{"id":18066,"date":"2021-10-15T18:43:34","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T18:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnival.com\/awaywego\/?p=18066"},"modified":"2021-10-15T18:44:24","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T18:44:24","slug":"creatures-caribbean-folklore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnival.com\/awaywego\/travel\/caribbean\/creatures-caribbean-folklore","title":{"rendered":"Creatures of Caribbean Folklore"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the downright creepy to the super sneaky.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part of getting to know a new place is diving into its culture, history, and stories, so the local folklore is a great start! Legends are influenced by a nation\u2019s landscape\u2014like how trolls came from the rocky<\/span> coastlines of Scandinavia<\/span><\/a>\u2014and the Caribbean is no different.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what kind of legendary creatures came from the beautiful beaches and tropical forests of Caribbean islands? Some that you wouldn\u2019t want to run into, and others you\u2019d love to see!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Goats beware!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chupacabra:<\/b> Puerto Rico<\/b><\/a> and<\/b> Mexico<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most famous of Caribbean folklore, the <\/span>chupacabra<\/span><\/i>\u2019s appearance is debated, but one thing is agreed upon: it\u2019s a vampire for livestock. It\u2019s been blamed for mysterious deaths of sheep, and especially goats, and is sometimes said to look like a scaly dog with long spines on its back.<\/span><\/p>\n

The legend originated with farmers in Puerto Rico, but has spread throughout Mexico and the American Southwest.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

La Ciguapa:<\/b> Dominican Republic<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

One of the most common Dominican legends, \u201c<\/span>la ciguapa<\/span><\/i>\u201d is said to be a beautiful, terrifying creature that looks like a woman with long dark hair that roams mountains and forests, like the Cotubanam\u00e1 National Park not far from<\/span> La Ramona<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only coming out at night, <\/span>la ciguapa<\/span><\/i> sometimes sneaks into villages to steal food, an unlucky sign, but she\u2019s better known for luring away wandering men who are never seen again! Not spooky enough? Her feet face backwards, making it harder to track her down or see her coming!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Some creatures you’d be lucky to find!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mami Wata and Papa Bois:<\/b> St. Lucia<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Not all<\/span> the legendary creatures of the Caribbean are bad news; seeing <\/span>Mami Wata<\/span><\/i> would actually be lucky! Legend has it, this mermaid-like creature is the guardian of rivers and water, and she grooms herself with a golden comb. But she also grabs travelers and takes them underwater. Not to worry\u2014she returns them unharmed, richer, and better looking!<\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s said that Papa Bois can transform into a buck as he roams the woods.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her counterpart, <\/span>Papa Bois<\/span><\/i>, is popular in St. Lucia. He\u2019s the protector of forests, so may be connected with the Castries Waterworks Forest Reserve (which can be explored by zipline!). He appears as a strong old man with a beard of leaves and sometimes deer horns. It\u2019s said you\u2019ll be fine if you run into him (except hunters)\u2014just be polite and don\u2019t stare at his hooves!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Anansi stories are some of the world’s best known folklore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anansi the spider:<\/b> Jamaica<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Anansi<\/span><\/i> stories are widely popular and came to Jamaica with the Ashanti people of West Africa. This trickster spider gets up to mischief and his stories have been told for generations to teach children lessons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes he\u2019s the underdog, using his wits to outsmart larger, greedy foes\u2014usually the tiger\u2014and these tales end on a hopeful note. Sometimes <\/span>Anansi<\/span><\/i> is greedy and the stories end with a warning; like when he lost his hair trying to hide baked beans from his neighbors under his hat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The vodou diety Baron Samedi presides over souls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Baron Samedi: Haiti and <\/b>New Orleans<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Haitian Vodou has some fascinating folklore and Baron Samedi is a well-known and powerful spirit also popular in Louisiana voodoo. As the spirit of the dead, it\u2019s believed nobody can pass on without his greeting, so he\u2019s also seen as a healer who can refuse a sick person\u2019s soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

Baron Samedi is said to resemble a skeleton sporting a frayed top hat and suit with dark glasses, and he\u2019s always drinking rum, smoking cigars, and telling dirty jokes. It\u2019s no wonder this outrageous vodou figure gained popularity in TV, video games, and movies, like the James Bond film <\/span>Live and Let Die.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From the downright creepy to the super sneaky. Part of getting to know a new place is diving into its … read more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":18070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caribbean"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCreatures of Caribbean Folklore<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnival.com\/awaywego\/travel\/caribbean\/creatures-caribbean-folklore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creatures of Caribbean Folklore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From the downright creepy to the super sneaky. 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