Jamaican Folklore

Greetings fellow travellers, Anne here again! We just returned back from a very long, and boring day, because Anna just had to drag us with her to the lecture she held at the University of the West Indies. It was tedious, I'd much rather be chased by the Rolling Calf!!

 As you readers may know, if you have been following this blog for a while, I am deeply captivaded by folklore, and Jamaica is full of them😁! If you don’t know what folklore is, it can be explained through another name for it “folk tales”. Such as vampires, bigfoot, ghosts, and elves! Stories told between the commoners, to explain, what is unexplainable, often only written down after the stories have travelled around for centuries. Many think of them as just that, “stories” but others, such as myself, have a more open perspective.😉 Here are the most famous and widely believed in folktales in Jamaica, enjoy!

Duppies; restless spirits, and are basically what we know as ghosts, much of other Caribbean folk lore also revolves around duppies. They can be both good duppies, who help you along the way, by giving advice or information in your dreams (dream you), they are usually deceased people, who were close to you in their life, like relatives or friends. But there are also Bad duppies, who harm people by using obeahs(described in Olive Senior's Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage "The word used in Jamaica to denote witchcraft, evil magic or sorcery by which supernatural power is invoked to achieve personal protection or the destruction of enemies").

The Rolling Calf: If you’re going to Jamaica this summer, I’d advise strongly, not to walk in the dark, because there, a scary looking creature is lurking in the shadows, chasing night-time travellers, with wicked intentions, called the Rolling Calf. The creature is known for its red, blazing eyes that gash fire, and its body, covered in chains. Believed to be the sprits of past non good-doers, particularly butchers. 

Ol’Hinge (old Hinge, or in Trinidad; Sukuyan) – By day, the local old woman, living at the end of the river. And by night, takes off her wrinkled skin, and flies into the night, looking for her next victim. And enters their homes through holes, and cracks in your home. Where she then sucks the blood out of their victims.

To avoid this, you must find her skin, and put salt and pepper on it, that way she can’t put her skin back on, and can be killed. If this is a bit complicated, I’d advise you to cover all cracks, such as keyholes. 😉

- Anne

Sources: http://www.real-jamaica-vacations.com/jamaican-folk-tales.html