever you (insert name) will stop and his thoughts will be with me.

When you lay down, when you wake up, you will dream about me and for this you will love me more everyday, if you are sleeping wake up missing me. You will be glad to hear my voice. (Insert name) will feel a desire for me that is not normal like he has never felt for any other woman and never will.

Hail 7 skirts! My kind and glorious Princess for the 7 Exus that follow your steps, I plea and I beg, tie (insert name) to the 7 knots of your skirts and to the 7 bells of your clothes for me. I thank you for your work for me. I will make public your name in exchange of this wish, bring (insert name) today and let him be always with me, let him be mine, let him be always with me and today he will think about me, he will call me and he will be back to me, because he will not be able to stand being far away from me, because he will be afraid of losing me. He will come saying that he wants me always with him, and he will want me to be his wife and mother of his children. It will be!
 

I trust the group of Pomba Gira of the 7 Crossroads, every time this prayer is read it will be stronger, that is why I will send it to the 4 corners of the world, asking oh Mother make this wish come true: I want to be with (insert name).

I know the groups of Pomba Gira are already blowing my name into the ears of (insert name) day and night, he will not eat, sleep or do anything unless he is with me, I trust the power of the 7 Crossroads and will continue spreading this powerful prayer, like this it is, it will be.

*Source: Unknown...will gladly credit if anyone can identify the source.

Pomba Gira from WIKIPEDIA

Pomba Gira is the classification of an entity,^[1][2] and an entity herself, who is commonly employed and worked with by practitioners of Umbanda and Quimbanda in Brazil. Pomba Gira is viewed as the consort of Exu, who is the messenger of the Orixas in Candomblé. Exu is similar in archetype to the greco-roman Hermes/Mercury, in that he is the messenger, businessman, trickster, keeper of roads, keeper of keys, etc. He is associated with the colors red and black, and the number three. He is often depicted as the devil; not in relation to purgatory, but in that he will do things to upset peoples' lives when they become too smug or complacent.

While Exu manifests and encompasses male sexuality, fertility and strength, she in turn personifies female beauty, sexuality, and desire.^[3] Pomba Gira is viewed as a beautiful woman who is insatiable. She is venerated with great respect and care, as her worshipers concede that her wrath can be firm and strong. Pomba Gira is often invoked by those who seek aid in matters of the heart and love.^[4]

Pomba Gira is noted for her connection with female and gay worshipers.^[5] Some Pomba Giras do display the characteristics of being promiscuous, talkative and vulgar. However she has many paths or avatars, and will be more or less inclined towards that behaviour depending on the path.

Some paths of Pomba Gira

• Maria Padilha (Queen of the Marys)

• Pomba Gira Cigana (Gypsy Pomba Gira)

• Pomba Gira Rainha (Queen Pomba Gira)

• Pomba Gira Arrepiada (Creeped Pomba Gira)

• Maria Molambo

• Rosa Caveira (Rose Skull, literally)

• Pomba Gira das Sete Encruzilhadas (Pomba Gira of the Seven Crossroads)

• Pomba Gira dos 7 Cruzeiros da Calunga (Pomba Gira of the Seven Crosses of Kalunga)

• Pomba Gira Mirongueira (Enchantress Pomba Gira)

• Maria Quitéria

• Rainha das Rainhas (Queen of Queens)

• Pomba Gira Mocinha (Young Girl Pomba Gira)

• Rainha Sete Encruzilhadas (Queen Seven Crossroads)

• Rainha do Cemitério (Queen of the Graveyard)

• Pomba Gira das Almas (Pomba Gira of the Souls)

• Praia (Beach)

• Dama da Noite (Lady of the Night)

• Pomba Gira Sete Calungas (Pomba Gira Seven Kalungas)

• Maria Mulambo das Sete Catacumbas (literally, Lame Mary of the Seven Tombs)

References

1. Ashcraft-Eason, Lillian; Martin, Darnise C.; Olademo, Oyeronke (2010). Women and new and Africana religions. Women and religion in the world.

2.  "Said to be the spirits of the "people of the street" (povo da rua): prostitutes, conmen, and others forced by circumstance to live by their wits, exu and pomba gira spirits represent marginalized social types."

3. Hayes, Kelly E. (August 2008). "Wicked Women and Femmes Fatales: Gender, Power, and Pomba Gira in Brazil". History of Religions 48 (1): 1–21.

4. Hayes, Kelly E. (2009). "The Dark Side of the Feminine: Pomba Gira Spirits in Brazil". In Chima Jacob Korieh. Gendering global transformations: gender, culture, race, and identity. Routledge Research in Gender and Society. 16. Taylor & Francis US. pp. 119–132. "Indeed, her profile is familiar to any inhabitant of the Western world, for Pomba Gira is the archetypal femme fatale, that seductive yet perilous siren depicted in pulp fiction and film noir. Possibly evil, definitely dangerous, she is the embodiment of a transgressive femininity that is at once beguiling and deadly: the dark side of the feminine."

5. Chestnut, Andrew (2007). "Latin America's Free Market of Faith". In Steigenga, Timothy J.; Cleary, Edward L.. Conversion of a continent: contemporary religious change in Latin America. Rutgers University Press. p. 87.  "A married woman, for example, who suspects an acquaintance of having an affair with her husband might ask Pomba Gira to harm the other woman so that she is no longer the object of her husband's affection."

6. Conner, Randy P.; Sparks, David Hatfield (2004). Queering creole spiritual traditions: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender participation in African-inspired traditions in the Americas. Haworth gay & lesbian studies. Psychology Press. pp. 81–84.