Lagahoo
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In the folklore of
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
the Lagahoo or Lugarhou is a mythical shapeshifting monster. It is cousin to the French and the Germanic ''
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...
''. It seems like a normal human by day, but this creature takes on the form of a man with no head, who roams the night with a wooden coffin on its neck. On top of the coffin are three lighted candles and the long loose end of a heavy iron chain, noosed around its waist, trails behind him. Often, it is seen with chains around its neck, which change size. One appendage is said to be turned backwards. It can
shapeshift In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...
into various animals, including horses, pigs or goats, and said to often take the form of a creature similar to a centaur; it is also thought to be a blood sucker which is less than particular about its food source, making do with such animals as cows and goats. The Lagahoo also possesses the ability to alter its size from tiny to gigantic in an instant. To kill the Lagahoo one must beat the creature with a stick which has been anointed with holy water and holy oil for nine days. While beating the demon, it changes into other beasts such as a snarling dog, horse, cat, and pig, a wild bullaman and thunderous waves of water and finally will disappear into a black mist .


In popular culture

In Wayne Gerard Trotman's science fiction novel, ''Veterans of the Psychic Wars'', Soraya Doyle, a Trinidadian character, repeatedly refers to a shapeshifting alien as a Ligahoo. In the novel ''Kaya Abaniah and the Father of the Forest'' by Wayne Gerard Trotman, a psychotic shapeshifter from another planet has been impersonating several of
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
’s folkloric characters, including Ligahoo. The Lagahoo of
James Christopher Aboud James Christopher Aboud (born 1956) is a Trinidad and Tobago High Court judge and poet. Personal life He is the son of Jimmy Aboud and Lily Elias Aboud. He has three brothers, Gregory, Stephen and Gary Aboud, and one sister, Linda Aboud-Stephen ...
’s recent poetry anthology, ''Lagahoo Poems'', is an ageless, restless wanderer who "takes his shape from the wind" and "has no master", except his own hunger and desire. In ''Escape From Silk Cotton Forest'' by Francis Escayg, the Lagahoo are not all evil. They actually want to be part of a peaceful society. However, due to their "different" appearance - in this case they look like canine-humanoids with totally white eyes and can replicate the traits of the species they change into - they take the forms of several local species, goans and douans being the most mentioned Mentioned in the 2015 children's novel "The Jumbies" by
Tracey Baptiste Tracey Baptiste (born 7 March 1972) is a children's horror author from the Caribbean who uses folk stories in her novels. Biography Born in Trinidad in 1972, Tracey Baptiste moved to Brooklyn, NY, when she was fifteen. She received with an M.Ed. ...
.


External links


Caribbean Review of Books, "Here be monsters"



Notes

Trinidad and Tobago folklore Caribbean legendary creatures Shapeshifting {{CentralAm-myth-stub