The Duppy
In Jamaica, people say the dead can linger as duppies, living in the roots of silk-cotton trees and walking the roads at night.
What was reported
A duppy is a spirit of the dead in Jamaican and wider Caribbean folklore. Each person is said to have two spirits: one goes to God after death, and the other, the duppy, can stay behind, especially if the burial isn't done properly.
Duppies are said to live among the roots of the great silk-cotton trees, and to be out at night. To keep them away, people scattered salt or rice, which a duppy must stop and count, and some say putting shoes under the bed the wrong way round confuses them.
Explanations offered
The duppy comes from West African beliefs brought to the Caribbean by enslaved people, mixed with Christian ideas. Customs like 'nine night', a gathering held after a death to help the spirit on its way, are still widely kept.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- As told across Jamaica
- Witnesses
- Jamaican 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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