Soucouyant, or
Soucriant as she is known in
Dominica,
Trinidad, and
Guadeloupe, is a kind of
bloodthirsty Crone of the Woods, an old vampire witch. In other parts of the Caribbean islands, she is known as
Ole-Higue or
Loogaroo.
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| Soucouyant |
The Soucouyant can change her shape, and that of an old witch is not her real appearance. She only appears in this form during the day, as an old vampire, but with the onset of evening, she sheds this skin and takes the form of a ball of fire, which can be seen traversing the night sky in search of her next victim. The demon enters the victims' homes through any small space she can find, be it a crack in the wall, the floor, or even a keyhole.
Once inside the victim's home, the creature sucks the blood of the sleeping victim from their hands, feet, or softer parts of the body, leaving marks similar to bruises. Similar to vampires, if the demon sucks too much blood and the victim dies, the victim will in turn transform into a soucouyant. Sometimes the victim is completely drained by the demon's bloodlust, and the soucouyant takes their skin to use during the day.
The demon also practices black magic, witchcraft, and voodoo, and to strengthen her powers, she trades the blood sucked from victims for magical powers from other demons, such as Bazil—Bazil is another type of demon that lives in tropical Silk Cotton trees.
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| Soucouyant |
To protect themselves from this demon, people leave piles of rice around their houses or at village crossroads. According to legend, the Soucouyant will be forced to pick up this rice, grain by grain, in order to pass. This task cannot be finished before sunrise, and then, upon changing back from her fireball form, the demon is revealed. However, to destroy her completely, enchanted salt must be sprinkled on her skin after she has shed it to transform. Thus, the demon will no longer be able to put on that skin and will die with the rising of the sun.
A soucouyant's skin is considered very valuable because it is a rare ingredient in the preparation of spells and black magic.
Origin of the Soucouyant Myth
It is believed that the legend of this demon was imported to the Caribbean from French vampire myths. European vampire legends mixed with those of African slaves gave birth to the Soucouyant demon. The name Loogaroo is supposed to derive from the French Loup-garou (werewolf) and also appears in the folklore of Mauritius. In Suriname, this demon is known as Asema.
