Soucouyant

 

 

ORIGIN

They are found in Dominican, Trinidadian and Guadeloupean folklore.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

They where first recorded a couple of hundred years ago during the times of harsh slavery in the islands. Some believe that they were tales that were made up by the slaves to scare their captors, others swear by their life that the creature, as well as the tales, are true.

 

APPEARANCE

By day, they appear as a normal old woman, but by night, when they take off their skin, they are the shape of a woman but completely engulfed in flames. They have bright red eyes and very long nails. They may also have wings, sharp teeth and a long tongue.

 

GENDER

Female

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

The name is also spelt as Soucriant. They are also known as Ole-Higue and Loogaroo (elsewhere in the Caribbean). They were also sometimes referred to as Loup-Garou (a type of Werewolf). This was a common term used to describe it, more common in the culture of Mauritius.

 

REPELLED BY

You can be rid of them by throwing a heap of rice either around the house or at a village crossroads. They will have to pick up all of the grains, which will be almost impossible to do before dawn, hence them perishing. You can also place some course salt in the mortar along with their skin which will prevent her from putting it back on.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

They practise Witchcraft, Voodoo and Black Magic. They will sometimes trade in the blood of their victims in exchange for evil powers which they will gain from a demon called Bazil, who resides in the silk cotton tree.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

They are a cross between a Witch and a Vampire. By day, they live as an old woman who would usually live at the end of a village, and by night, she strips off her old skin, places it in a mortar and flies off as a fireball. She will enter her victims homes either through their keyhole or through a crack or crevice. When she seeks out her victim, she will suck out their blood through their arms, legs and any other soft part whilst they sleep. If she sucks all of their blood then the victim will either die and become like her or they will perish completely and leave their skin behind, which she will have to use. They are part of a class of spirit called Jumbees (Spirits or Demons). Some believe that the creatures herself was brought over from European countries as she had a lot in common with the French Vampire myths. Some beliefs are also intermingled with those of enslaved Africans.

 

CAN BE FOUND

In their human form, they are usually found on the outskirts of a village, usually in seclusion. In their Vampiric form they are easy to locate as they are covered in flames. You are more likely to see them when they are in the sky.

 

TALES

In the French Indies, especially the island of Guadeloupe, it was believed that the creature could actually be anybody and not just an older female (much to the protests of some of the more superstitious community). They were often called Soukougnan or Soukounian.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

Some Caribbean islands, such as St Lucia, Haiti, Dominica and Trinidad, still have some belief in the creature. It is even believed that her skin is valuable as it is used for black magic. As for sightings, there are no recorded ones as such but that could be because she is quite a taboo subject in these countries. It may even be led to believe that some old women are often accused of being one of these creatures due to strong superstition.

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Aswang, Langsuir