Santa Barbara de Muerte

If you are brushed up on your patron saints, you are undoubtedly familiar with Saint Barbara. She is the patron saint of artillerymen, engineers, mortarmen, bomb techs, and all others who work with explosives. Most of us bomb techs like to ignore all those other professions and claim Saint Barbara for our own. She is usually depicted with long flowing blonde hair and soft pale skin. She sits atop a castle tower often shown near or with a canon to due to the relation to explosive professions. She is a protector and a sweet, sweet lady.

That is not how I like to picture my Saint Barbara. See, my relationship with the EOD gods has been a much different experience. They do a whole lot more than protect me. They teach me lessons through close calls. Slaps on the wrist are met with a shocking loss-of-breath realization of how thin the line between life and death truly is. Even in EOD school, I did not feel protected by some entity. Instead, it was close to a year of scratching and clawing and just trying to keep my head above water. 

I like to picture my Saint Barbara more like Santa Muerte. Six pounds eight ounces of personified death.

Santa Muerte is more fickle than the typical Saint. To stay on her good side, and alive, one must devote oneself completely. Devotees will typically build shrines for her, donate various high-value items to her, and make sacrifices to her. In return, Santa Muerte will provide protection, success, health, and anything else you want. A merit-based Saint if you will. 

This has been closer to my experience with the EOD gods. I have to constantly read, study, and train to stay on top of my game. If I don't prepare properly the EOD gods seem to reward me with a swift kick in the ass. 

I am not, however, suggesting we abandon Saint Barbara. She is a sweetie after all. I guess I am suggesting a cross between the two.

Santa Barbara de Muerte?

Shirts coming soon...

-T