JAMAICAN FOLKTALES

Long before the times of TVs and storybooks, Jamaican ancestors would gather the village children in a large circle for storytime. The tales they'd tell were either comedic or frightening but almost always hid a meaningful moral.  

Many of these stories are still alive today, some taken more seriously than others. And although Jamaican folktales usually contain content that is blatantly fictional, such as a talking spider; a well told “duppy story” (scary story) can convince the greatest skeptic. 

DUPPY STORIES 

You say ghosts; Jamaicans say “duppy” and according to many, there are both good & bad duppies. A good duppy is usually a deceased friend or family member who would “dream you” (appears in your dreams) either to console you about their recent death or warn you about impending danger.

The bad duppies are the restless spirits who, for some unknown reason, want to cause you harm. You can tell that you are in the presence of a bad duppy if you feel as if your head is swelling. Two ways to “run” (chase away) bad duppies are by eating salt (duppies hate salt) or wearing your clothes inside out.

It is also said that duppies love playing with newborn babies. To prevent this you can do one of two things; place a bible opened to a Psalm at the head of the baby or tie a red ribbon around the babies wrist; duppies despise the color red.

RIVA MUMMA

The tale of RIVA MUMMA is read in storybooks at schools around Jamaica. She is the water spirit guardian of most of Jamaica's rivers. Riva Mumma has beautiful flowing red hair and sometimes she can be seen on the banks of the river combing it with a golden comb late at nights. When she realizes she's been spotted she leaves her golden comb on a rock to entice her victim and then drags them down to the bottom of the river with her. 

ROLLING CALF 

Beware when travelling along dark country roads at nights. There is a bull-like creature with blazing red eyes that rolls along the especially dark paths dragging a heavy chain behind it. The Rolling Calf blocks the path of its victims and then chases them relentlessly with the wickedest intentions. 

Your only chance of escape is to drop several items on the ground for the creature to count and escape during the distraction or running into a crossroads to confuse it.