2. Trinidad and Tobago folklore is primarily of African foundation,
with French, Spanish and English influences.
When the French planters arrived with their slaves in the 1700’s they influenced local culture with their language, food,
Carnival traditions and stories
3. As you can see, the names like Soucouyant, Douen and La Diablesse are FRENCH derived words.
At the time Trinidad was heavily forested except in the major towns and cities, people were wary
Of the dark forests with the strange noises and used stories to explain things or to make people
Aware of things like overhunting animals, keep children safe and keep married men faithful.
4. Storytelling
Storytelling became a major feature of village life, with no electricity or entertainment,
Children would flock to the steps of the village storyteller at night after dinner to listen to
The tales.
5.
6. Soucouyant
• An old lady in the village
• Takes off her skin at night, stores it in a
mortar and pestle
• Turns into a ball of fire
• Flies around and sucks the blood of her
victims
• You can destroy her by rubbing salt
inside her skin while she is away
• Sprinkle rice all around the house, she
cannot enter until she counts every
grain.
7. PAPA BOIS
1. Papa Bois, also called Maitre Bois, lives in the forest and he is the father or protector of the animals
that live there.
2. He gets animals out of snares and treats sick animals at his dwelling
3. He can turn himself into the form of a large stag or any other animal as well to be able to observe
the hunters unnoticed.
8. La Diablesse
La Diablesse (Lajables), the Devil Woman, roams at night.
She has eyes like burning coals and a face resembling that of a corpse,
but hides it under a beautiful wide-brimmed hat and a veil over her face.
She has one cloven foot, which she tries to hide under her long skirts.
he turns up at village dances, where she is immediately disliked by the women
present, but she utterly charms the men and then asks one of them to take her
home.
Usually, the man is never seen again
If you light a match she will run away because she is afraid of fire.
9. Lagahoo
• (Lurgahoo or Loup Garou) is a person who can change
themselves into a half animal from the torso down
At night as it rattles and drags chains and carries in its hand
a whip-like bunch of dried sticks and reeds.
Old folks say that if you want to see a Lgahoo, put mucus from
A dogs eye into your own eye and look out of a keyhole at
Midnight.
10. Mama Glo or Mama D leau or Mama Dglo
From the French "maman de l' eau" which means "mother of the
water“
A half woman, half snake with long flowing hairwhich she combs
constantly.
Her upper torso is a naked, beautiful woman,
the lower part coils into a large form of an anaconda snake that is
hidden beneath the water.
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
11.
12. DUPPIES
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
13. BUCK
a dwarf like entity that rewards its 'owner'
with wealth untold or answers wishes
once fed with a steady and constant
supply of milk and bananas.
