#soucouyant

[preethecaribbean]

The night-soil men can see a bird walking in trees. It isn’t a bird. It is a woman who has removed her skin and is on her way to drink the blood of her secret enemies. It is a woman who has left her skin in a corner of a house made out of wood. It is a woman who is reasonable and admires honeybees in the hibiscus.

Jamaica Kincaid, from At the Bottom of the River

[allmythologies]

day 30 of horror mythology: soucouyant

soucouyant appear as a reclusive old woman by day. by night, she strips off her wrinkled skin and puts it in a mortar. in form of a fireball, she flies across the dark sky in search of a victim. the soucouyant can enter the home of her victim through any sized hole such as cracks and keyholes. soucouyants suck humans' blood from their arms, necks, legs and other soft regions while they sleep, leaving black and blue marks on the body in the morning. if the soucouyant draws too much blood, it is believed that the victim will either die and become a soucouyant or perish entirely, leaving her killer to assume her skin.

[gennsoup]

She tells me now that she doesn't understand that thing called memory. She doesn't understand its essence of dynamic, and why, especially, it never seems to abide by the rules of time or space or individual consciousness.

David Chariandy, Soucouyant

[briefbestiary]

A burning being with some vampiric traits. As an additional note, if one manages to find her skin and rub it with salt or hot peppers, she can be killed as this will prevent her from reentering her skin.

[thegenxorcist]

Soucouyant

The Soucouyant is a creature of Caribbean folklore that has been passed down through generations and remains an urban legend in many parts of the Caribbean. Originating in countries such as Dominica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guadeloupe, the Soucouyant is described as a supernatural creature that takes the form of a vampire-like being with an insatiable thirst for human blood. In this blog post, we will explore the mysterious and fascinating Soucouyant and its connection to urban legend...

Soucouyant: The Vampire-Like Folklore of the Caribbean

[petewentzisblack1312]

can you weebs start romanticizing caribbean creole culture please. thank you.

[candela888]

After much research I have decided that vampiric entities in the Americas come in three different types, based on region. If u have any questions feel free to ask.

Vampiric entities of Mexico & Southwest USA:

Ojai vampire

Chupacabra (dog-like variety)

Tlahuelpuchi

Lechuza

Vampiro de Belen

Cihuateteo

Witch-like or animalistic. Tend to feed on defenseless children or animals. Many can shapeshift, usually into animals like wolves or owls.

Vampiric entities of South America:

Pishtaco

Abchanchu

Peuchen

Chonchon

Capelobo

Patasola

Tunda

Boraro

Animalistic and monstrous, many of these are barely even humanoid, usually horiffic to look at. Tend to go after adults, and are usually malicious. Many have backwards feet.

Vampiric entities of the Atlantic Coast:

New England Vampire panic

NYC vampire sightings

Hag, Ole-Higue, & Boo Hag

Chupacabra (alien variety)

Vampiro de Moca

Loogaroo/Rougarou

Soucouyant

Asema

New Orleans vampire sightings

Jacques St. Germain

Almost always humanoid, usually undead, sometimes witch-like, tend to attack people of all ages.

[annabelle--cane]

latest report on my vampire movie journey: byzantium 2012. I saw this one in 2015 or 2016 and, though I couldn't remember much of the plot, there were a few visual images that stayed with me, so I thought I'd give it another go now that I am older and wiser. overall I felt like the performances and cinematography were great, though it was a bit heavy handed and sensationalist with its treatment of sex work. it's doing a similar thing to bit 2019 with its use of vampirism as power and the idea of women reconstructing hierarchies of control in the process of rejecting patriarchy, and imo it does it a little more gracefully by connecting those hierarchies to motherhood rather that consciously political female separatism.

my real qualm is what the hell they were doing with soucriant folklore? I make no claims to be an expert on this but I've read a few novels by authors from the francophone caribbean that involved soucriants/soucouyants/soucougnans and they are simply not anything like what is presented in this movie. my best guess is they wanted to do that artsy genre film thing and avoid saying vampire but fucking. say oupire. why invoke afrocaribbean syncretic folklore when your movie has fuck all to do with the caribbean and your brotherhood of vampires is explicitly a hoity toity white boys' club? truly perplexing creative decision there.

[devilsskettle]

I wanted to read about the soucouyant. I wanted to write about her, I still do. What do I want to write? Just a book, probably, another tooth for the UL’s mouth. Something that explores the meaning of the old woman whose only interaction with other people was consumption. The soucouyant who is not content with her self. She is a double danger — there is the danger of meeting her, and the danger of becoming her. Does the nightmare of her belong to everyone, or just to me?

White is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi

[preethecaribbean]

[uzumaki-rebellion]

Final thoughts...

I have decided that Nicki is a soucouyant. She carries all the traits of one and since she's from Trinidad and Tobogo originally, it all makes sense as to why she acts the way she does. Her die-hard fans are douens, and again, if you know about island folklore from that part of the world, it all comes together.

And that my friends, is my last words about that woman and her stans.

[gennsoup]

"No, child . . . That won't make me happy. Justice don't never make anyone happy. Is just justice."

David Chariandy, Soucouyant

[courferrevevo]

Interview With the Vampire, S2E7 “I could not prevent it”

As always, the soucouyant seemed more lonely than bad. Maybe that was her trick, her ability to make it so you couldn’t decide if she was a monster. Still, I wondered if the salt and pepper were really necessary—they seemed too cruel when it would be easier to despatch her by blowing out her flame before it grew, or by holding a mirror up to her wrinkled face and saying, “I don’t believe in you.” But then, maybe “I don’t believe in you” is the cruellest way to kill a monster.

White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

[separatist-apologist]

In celebration of your new fic today, I send you options for a Wikipedia entry!

Vampire-like creatures from around the world!

Mapuche culture in Chile!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piuch%C3%A9n

Colombian/Afro-Colombian Pacific Coast!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunda

The Fiend, a Russian Folk tale!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fiend

And I’m from Louisiana so you get the Loogaroo

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soucouyant

(I will also be checking out the podcast!!! Thank you!!! I’m familiar with how Romans besmirched Cleopatra, but I love talking about it. I’m not surprised about Elizabeth, and I look forward to learning more about her!)

Your Wikipedia Anon

I fell asleep before I saw this, so there was no wikipedia article. I've been rewatching the Lizzie Bennet diaries, too- does anyone remember that? Lizzie JUST got to Collins and Collins.

I think I'd choose the Mapuche culture in Chile followed by Colombian/Afro-Colombian Pacific Coast- these are usually the two categories I prefer in my wikipedia article-ing. For some reason I am REALLY into geography when I'm on wikipedia.

[weather-phenomenon]

not to hv my tumblr card revoked but honestly werewolves n vampires dont appeal to me ni l'un ni l'autre in the slightest idk myb im just caribbean n a scaredy cat n ive had enough stories growing up during black outs abt soucouyant n la djablesse n douen n the tall guy at cross roads etc etc

[plotdevicetommy]

So I’ve been thinking a lot about The Winchesters and have some ideas that have sort of settled in my brain, mostly focused on thematic elements of importance. I have two of note I want to talk about:

1. Containers, vessels, or spaces used to trap, control, or destroy monsters

The monster box is the ONLY thing we know of that can kill the Akrida. It can also destroy other demons and was watched over by the loup-garou in its lair

La Tunda has a lair located in a commune, which is a controlled space from which people are discouraged from leaving. The essence of La Tunda is captured in a vial by the leader of the Akrida

Bori Baba has a bag which can trap victims. It serves as her home lair

Mars Neto is tied to an amphora that grants him his invulnerability. An amphora is a type of vase container, often used to store wine

Mac and the soucouyant are trapped in a cave-in

The mothership, of course, has the Malak box which can contain various forces. 

This theme of containers seems really crucial to our overall plot. Why so many containers? Who or what is trapped or needs to be trapped?

2. Illusions or mind manipulations

Bori Baba makes you destroy the item you seek in order to escape her. This is a type of mind manipulation or mind game forcing you to face your fears and let go of them

Mars Neto traps victims within an illusion of their own trauma background. 

The Akrida can use a mind control toxin that traps you inside your own mind. Similar to a djinn, it takes a dreamwalker to get victims out of the mind trap

The loup-garou is a type of shapeshifter, which while not an illusion has similar thematic concepts with the shifting of reality

Demon possession happens frequently, with John being possessed by Mac who feeds off of his anger and mental turmoil

Illusions and mind games or mental manipulations are frequent occurrences on the show. Perhaps something in the overall plot is tied to illusions or mind traps?

Now let’s get to episode 7, which is titled Reflections

When I think about reflections, the first thing that comes to mind are mirrors. Mirrors are present in a ton of lore and mythology. Narcissus saw himself in a mirror and fell in love with his reflection. Alice traveled through the looking glass into another world. In Supernatural, mirrors were used as a container for Bloody Mary. 

Some cultures and religions believe mirrors can trap a dying soul. A broken mirror can break a soul. Mirrors can serve as portals for ghosts. Essentially, mirrors have long been used both as traps and as pathways from one world to another. 

Mirrors can also be used to glimpse the future or other places in the world. 

Mirrors are associated with the truth. Frequently, glamours or other illusions can be shattered by mirrors. Mirrors can see into your soul, which is why vampires can’t be seen in mirrors. In Supernatural, mirrors let you see the truth of changelings, sirens, and wraiths, as well as shapeshifters. 

BUT mirrors are also associated with obscuring the truth. Mirror mazes and funhouse mirrors are sources of illusion, in which the truth is hidden. 

So what does all of this mean? I have no answers but I have suspicions that the long game of this prequel will involve some sort of monster container either being used or being broken open, and the breaking of an illusion. Perhaps the illusion of Heaven Dean is greeted with at the end of the show?