With their combined might, the Divine Entity Mawu-Lisa created their first and most powerful children: the major deities called the Vodun. However, not all Vodun are these powerful children crafted by Mawu-Lisa. The Vodun range in power and size, from the seven deities that are household names to wind spirits with no name and only a presence. All belong to the Vodun and demand respect if humans want to avoid setting negative events in motion.
The difference in power has split the Vodun into two types of classification: Named Vodun and Private Vodun.
Named Vodun
The mighty and powerful Seven Children of Mawu-Lisa — Sakpata, Xêvioso, Agbe, Gû, Agê, Jo, and Lêgba — count among the Named Vodun. Old and ancient, Vodun with proper names are often avatars of a principle or hold domain over an element. They sometimes mingle around people for fun, but generally they are non-corporeal and only show up when offerings are made to them or if their symbols of power are abused.
Private Vodun
Entities such as wind spirits and forest orbs are considered Private Vodun. They don’t necessarily lack names; rather, their names aren’t known publicly. They reveal their names only to those they desire to know or to those they consider friends. Sometimes, such as with forest orbs, they can’t relay their names in a way most creatures can comprehend. With Private Vodun more akin to elements, knowing their name carries a similar weight to speaking a spell incantation for invoking Hekan. It calls them, and that can sometimes be at the invoker’s peril.