The spirit is called the God of the Crossroads (African: Yoruba, Fon; Afro-Caribbean; Afro-Brazilian). He also called the Messenger, the Opener of the Way, and the Trickster.
The saints with whom the crossroad figure is syncretized include Saint Simon Peter who holds the keys to heaven and earth, the Archangel Saint Michael the protector, Saint Anthony (usually Anthony of Padua, but could be Anthony the Hermit), Saint Lazarus the Beggar (usually pictured with dogs in a road or crossroad), El Nino de Atocha, Saint Martin de Porres. He is also associated with the energies or powers of the planet Mercury--or the Greco-Roman God Mercury/Hermes.
I have been told that this spirit will serve as the patron of interpreters, musicians, travelers, and small children.
In hoodoo, the name by which the crossroads spirit is often called is the biblical Saint Simon Peter. The Catholic Church recognizes Saint Peter as the patron of locksmiths and fishermen. Saint Peter is also associated with bridges. Most importantly, Saint Peter is often depicted holding a pair of keys because of these verses:
And Simon Peter answered [Jesus] and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:16-19 JKVBecause Saint Peter holds these keys of heaven and earth, images of him are used in prayers for protection from theft--as well as removal of obstacles and road opening. He is likewise invoked in workings involving court cases, probation, and parole pleadings. Christian folklore often referred to Saint Peter as serving as the gate keeper at the entrance into the Christian Heaven after bodily death.
If Saint Peter’s keys are depicted as forming an X-cross, they may be seen and utilized by hoodoo practitioners as connecting him to the powers of the crossroad. According to Christian tradition, Saint Peter was crucified upside down because he stated that the was not worthy to be executed in the same manner as his Lord Jesus. The crossed keys might be another form of the symbol of the reversed/inverted cross. His symbols also include a boat, a book/scroll, a fish with a coin in its mouth, and a crowing rooster.
An 11th-century homily called De Falsis Deis explains that Mercury/Odin was honored ot the crossroads.
In modern English, the text of this homily states: "There was also a man called Mercury, he was very crafty and deceitful in deed and trickeries, though his speech was fully plausible. The heathens made him a renowned god for themselves; at crossroads they offered sacrifices to him frequently and they often erringly brought praise-offerings to hilltops, all through the devil’s teaching. This false god was honored among the heathens in that day, and he is also called by the name Odin in the Danish manner." The Old English text is from Richard Marsden The Cambridge Old English Reader pp. 205–208.
53. Sum man eac waes gehaten Mercurius on life, se waes swyde facenfullYet, really, who is that spirit standing in the crossroads? Maybe it's Saint Peter. Maybe Papa Legba. Maybe Elegua? Maitre Carrefour? Exu? Other folks insist that the spirit that stands at the crossroads is the fellow that the Sunday-going-church-people call “the devil”. Since they say he is a Trickstor, I cannot be certain I have the correct answer.
54. And, deah full snotorwyrde, swicol on daedum and on leasbregdum. Done
55. macedon tha haedenan be heora getaele eac heom to maeran gode and aet wega
56. gelaetum him lac offrodon oft and gelome thurh deofles lare and to heagum
57. beorgum him brohton oft mistlice loflac.
Stand by the crossroads, and seek for the ancient paths, and walk in it.
May 23, 2019 Myth Woodling
Sources:
Denise M. Alvarado, Papa Legba and Other Spirits of the Crossroads, April 18, 2016.
Rod Davis, American Voudou: Journey Into a Hidden World, 1999.
Richard Marsden The Cambridge Old English Reader pp. 205–208.
Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Saints, Angels, Fairies, Demons, and Ghosts, 2009.
Papa Loray Gwonde Bon Boko, LE CARREFOUR ET LE CIMETIERE DANS LE VAUDOU, Sur le Sentier: Le Vodou Haitien, February 22, 2015, accessed May 22, 2019.
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers Saint Peter June 5, 2013, accessed May 22, 2019.