Gwo Bon Anj

The gwo-bon-anj (great good angel) is one of two soul-components in Haitian Vodou cosmology. It is the life-force and animating dynamism of the person — the breath, heat, and vitality that sustains bodily existence and comes ultimately from Bondye. During Vodou possession, the gwo-bon-anj is temporarily displaced by a lwa who rides the body; this departure is the condition that makes possession possible. At death the gwo-bon-anj returns to the cosmic pool of vital energy.