Hector de Xangô

Born in poverty in Rio De Janeiro, Hector grew up in a shantytown, learning how to pick pockets and bilk tourists out of their money so that he might have enough to eat. He was barely 12 years old when an ialorixá, a Candomble priestess, recognized a spark of magic in him. She encouraged the boy to come and talk with her and eventually told him that the Orixá had chosen him and that Xangô, the Orixá of thunder and lightning, ruled his head. Hector became her apprentice, and the first time he attended a ritual of her santo (house), Xangô entered into him to dance. Hector felt truly alive for the first time in his young life, and he Awakened. Hector quickly outstripped his teacher, becoming a babalorixá, or priest of the Orixá, before he turned 16. Respected throughout the community for his strong connection with the spirit world, his good advice and his gifts for healing, Hector spent a fair portion of his time interceding with the Orixá on behalf of the people. Many came to him for advice and blessings, and word of him eventually reached other ears.

When Hector was 18, a Verbena Santeria master contacted him and recognized his potential. She offered to teach Hector about the true nature of reality, but he had to come and join her house in Miami. He agreed and found his new apprenticeship a humbling experience. Although he was a talented mage, most of what Hector knew of magic was self-taught. He had to start out at the bottom again, and there was a lot to learn. He spent several years learning all that his master had to teach him before he was ready to return home as a man and a true priest of the Orixá.

In his mid-20s, Hector went back to Rio, where he became a pai de santo, head of a house, with students of his own. It didn’t take long for the community to welcome him back or for Hector to feel at home again among them. For the past 10 years, he has divided his time between Rio and Miami, working with his fellow Verbena and their allies to further the cause of the poor communities in those areas. He has also made several trips to Africa to meet and study with masters of the Ifa tradition that is the root of Santeria and Voudoun, deepening his experience with the Orixá. Now in his mid-30s, Hector is recognized as a talented and capable adept and a teacher in his own right.

Hector de Xangô is a dark-skinned Brazilian man in his mid-30s with an intense glare that seems to extend right into the soul. He has a broad nose, sharp cheekbones and somewhat wild hair with a short beard. He tends to dress simply in a short-sleeved button-down shirt, a T-shirt or a tank top and a pair of loose-fitting drawstring pants. He often goes barefoot (preferring to feel the earth under him), but he wears sandals on occasion. He dislikes wearing shoes. He typically wears a necklace of cowry shells and a beaded bracelet or anklet. The foci for Hector’s magic are primarily the trappings of the Ifa tradition, including rum and cigars (favored by Xangô), drums, knives and cowry shells or kola nuts for divinations.