DUPPY
allyGhost, wandering spirit
The duppy is a spirit or ghost of Caribbean folklore, a term of West African origin widespread in Jamaica, the Bahamas and Barbados, brought by the populations deported during the Atlantic slave trade. The word probably comes from the Ga language of Ghana. Duppies are most often perceived as malevolent spirits that come out at night to bring misfortune, but a benevolent duppy can also be a departed relative come to counsel the living in dreams. In the beliefs bound to obeah, the human being possesses two souls: at death, the earthly soul may remain near the body and manifest as a duppy if the ritual precautions are not taken — whence funerary rites often observed over nine days. Folklore attaches several famous figures to the duppy, such as the Rolling Calf, the three-legged horse or the witch Ol' Hige. In the Lesser Antilles, similar entities are called jumbies. The word has passed into popular culture, as far as London slang.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
A fragment of Onionkupón's Breath, bound to one of the five elements of the cosmic balance.
Sacred Mask
A mask carved of ancient energy — a symbol of the cosmic force proper to its pantheon.
Era
3,000–1,000 BCE — Cycle of Elemental Powers
Spiritual Lesson
To understand the nature of one's own balance and the wisdom hidden behind every trial.
Words of the Spirit
“The spirit crosses what the body cannot.”
Frequently asked questions
Where does the word duppy come from?
The term is of West African origin, probably from the Ga language of Ghana. It spread through the Caribbean — Jamaica, the Bahamas and Barbados — through the Atlantic slave trade.
Is a duppy always dangerous?
Most often it is described as malevolent and nocturnal. But a duppy can also be benevolent — notably a departed relative who appears in dreams to counsel or warn the living.
How does one guard against a duppy?
The beliefs bound to obeah prescribe ritual precautions, in particular at funerals, often observed over nine days, to prevent the earthly soul of the deceased from returning to haunt the living.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Wikipedia: Duppy (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duppy)
- Martha Warren Beckwith, Black Roadways: A Study of Jamaica Folk Life (1929)
- Dianne M. Stewart, Three Eyes for the Journey: African Dimensions of the Jamaican Religious Experience (2005)