Post by anansi on Oct 26, 2015 21:44:09 GMT -5
Yes Halloween is upon us again, some will find it a great time to bring their inna freak out with weird costumes,bing watching horror flicks and acting don right ghoulish, but while the Halloween is a European cultural thing, lest we forget the African and Caribbean contribution of the Zombie which sparked a multi million dollar sub category in film making and as Caribbean communities in the U.S and else they will add their own flavor to this.
This is not meant to scare, but I have been yearning to explore this topic, mainly because I never was able to understand this concept even as a child. I remember many times, being sent to the country to spend long summers with my granny, terrified of encountering this image that many of my cousins claim to have seen or been possessed with. Having never seen anything myself, I cannot attest to the validity of this phenomenon and I could not be so presumptuous to assume that these stories are being made up since it appears that this is a worldwide concept (a duppy is a ghost in other cultures). However, I am confused as to why certain humans are capable of seeing or feeling a duppy and others are not. It is widely believed that babies are able to see duppies. However, since babies are unable to clearly articulate and communicate what they see, again I cannot support or refute this argument. Actually, I am more puzzled by the fact that, the humans that seem to be most evil by no stretch of the imagination (murderers, serial killers etc) do not seem to fear and are not affected by duppies. But some people may argue that these people are already possessed by duppies, this is the reason they are so evil.
www.freejamaicanow.com/hot-topics/duppy
www.freejamaicanow.com/hot-topics/duppy
Interesting facts about duppies...
Picture
A). Duppy is a Jamaican Patois word of Northwest African origin meaning ghost or spirit.
B). A duppy can be either the manifestation (in human or animal form) of the soul of a dead person, or a malevolent supernatural being.
C). In Obeah, a person is believed to possess two souls — a good soul and an earthly soul. In death, the good soul goes to heaven to be judged by God, while the earthly spirit remains for three days in the coffin with the body, where it may escape if proper precautions are not taken, and appear as a duppy.
D). Duppies are said to mostly come out and haunt people at night.
E). The "Rolling Calf" (a scary creature said to have chains around its body), "Three footed horse", and "Ol Hige" are examples of more malicious spirits.
F). In many of the islands of the Lesser Antilles, duppies are known as jumbies.
G). Barbados also uses the word duppy, it holds the same meaning as it does in Jamaica.
H). It appears that duppies cannot be photographed or recorded and they seem to really like the color white.
I). Duppies are often depicted as a pale or smoky version of their human form, as skeletons or as rotting corpses.
Picture
A). Duppy is a Jamaican Patois word of Northwest African origin meaning ghost or spirit.
B). A duppy can be either the manifestation (in human or animal form) of the soul of a dead person, or a malevolent supernatural being.
C). In Obeah, a person is believed to possess two souls — a good soul and an earthly soul. In death, the good soul goes to heaven to be judged by God, while the earthly spirit remains for three days in the coffin with the body, where it may escape if proper precautions are not taken, and appear as a duppy.
D). Duppies are said to mostly come out and haunt people at night.
E). The "Rolling Calf" (a scary creature said to have chains around its body), "Three footed horse", and "Ol Hige" are examples of more malicious spirits.
F). In many of the islands of the Lesser Antilles, duppies are known as jumbies.
G). Barbados also uses the word duppy, it holds the same meaning as it does in Jamaica.
H). It appears that duppies cannot be photographed or recorded and they seem to really like the color white.
I). Duppies are often depicted as a pale or smoky version of their human form, as skeletons or as rotting corpses.
quote]Rolling Calf
[
Be careful how you stroll around the Jamaican countryside at night, because you really don't want to meet a rolling calf. A huge, calf-like creature which rolls along the road, blocking the way of night-time travellers, and chasing them with a wicked intention.
It has blazing red eyes that gash fire, and a chain that it drags behind it, making an unnerving clanking noise.
To escape a rolling calf, the victim can do a number of things - drop objects for it to count (most supernatural creatures in Jamaican folklore can be escaped in this way), get to a cross roads (road junction) before it, open a pen knife and stick it in the ground.
A rolling calf is also terrified of being beaten with a tarred whip held in the left hand.
Rolling calves are always male. They are believed to be the spirits of people (particularly butchers) who were wicked and dishonest during their lifetimes.
www.real-jamaica-vacations.com/jamaican-folk-tales.html
[/quote]
River Mumma
River Mumma is a female water spirit who guards the source of many of our rivers. She can sometimes be seen sitting in the river, combing her hair with a golden comb.
She sometimes leaves her comb on a rock, to entice victims whom she then draws into the water.
In the days of slavery, sacrifices would be made to the River Mumma in times of drought, or when someone wanted to cross the river she was guarding. The fish in that location would not be eaten, as these were thought to be her children.
The River Mumma is often associated with the legend of the Golden Table, one of the popular Jamaican folk tales.
She sometimes leaves her comb on a rock, to entice victims whom she then draws into the water.
In the days of slavery, sacrifices would be made to the River Mumma in times of drought, or when someone wanted to cross the river she was guarding. The fish in that location would not be eaten, as these were thought to be her children.
The River Mumma is often associated with the legend of the Golden Table, one of the popular Jamaican folk tales.
Be Warned
!!!
