#trinidad folklore

[bestiarium]

La Jabless [Trinidad mythology]

If you’re ever in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and a beautiful woman is making advances to you, be sure to check her feet! If she has one human foot and one cow’s hoof, she is actually La Jabless, a monster from Trinidad folklore. The word originates from ‘diabless’ or she-devil.

According to legend, this creature spends her time in cemeteries and crossroads at night. As she has one hoof, it is impossible for her to wear human shoes, which is why she tries to hide her feet. She is also known to attend festivities, after which she tries to seduce men and asks them to follow her home.

If she manages to lure a victim to her house, la Jabless suddenly transforms into a huge boar or hog and attacks the poor guy who was expecting sex but got a giant pig instead. If you’re ever in this situation, try to find two long thin objects (even two sticks or tree branches will do). If you hold them like a cross, the monster will flee.

One story claims that this monster used to be human, but she was so obsessed with physical beauty that she made a deal with the devil. She was tricked, however, and the deal backfired, transforming her into the Jabless.

La Jabless only attacks handsome and attractive men. So I, for one, am completely safe.

Source: https://triniinxisle.com/2018/08/07/trini-folklore-la-jabless/

(image source 1: Fabien Kong) (image source 2: gemgfx on Deviantart)

List of creatures so far

[bestiarium]

The Douen [Trinidad folklore]

In the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (in the Caribbean), there are myths about a strange type of creature known as the Douens (pronounced “dwens”). They are humanoid creatures (usually depicted as children) with no face, the front of their head is completely blank save for a small mouth to speak with. As such, they usually wear a straw hat to conceal their (lack of a) face. Their legs are backwards, too.

Although, many artists depict these creatures with faces but that's just artistic freedom.

The Douen often call children by their names to lure them into the forest. They can imitate the voice of the child’s parents for this. It is said that when a child dies before being baptized, they come back to the world of the living as a Douen.

I found no mention of these creatures physically hurting people, but they do seem to be fond of pranks and making people lose their way in the forests. Sometimes they call children in to the woods, and those are never seen again.

Sources:  https://triniinxisle.com/2018/08/10/trini-folklore-douen/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douen

(image source 1: Danji Art) (image source 2: Fabien Kong)

List of creatures so far

[darkeecofreak]

So I was reading MSND (again because I’m sad like that) and I realised that the main fairy characters have folklore equivalents. Oberon is the King and ruler of the woodlands aka Papa Bois who is a faun and protects the forests, sometimes he even fucks up the hunters. Titania is the Queen, beautiful and powerful, her temper affects the seasons and is definitely Mama D’Lo, the water woman. Mama D’Lo has a serpent’s tail and long green hair that she often combs, if a man comes across her, they have to marry her to atone for their crimes.

Since Puck is actually a darker spirit than the rest of the fairies, a trouble maker and synonymous with the devil, he could be a jumbie since that’s a mischievous spirit of a dead person. Titania’s servants can be mermaids or fairy maids depending (one is male the other female). Other servants can be La Diablesse (the woman with a cow’s hoof), La loupgarou (either a donkey in tennis shoes or a werewolf depending), the soucouyant (a vampire who walks around without her skin and can turn into a ball of fire) and douens (the spirits of children who died before they could be baptised.

In summation, I really love that play and I really wanted to adapt it to something local. thnx

[loopholeforloopys]

"Douen (pronounced Dwen) are considered to be the ‘lost souls’ of children that were not baptized or christened before death. It is said that they are destined to wander the earth eternally while practicing their collection of pranks. Neither male nor female, douens live in the forest, swamps and near rivers in Trinidad and Tobago. Their manifestation is that of a naked child never growing more than two or three feet in height. They wear a large floppy straw hat and have an entirely undistinguished face with the exception of a small mouth. The one characteristic that allows them to be recognized as douens are their feet, which are turned backwards with the heel facing forward. Douens roam the land in the pursuit of children that are not yet baptized, or christened in anticipation of luring them away deep into the woods until they are lost."