f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013

The Soucouyant
Derived from the French verb sucer, to suck. This is an old woman
who has sold her soul to the devil. Each night, she sheds her
skin and takes the form of a ball of fire. She flies about going to
houses to suck the blood of sleeping people as well as animals.
In Trinidad, if somebody walks around with what looks like a
hickey, remarks from friends like, “Eh, Eh, like Soucoyant suck
you or what” are common.
Douens
French doue meaning talented or gifted. They roam the nights
in search of living children who are not yet christened to take
with them. They wear large straw hats that hide their faces and
their feet are turned backwards. They call children by making a
haunting “whoop” sound.
Lagahoo
French loup-garou, for werewolf. This is a shape-shifter that can
change its size as well as its lower torso into half of one type of
animal. This is done at night as it rattles and drags chains and
carries in its hand, a whip-like bunch of dried sticks and reeds.
Papa Bois
French for Father of the Woods. He is half man, half goat; he is
the protector of the forests. He will not allow any trees or animals
in his forests to be hunted or destroyed. Death befalls anyone
who violates the forest in his care. He is a very hairy old man,
usually dressed in a pair of ragged trousers with a bamboo horn
hanging from his belt.
Gang Gang Sara
The African witch of Golden Lane, who on a stormy night, was
blown from her home in Africa across the sea to Tobago and
landed safely at Les Coteaux village. From there she journeyed
to Golden Lane in search of her family who had long ago been
transported there. She lived to a very old age and is revered for
her wisdom and kindness.
Papa Bois
Mermaids and Fairymaids
Where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet, there
were male mermaids who would mate with female fairymaids.
Silk Cotton trees
These huge trees are regarded with a kind of awed reverence
and fear. To cut one down is to free the spirits that live in them,
making them free to roam the earth.
All these stories lead many to believe in superstition and a
fair amount of solutions to guard or protect a person such as,
“If you encounter a spirit, especially a Douen, turn your clothes
inside out.”
Oh…to prove how superstitious a story teller might be, every
story should end with the sentence, “Crick Crack/Monkey break
he back for a piece of pommerac” or “Crick Crack the wire
bend that’s the way my story end.” This is done to ward off bad
spirits!
Soucouyant
The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago
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