Voodoo and Human Sacrifice

While the setting of the show is in Louisiana, the neighbouring state is Mississippi which has a history for Voodoo, such as the practice of Mississippi State Voodoo. Thus, it is probable that some religious Voodoo elements have crossed over into Louisiana. One key element is that of sacrifice (which is a recurring theme of the show). There are few resources on sacrifice and voodoo in academic text, and one reason for this is because sacrifice (of animals) can cause a disturbance so scholars tend to shy away from this (4).

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Human sacrifice has roots tracing back to religions of Africa as well as Afro-Caribbean religions. While extremely rare, there have been few (unverified) cases of human sacrifice in African Voodoo. This is interesting to note that in Voodoo practiced in Haiti, human sacrifice is condemned. While there are many rumours about human sacrifice in New Orleans Voodoo (which is part of Louisiana), no one has ever confirmed a case of human sacrifice, with many people and scholars thinking that these reports are fabricated (5). Of the (very) few instances of human sacrifices that are rumoured to be a part of Voodoo, these are done to appease malicious spirits instead of other aspects of Voodoo rituals (6).