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"Papa Bois" is the most widely known of all our folklore characters. He is the old man of the forest and is known by many names, including "Maître Bois" (master of the woods) and "Daddy Bouchon" (hairy man).
Papa Bois appears in many different forms, sometimes as a deer, or in old ragged clothes, sometimes hairy and though very old, extremely strong and muscular, with cloven hoofs and leaves growing out of his beard. As the guardian of the animals and the custodian of the trees, he is known to sound a cow's horn to warn his friends of the approach of hunters. He doesn't tolerate killing for killing's sake, and the wanton destruction of the forest.
There are many stories of Papa Bois appearing to hunters. Sometimes he turns into a deer that would lead the men into the deep forest and then he would suddenly resume his true shape, to issue a stern warning and then to vanish, leaving the hunters lost or perhaps compelling them to pay a fine of some sort, such as to marry "Mama Dlo".
If you should meet with Papa Bois be very polite. "Bon jour, vieux Papa" or "Bon Matin, Maître" should be your greeting. If he pauses to pass the time with you, stay cool, and do not look at his feet.
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"La Diablesse", the devil woman of Trinidad and Tobago folklore, is an old woman she has eyes like burning coals and a face that resembles the dead, who steps forth with her cloven hoof from behind a tree on a lonely road, the sound of chains mingling with the rustle of her petticoat. Sometimes she takes the form of a beautiful creole woman who with swinging gait and erect stature, who hides her face under a beautiful wide brimmed hat and a veil covering her face, she is dressed in a beautiful blouse with puffy sleeves and a long petty coat and skirt that falls to the ground where she hopes to hide her cloven foot- her feet hardly touch the ground -She may have a bag of bones, grave yard dirt and shells, she may cast a spell and be perceived as young and desirable, her rich perfume blending with the smell of damp and decaying things.
She attends the local village dances to lure some unsuspecting young man to take her home, as he follows her closely he does not notice that she walks with one foot on the grass to hide the sound of the "clop" of her hoof. She leads him deep into the forest and suddenly dissapears. He finds himself lost, bewildered, far from home and he is never found again.
If you feel you may encounter a La Diablesse on your way home, take off all your clothes, turn them inside out and put them on again, and this will surely protect you from a La Diablesse.
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"Mama Dlo" or "Mama Dglo" whose name is derived from the French "maman de l' eau" which means "mother of the water" is one of the lesser known personalities of Trinidad and Tobago folklore.
A hideous creature, her lower half takes the form of an anaconda. She is sometimes thought to be the lover of Papa Bois, and old hunters tell stories of coming upon them in the 'High Woods'. They also tell of hearing a loud, cracking sound which is said to be the sound made by her tail as she snaps it on the surface of a mountain pool or a still lagoon.
Mortal men who commit crimes against the forest, like burning down trees or indiscriminately putting animals to death or fouling the rivers could find themselves married to her for life, both this one and the one to follow.
Sometimes she takes the form of a beautiful woman 'singing silent songs on still afternoons, sitting at the water's edge in the sunlight, lingering for a golden moment, a flash of green - gone. Nothing but a big Morte Bleu, rising in the sun beams.
"Did you see a fish jump?"
"Yes, but it did not go back in again!"
If you were to meet Mama Dlo in the forest and wish to escape her, take off your left shoe, turn it upside down and immediately leave the scene, walking backwards until you reach home.
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"The Soucouyant"
She is the old woman who has made a pact with the devil to be able to change herself into all kinds of different forms like a ball of fire or animals.
She lives alone at the end of the village road, seldom seen, her house always closed up as she sleeps away the day.
As evening draws near, she stirs and sheds her old and wrinkled skin, which she deposits into a mortar that she hides carefully away.
Now, as a glowing ball of flame, she rises up through the roof and with a shrill cry that sets the village dogs to howling, she flies through the night in search of a victim and she would suck his 'life-blood' from him clean.
But she has to slip back into her skin before dawn breaks or the cock crows, so she hurries through the forest for her home, finds the mortar with her wretched skin and proceeds to put it on, - but something's wrong, it burns like fire, it seems to shrink and slide away, "skin, kin, kin, you na no me, you na no me", she sings, crooning softly, pleading to the wrinkled, dreadful thing. "You na no me, old skin." Then, with horror, she realizes the dreadful thing that has been done: The village boys and men have filled her skin with coarse salt and pepper and will soon come and get her, with a drum of boiling tar, the priest and his silver cross, the church bells - and then, the end.
If you wish to discover who the Soucouyant in your village is empty 100 lbs of rice at the village crossroads where she will be compelled to pick them up, one grain at a time - that is how you'll know the Soucouyant.
Ways to kill a Soucouyant
Traditionally, you must throw a handful of salt or rice or other small grains by your door or window. That way she won't be able to leave until she has counted every last grain. Hopefully, you can keep there until the sun comes up and she's caught without her skin.
Or you can beat her with a big stick when you encounter the ball of fire. The next day the bruised and battered old lady down the road is revealed as the local soucouyant.
Of course if you already know who she is, the task is simpler. After she leaves her house on her nightly outings, you take her skin and rub the inside liberally with salt and pepper. Then when she returns and dons her skin, she'll die writhing in agony.
Well, there is always the old crucifix to protect yourself from all evil, but I'm Muslim, so I hardly think I'm going to trust in that one. However, if you are Christian feel free to rely on this.
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The "Ligahoo" or "Loup Garou" is the shape changer of Trinidad's folklore. An ability which is handed down in some old creole families, this phenomenon is usually associated with an old magic-dealing man of a district who is both feared and respected, not only for his facility to change his form to that of a vicious animal, but also for his power over nature. He can lay curses and extended protection; from him, charms and bush medicine are also readily available.
At times the apparition may take the form of a coffin being carried through the streets and the clank of chains is distinctly heard. A single man may bear it on his head, protected by a giant "phantome". If by chance, the coffin and its gruesome attendant were to be used to facilitate the uninterrupted transportation of Bush Rum, this effect would virtually ensure its safe passage. If you want to see a Ligahoo and not be seen by it, take some yampee from the corner of a dog's eye, put it in your eye and peep out of a key hole at 12 midnight.
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"Douennes"Dwens are spirits of children who died before they were baptized and as such, they are doomed to roam the forests near rivers. Duennes are sexless, their feet are turned backwards and they have no faces (although they do have small round mouths). On their rather large heads they wear huge mushroom-shaped straw hats.
The may come near to peoples houses at night and start crying or wimpering causing parents who think it is their child crying to call out their childrens names.
To prevent the Duennes from calling your children into the forest at dusk, never shout their names in open places, as the Duennes will take their names, call them and lure them away into the forest until they are lost.
A story is told of a man called Lastique who was riding home one night, as he passed the big silk cotton tree at the corner of Belmont Circular Road and the Savannah, he heard a baby crying, so he stopped and picked it up, thinking he would take it home for the night and carry it to the orphanage in the morning. Cycling along, he was reduced to a state of absolute terror before he reached the hospital, he realized that the child was getting bigger and heavier. Suddenly the child said in a man's voice, "You'd better take me back were you found me", which the terrified Lastique did at once. As he drew nearer the tree, the 'child' shrank steadily back to its original size and was deposited, once more, a bawling baby at the foot of the giant tree. The moon, a silent witness, hid its face in a cloud as a chill wind blew and an owl flew out of the tree.
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Duppies are ghosts that roam the earth at night. It is said that to keep duppies out of your house you must either sprinkle salt or rice grains all around the house; as the duppy must first count each individual grain before entering. By which time the sun will have arisen and they must then return to the spirit world.
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Gang Gang Sara - The legend of Gang Gang Sara, the African witch of Golden Lane, has its origins in the latter half of the 18th century. On a stormy night she was blown from her home in Africa across the sea to Tobago and landed quite safely at the village of Les Coteaux. From there she journeyed to Golden Lane in search of her family who had long ago been transported there. She lived to a great age and is remembered for her wisdom and kindness. She became the loving wife of Tom, whom legend says she had known as a child in her native Africa. She lived to a great age and is remembered for her wisdom. After her Tom had died, wishing to return to her native land, she climbed a great silk cotton tree and tried to fly, not knowing that she had lost the art of flight as a result of having eaten salt. To this day the names of Tom and Sara can be seen inscribed upon the head stones of their graves where they have lain side by side for close upon two hundred years.
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MOONGAZER: Moongazers are men who are 100 feet tall and whose faces cannot be seen. They terrorise rural villages by standing with their long legs at either side of the road, while they gaze at the moon. If anyone tries to pass through their legs they quickly shut them and crush the person to death.
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JHUMBIES: These are invisible, evil spirits that roam both day and night. They are often responsible for all sorts of mischief. Babies are especially susceptible to their powers, and Trinidadian parents customarily put 'jets' (black beads) and 'acifecitur' (a strong-smelling compound similar to camphor) on their children to frighten jhumbies away. People who do not believe in Obeah say these spells are mere a subject of belief and not actual fact. Those who do believe in them know that these spells always take a price from those who use them. Their usual recompense is turnabout - exactly what you have used the spell to do to someone else will happen to you.
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MAMA MALADE: The spirit of a woman who has died in childbirth, Mama Malade roams the night in search of people whose spirit she wants to take with her to the other side. She gets unsuspecting victims by waiting until the dead of night and making the sound of a crying child outside of a window. Anyone who looks out of the window will be taken with her.
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Silk Cotton Trees
Silk Cotton trees are regarded with a kind of awed reverance and fear. These are huge trees. It is reported to be very difficult to be able to find someone who will cut down a silk cotton tree as they are said to be the home of spirits and duppies. To cut it down is to free them to roam the earth.
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To make your own personalized creature adventure, all you need to do is enter in the words of your choice according to each description. The results are sure to be surprisingly funny!