Superstitions might be quite similar in different countries, but in the Caribbean there are some element of folklore that seem to be common to the islands. The same folklore characters appear in many Caribbean countries, sometimes showing litte variations. Relevant characters as The Diablesse (a devil woman seducing men and leading them to death), Douennes (the souls of children who have died before they were baptized) or the Soucouyant.
The Soucouyant (Sukuya), also called Old Hag, is a supernatural being who has made a pact with the devil to be able to change herself into all kinds of different forms.
The Soucouyant (Sukuya), also called Old Hag, is a supernatural being who has made a pact with the devil to be able to change herself into all kinds of different forms.
At night she sheds her human skin and changes into a ball of fire or any kind of animal and casts spells on people to turn them into animals. She has to slip back into that skin before dawn, when the cock crows; otherwise she will not be able to get back into it.
When people suspect that an old woman is a Soucouyant, they may trick her by going to her house at night and destroying the skin she left behind by putting salt on it so that it will shrink and she will not be able to get back into it and thus die.
If somebody walks around with a "hicky" soukie- a mark- on his neck, he may get remarks from his friends like :" Eh, Eh, Soucoyant suck yuh or wha ? "
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