Names of Umbanda Spirits

The best-known names of Umbanda spirits are Pretos-Velhos, Caboclos, Crianças (Erês), Exus, Pombagiras, Boiadeiros, Marinheiros, Baianos, Ciganos and Malandros. In Umbanda, entidades (spirits) are spirits of beings who once lived on Earth and who, having evolved spiritually, return to serve humanity. Unlike divinities, they present themselves through recognizable archetypes: the wise elder, the Indigenous person with knowledge of the forest, the joyful child, the guardian of crossroads. These spirits manifest through incorporation in mediums during giras, the working sessions, and the central purpose of this manifestation is charity: advising, healing, consoling and guiding those who seek help.

It is essential not to confuse spirits with orixás. Orixás are divinities, forces of nature and cosmic principles inherited from Yoruba tradition. In Umbanda, orixás generally do not incorporate into mediums: they act as governing powers, as greater energies that guide from afar. It is the spirits who incorporate and speak directly with people, working under the vibration of particular orixás. A Caboclo, for example, may work in the line of Oxóssi or Ogum, but the Caboclo is a spirit who has lived, while the orixá is a divinity.

Spirits are organized into linhas (lines) and falanges. A line is a large spiritual grouping connected to a vibration or type of work, such as the line of Pretos-Velhos, Caboclos or Crianças. Within each line are falanges, like spiritual subgroups or battalions, often identified by a leader's name. Names such as Pai Joaquim, Cabocla Jurema or Maria Padilha therefore often function as names of a line or falange: several spirits, in different terreiros, may present themselves under the same name without this referring to a single historical person.

In many terreiros, spirits are usually grouped into two broad fields of work: the right-hand and left-hand lines. It is important to make clear from the outset that, in Umbanda, these terms do not mean good versus evil. There are no good spirits on one side and evil spirits on the other. Both fields work for good and within the Lei, the principle of spiritual order that governs the religion. The difference lies in the type of task and the way of working.

Few figures in Afro-Brazilian religions have been as misrepresented as Exu and Pombagira. For centuries, prejudice and misinformation associated these spirits with evil and the Christian devil. This false association needs to be clearly challenged, because it lies at the root of much of the religious intolerance these communities still suffer today.

Something similar happens with Pombagira, compounded by sexism. Reduced to a cliché of seduction and danger, she is in fact a spirit of women's protection, self-esteem and dignity. Many women seek her guidance to regain strength in the face of abusive relationships and learn to respect themselves again. Treating Exu and Pombagira with respect is, above all, a way to challenge prejudice.

One of Umbanda's best-known concepts is that of the seven lines. The idea is that spiritual work is organized into seven broad vibrations, each linked to a governing orixá and particular types of spirit. Honesty is essential here: there is no single list of the seven lines. Different authors and systems of codification organized these lines differently during the twentieth century, and their names change between branches. What remains is the symbolic number seven and the idea that each line governs an area of existence.

Notice that the seventh line already appears in two forms, precisely to show how the lists differ. Some branches speak of the Oriental line, others of the African line or the line of Iansã. When studying Umbanda, it is therefore more useful to understand the principle of organized vibrations than to memorize a list as though it were the only correct one. To learn more about each governing orixá, visit our guide to the orixás.

If there is one concept at the heart of Umbanda, it is charity. The maxim that there is no spiritual evolution without charity, inherited largely from the Kardecist Spiritism that helped shape the religion, sums up the meaning of the spirits' work. They do not incorporate into mediums to impress or put on a show: they incorporate to serve. Consultations during a gira are free in the vast majority of reputable terreiros, precisely because charity is understood as a gift rather than a commodity.

A practical, respectful warning: charging large sums for spiritual work, promising guaranteed results or using the spirits' names to frighten and extort people runs counter to the principle of charity. Responsible spiritual practice offers guidance and care; it does not exploit anyone's faith or fear.

This guide is educational and cultural. Its purpose is to present, respectfully and accurately, who Umbanda spirits are and how they are understood within this living religious tradition. No page, however carefully written, can replace experience within a terreiro or the guidance of a religious leader.

Remember the historical context too: Umbanda and other African-derived religions were persecuted and criminalized in Brazil during much of the twentieth century and still face intolerance. Learning about these traditions respectfully is a way to challenge prejudice and recognize the cultural and spiritual richness they bring to the country. To understand this history better, see our page on the history of Afro-Brazilian religions and, to clarify terms used throughout these texts, consult the glossary.