Soucouyant Trinidad Folklore
A Soucouyant at the moment she sheds her skin and turns into a ball of fire. Take a handful of salt to protect yourself. If you see the ball of fire coming fast towards you, pelt she with it
Soucouyant ain’t easy, she is a wicked flying vampire who likes to suck the blood of the young first born who have dirty thoughts on their mind. No matter where what you do, she knows what you are thinking. And when you think is safe, she’ll appear and bite and suck all the blood out. Only when they find two pin marks on your body, she’ll live another day. If you see a ball of fire in the sky, run for salt . Soucouyants generally attacks you while you sleep. To prevent a Soucouyant from entering your home, you must leave a plate of rice near the window where she will count every grain before she can enter. If she miscounts, she’ll start counting the rice again.
Soucouyant opens up, I is a strong and independent lady, neighbors does jealous over dat
Miss Soucouyant (spinster) orignally from Mayaro village, Trinidad sits down for an exclusive interview to quell the misconceptions over her alleged blood addiction, fire and skin issues of tormenting her community. Her skin she says is all natural. “The skin the the largest organ in the body, you have to take good care of it”. With a few dry tear drops wiped with a orange hankie taken from her brassiere, Miss Ball of Fire always wanted to be a seamstress, she went to morning school to learn the trade, but her natural routine kept her up all night and she was too exhausted. “Its something my grandmother always taught me, kept your family customs, instead of two bites, just bite one” Miss Soucouyant said the only way to stop her is to stop thinking of naughty thoughts and stay awake all night. She also mentioned she’s extremely allergic to salt.
The moral of this myth is based on the stigma or ostracizing of a woman if she lives alone or is unmarried. There terms are to keep your mind clean and not to gossip over things that not concern you.
Addendum: One of the most believed folklore characters with stories of seeing a Soucouyant in the sky and of one been stoned (Old railway, San Fernando). The victim being a sick old woman who lived alone and was believed to be a Soucouyant based on a skin malady.This is the result of the salt affects on her skin. The Soucouyant sheds her skin and hangs it up before she turns in a ball of fire. At night, you must enter her house and put salt on it.
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