The Douens
In Trinidad, parents used not to call their children's names aloud near the forest at night, in case the douens heard and called them away.
What was reported
Douens are child spirits of Trinidad and Tobago folklore, said to be the souls of children who died before being baptised. They have no faces, or very small ones, under huge straw hats, and their feet point backwards.
They wander near rivers and the forest's edge and call to living children by name, luring them to play and lose their way. Parents were careful not to say a child's name loudly outdoors after dark, so the douens couldn't learn it.
Explanations offered
The douen is part of Trinidad's rich folklore, along with the soucouyant and Papa Bois. It combines Catholic ideas about baptism with older beliefs, and works as a warning to keep children near home at night.
- When
- Told for generations
- Where
- As told across Trinidad and Tobago
- Witnesses
- Trinidadian folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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