Echoes of Ayida-Weddo at Dragon Cay, Middle Caicos
Dragons do not play prominently in Caribbean mythology. One notable exception, though, is Ayida-Weddo. A loa, or spirit in the Haitian Vodou canon, Ayida-Weddo (also Ayida-Wedo or just Ayida) is a revered maternal figure. She is the goddess that originally brought rain from the skies to replenish the earth. She’s associated with fertility, renewal, wind, and fire. Among her nicknames: Rainbow Snake.
Several echoes of Ayida reverberated around one of the Dragon Cay Resort sunrise experiences that the wife and I enjoyed on our July 2022 visit to Middle Caicos. The first one, of course, is the iconic offshore Dragon Cay that gives the resort its name.
It’s not always easy to make out the cay’s dragon shape from the shore. With the assistance of a drone, though, the dragon really comes to life.
From the head, top left, the cay widens into the torso. The tail, trailing to the lower right, thrashes about in the surf. Just beautiful.
As great as it is, though, the drone view doesn’t reveal all the Ayida-Weddo associations on display that special morning.
About 10 minutes into droning about, we were blessed with a brief bit of light rain. Looking over my shoulder from high atop Dragon Cay Overlook, a small, yet vibrant rainbow burst forth. The proverbial pot of gold at its end: Dragon Cay Resort itself.
Amid the gorgeous renewal of the new day, the Rainbow Snake reminded us just how blessed we were to be in such a special place.