Soucouyant

Origin and tradition

The soucouyant appears in Caribbean folklore as a woman who removes her skin and travels at night as a ball of fire. Stories combine fears of hidden harm with protective household practices. Related names and variants occur across the region, so the Trinidadian telling is one version of a broader tradition.

Illustration in this atlas

An old woman stands beside a vessel: the plate selects the daytime human guise. In many Caribbean tellings she leaves her skin behind and travels as a ball of fire at night; that transformation is not shown here.

References and further reading

1. en.wikipedia.org — Soucouyant
2. folklore.usc.edu — Soucouyant
3. humanitieskansas.org — 9aabc89965e14424a4fcefe11b99372e

These references offer further reading. Accounts and depictions vary; the atlas illustration is interpretive artwork, rather than historical or scientific evidence.