The Pantheon

Courts of the Night

The entities of Quimbanda are not abstractions. They are personalities with biography, taste, language and law. Each line carries a distinct jurisdiction over the affairs of the living.

Exu in top hat and cape, dramatic chiaroscuro portrait

The Exus

Lords of motion, language and the threshold. Each Exu rules a different geography of the city, the body and the soul.

  • Exu Tranca RuasGuardian of the streets and locked paths.
  • Exu TiririLord of fire, breaks negativity and opens ways.
  • Exu MarabôWise counselor, master of decisions and contracts.
  • Exu CaveiraSentinel of the cemetery, judge of the dead.
  • Exu Sete EncruzilhadasWalker of the seven crossroads.
  • Exu VeludoDiplomat of love, refinement and seduction.
Pomba Gira in red and black lace with a red rose

The Pomba Giras

Sovereigns of desire, refusal and self-possession. The Pomba Giras hold court over the most intimate negotiations of human life.

  • Maria PadilhaQueen of the crossroads, sovereignty in love.
  • Pomba Gira CiganaVoice of fortune, freedom and the road.
  • Pomba Gira das Sete SaiasThe seven skirts — seven mysteries.
  • Maria MulamboPatron of the abandoned, justice for the cast-out.
  • Pomba Gira MeninaUntamed joy, the laughter of the night.
  • Rainha das AlmasSovereign of the spirits of the dead.