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Ghosts

Jumbee: Demons of the Caribbean

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The Caribbean is a beautiful place with beautiful people but if you find yourself out after dark watch out for Jumbees!

Jumbees (sometimes spelt Jumbie or Jumby) are demons or evil spirits originating in the Caribbean. The name Jumby is the generic name given to a whole cluster of malevolent entities, some believed to be spirits of the deceased and some believed to be demons.

A Jumbie is much more sinister than a run-of-the-mill ghost. Jumbees are believed to be the spirits of terrible, evil people who were destined to become agents of destruction upon their deaths.

The idea of Jumbees is influenced by the cultural melting pot that is the Caribbean. Jumbees have similarities to mythological creatures from African, Dutch, East Indian, English and even Chinese cultures.

We have gathered a collection of different Jumbees to tell you about but there are thousands more in different cultures around the Caribbean.

Bacoo

The Bacoo is said to reside in Guyana where many stories are told about these cheeky little creature.

The Bacoo is a dwarf-like entity that closely resembles the Irish leprechaun. Bacoos are mischievous and like to create havoc wherever they go. They are known to move items around, pelt houses with stones and any other activities that will illicit an annoyed response from a victim.

Bacoos don’t like the daylight and prefer to get up to their mischief under the cover of darkness.

Bacoos are said to be devious and are able to shapeshift into any form they like or even become invisible.

It is believed that if you provide a this jumbee with a constant source of milk and bananas it will provide you with untold wealth and grant any wishes you have.

One Guyanese legend tells of a rich man that kept his pet Bacoo high up on a shelf and used a ladder to reach him at night to feed him his tribute of milk and bananas.

One day he had to go out of town on a business trip and left his servant to feed the Bacoo. He instructed the servant to leave the milk and bananas at the top of the ladder and not to look at the creature. The owner knew the Bacoo would try to frighten the poor servant if he looked at the creature.

The servant couldn’t contain his curiosity and sneaked a peak at the creature at the top of the ladder. To his horror he was greeted with a giant black snake. He was so frightened he fell off of the ladder and broke his neck.

Choorile

Choorlies are similar to vampires or banshees and come from East Indian culture. This jumbee is said to look like a young human woman except their feet are turned backwards and facing the wrong way. Sometimes other body parts are upside down or out of place.

The most famous Choorlie is said the be the spirit of an evil woman who died during childbirth. Her child survived and she was stricken with grief and being separated from them.

The choorlie scours the land for pregnant women and babies who she cries out at in her grief.

This jumbee is said to have the ability to shapeshift into a beautiful woman in order to lure young men to their deaths. Choorlies often lurk in fields or hover around crossroads.

The Massacooramaan

Massacooramaan is a a large bigfoot-like, hairy man creature that lives in rivers and waterways. This jumbee is said to appear from under the water to destroy boats and eat the people within them. People who work in the interior of Guyana often speak of the Massacooramaan and are afraid of running into one.

This jumby is much larger than a normal man, and has big, sharp teeth. It is not known whether the massacooraman lives underwater or dwells on land but they appear to be fantastic swimmers either way. They have great strength and are able to pull entire boats under the water.

Moongazer

The Moongazer is a jumbie who is only seen during a full moon. He is described as very tall man with startlingly long legs. He is said to be very muscular and will either have a very light or very dark complexion. In some encounters only his shadow is seen by the light of the full moon.

In other stories the Moongazer terrorizes rural villages by standing with one leg on either side of a roadway, staring at the full moon. If anyone tries to pass under the Moongazer he snaps his legs together, cutting them in half.

The Dutchman Jumbee

The Dutchman Jumbee is one of the most violent and evil Jumbees of them all. According to local legends Dutch settlers and visitors to the Caribbean would kill slaves and bury them with their treasures and valuables to act as guardians for the items.

As a punishment for these disgraceful acts when the Dutchmen died their spirits were brought back to the Caribbean where they haunt the landscape.

There are trees dubbed Dutchman trees throughout the Caribbean. It is said that if someone climbs or cuts down one of these trees the Dutchman Jumbee will come and cause the person to fall and break their neck or cause them to have other forms of bad luck.

For many people in Guyana most unfortunate events are attributed to bad luck bestowed upon people by a Dutchman Jumbee.

Ole Higue

Ole Higue is a vampire-like jumbee known to be an old woman who sucks the blood of unsuspecting victims as they sleep. This jumbee is said to prefer children and babies as her victims.

This jumbee blends in with the village around her by disguising herself as an introverted old lady. At night she is said to shed her skin and hide it then head to the home of her unsuspecting victims. She turns herself into a ball of flame in order to enter the home through the keyhole.

If an Ole Higue is discovered within a village the whole community will come together to get rid of her. This can be done by turning the key in the keyhole when she is trying to enter as this will crush her. You can also find her skin while she is away attacking a victim and place hot peppers in it so she is burned when she tries to get back in.

How to prevent a Jumbee Encounter

Leave a pile of rice outside your front door. Jumbees are a bit neurotic and must stop to count the individual grains before the sun rises.

Cross water. Jumbees are not fond of water and may give up chasing you if you cross a river or stream.

If you are being chased by a jumby late at night walk backwards. If you are walking backwards the jumbie is less likely to follow you inside your home.

Leave a rope with many knots in it outside your home. The Jumbee will stop and try to untie all of the knots and be occupied until the sun rises when it must hide again.

Leave a pair of shoes outside the house. Jumbies don’t have feet and will try all night to put the shoes on.

If you enjoyed this article you may also like to learn about some less well known cryptids or the banshee of Ireland.

Further Reading

Tales of the Jumbee. Book by Henry S. Whitehead
(Affliate links. We may earn commission.)

Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste

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Ghosts

Crisis Apparitions

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Can we communicate with our loved ones telepathically during times of crisis?

In the early 1800s, Pastor John Frederick Oberlin moved to the town of Bande-la-Roche, France, hoping to educate the residents and relieve them of their superstitions. In the end it was Oberlin who was educated, becoming convinced that the apparitions residents saw in times of crisis were real.

Pastor John Frederick Oberlin and the Crisis Apparitions of Bande-la-Roche

John Frederick Oberlin, a well-known pastor, teacher, and philanthropist from the 18th and 19th centuries, completely changed the way of life in the Bande-la-Roche valley in the Vosges Mountains of Alsace. When he arrived in the area, he didn’t like the superstitions of the locals, especially their stories about seeing their dying family members appearing to them in spirit form before their deaths. Despite his efforts to educate them and speak against these beliefs, the reports of such sightings continued.

A significant turning point in Oberlin’s attitude towards the apparitions occurred in 1806 when a devastating avalanche struck Rossberg, burying several villages in its wake. The aftermath of this catastrophic event was marked not only by the physical destruction but also by an increase in the number of villagers claiming to have witnessed visions of their deceased loved ones.

As these accounts multiplied, Oberlin, the steadfast clergyman, found himself grappling with a growing sense of doubt. The sheer volume of testimonies and the intensity of the experiences described by the locals led him to reconsider his earlier dismissal of the supernatural. The tragic circumstances surrounding the avalanche seemed to challenge his previously held orthodox views.

In the face of mounting evidence and the profound impact of the disaster on the community, Oberlin began to believe that the villagers were indeed be perceiving spirits of the departed.

What are Crisis Apparitions?

In most supernatural encounters, the spirits involved are usually belonging to people who have passed away. Sometimes, however, the spirit seen is belonging to someone still living. What does this mean?

One idea regarding crisis apparitions suggests that when a person dies, their soul is released from their body. This liberated soul can then move freely across space and time. The belief is that the individual’s soul might want to make a final visit to say goodbye or provide comfort to loved ones.

In some cases, crisis apparitions involve a person who is still alive. For instance, someone might hear the voice of a loved one delivering a message or warning during a vision. According to a theory, when a person is in physical pain or danger due to illness, they might unconsciously project psychic energy to their loved ones. This projection could happen without the person being aware of it, driven by the challenging situation they are facing.

This type of crisis apparition resembles visions of those who have passed away. As the energy is sent to the receiver, their brain interprets it as an image of the sender. Researchers believe that some individuals may be more sensitive to this energy, increasing their likelihood of having paranormal experiences.

Other Notable Examples of Crisis Apparitions

A woman having an out of body experience is seen by her husband who was hundreds of miles away

According to Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s book, The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, (affiliate link) in 1863, a man named S. R. Wilmot and his sister, Eliza, sailed from England to New York. They faced a severe storm that lasted nine days. Wilmot, feeling seasick, stayed in his sleeping area for several days and nights. On the eighth night, after the storm eased, he dreamt that his wife, Mrs. Wilmot, visited him in a white nightgown, kissed and caressed him, and then left.

The next morning, William J. Tait, who shared quarters with Wilmot, mentioned seeing a lady visitor. Wilmot was surprised because Tait’s description matched exactly what he had dreamt. When asked, Eliza denied being the visitor.

Later, Mrs. Wilmot asked her husband about his dream, describing her own experience of going out during the storm, finding the ship, going to the stern, and entering the cabin. She hesitated at first when she saw Tait but eventually kissed and caressed Wilmot, just like in his dream. Mrs. Wilmot shared this vivid experience with her mother, insisting it felt too real to be just a dream and that she believed she had actually been on the ship.

A Man Sees His Wife’s Dying Sister-in-Law

“In the higher part of the door was a glass window, and I all at once, in the darkness, saw a face looking through that window. The face was very well known to me, though for the instant I did not associate it with the original, as she was 300 miles away. I instantly opened the door, found nobody there, and then searched the ivy with which the porch and house are covered. Finding nothing, and knowing it was impossible anyone could have got away. … I at once knew the face was that of a married sister-in-law of my wife’s. I told all our family of the circumstance directly I got home, and judge of our dismay when we had a letter to say she died at the very hour I saw her. Monday was the evening I saw the face, and on Wednesday, when we were at dinner, the letter came.”

W. Goodyear.

Apparitions of the Living Vol 1 p. 523

A Man Sees His Brother During a Near Death Experience

“It was either in 1874 or 1875. My brother was third mate on board one of Wigram’s large ships. I knew he was somewhere on the coast of Australia  …  I looked up, and, to my astonishment, saw my brother coming towards me from the outside door of the kitchen. … I noticed he was in his sailor uniform with a monkey jacket on, and the wet was shining on his jacket and cap. I exclaimed, ‘Miles, where have you come from?’ He answered in his natural ‘For God’s sake, don’t say I’m here.’ This was all over in a few seconds and as I jumped towards him he was gone. I was very much frightened, for I had really thought it was my brother himself; and it was only when he vanished that I realised it was only an appearance. … About three months afterwards my brother came home, and….I asked him in a casual manner if he had had any adventures, and he said, ‘I was nearly drowned at Melbourne.’ He then told me he was ashore without leave, and on returning to the ship, after midnight, he slipped off the gangway between the side of the ship and the dock. There was very little space, and if he had not been hauled up at once, he must have been drowned. He remembered thinking he was drowning, and then became unconscious. His absence without leave was not found out, so he escaped the punishment he expected. I then told him of how he had appeared to me, and I asked him the date. He was able to fix it exactly. … He had no recollection of thinking specially of me at the time, but he was much struck by the coincidence, and often referred to it. He did not like it, and often when he went away said, ‘Well, I hope I shan’t go dodging about as I did that time.”

Apparitions of the Living, Vol 2, p. 141

Billie Holiday Sees Her Mother at the Time She Died

Billie Holiday wrote in her memoir of a strange incident occurring at the time of her mother’s death. Her mom was very young when she had her, and they were close. In the middle of the book, Billie talks about a strange moment in a hotel room with her boyfriend after a show:

“I don’t believe in ghosts, but something weird happened that night… We were just sitting there when suddenly I felt my mother behind me, touching my shoulders. And I knew she was dead. I told Joe, ‘Mom just left, and she’s dead.’

‘You’re crazy,’ he said. ‘You must be losing it.’

‘Listen to me,’ I said, ‘you better be good to me because you’re all I’ve got now.’

Her mom wasn’t sick, and she was only 38, so nobody expected her to die. The next day, people acted strangely around Billie. She went up to the road manager and “told him Mama was dead and what time she died the night before…He blew his top, raised hell with everybody backstage. He swore somebody must have told me. But nobody had told me nothing.” The crew knew about Billie’s Mom but didn’t want her to know as it might impact her performance.

Knock Once for Yes Podcast covers the topic of Crisis Apparitions

Have you ever had a crisis apparition experience? Tell us about it in the comments. If you enjoyed this article you might also be interested in the phenomenon of paranormal apathy or twin telepathy.

Interested in Talking to Spirits? Try one of our paranormal communication apps!

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Ghosts

MacKenzie Family Omens

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The MacKenzie family received various omens to warn them of death that was about to occur in the family.

In the early 1900s, the MacKenzie family line in Scotland experienced several different paranormal omens, warning them about deaths that would soon occur in the family.

These stories have been gathered from 1934 book “Family Ghosts and Ghostly Phenomena,” by Elliott O’Donnell.

The Prophecy of the Face

One evening, young Sylvia MacKenzie was alone in her small house, sitting in the living room. She heard a tapping sound at a window facing a small garden. When she looked, she saw a strange face with a long, narrow nose and no nose at all. The eyes were very pale, set at an angle, and far apart. The face seemed to be looking at her in a menacing way. As Sylvia stared, scared and unable to move, the face slowly disappeared. When her parents came home, she told them about the scary vision. They were really upset because, as they explained, their family believed this ghostly face showed up only when something bad was about to happen.

The next day, Sylvia’s brother Robert, who was in the Canadian forces during World War I (between 1914-1918), was killed on the Western front.

Miss MacKenzie and the Ghostly Arm

One morning, another, unamed member of the Mackenzie family went upstairs to get something from her bedroom. While leaving, she heard something fall behind her. When she turned around, she saw an old-fashioned silver candlestick on the floor next to the chest of drawers. Curious, she went to pick it up and noticed a “beautifully round” arm, from the elbow up, coming out of the wall beside the drawers. The skin was very white, and the hand had long, slender fingers and filbert nails, like a woman’s hand. As she watched, the arm slowly faded away and disappeared.

After it was gone, she remembered her family’s stories about a phantom omen—a strange hand seen only by family members that predicted death and misfortune. She worried that her vision foretold her mother’s death, who was very sick at that time. Fortunately, her mother recovered fully. A few days later, the family received news that a cousin had died tragically. It made the young woman wonder if her vision had predicted this sad event.

Mr MacKenzie and the Cold hand

One night, Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie were at a cinema in Glasgow. While watching the movie, Mr. MacKenzie suddenly felt a cold hand touch his cheek. Annoyed, he thought it was the people around him playing a prank. A little later, he felt the cold hand on the back of his own hand and got really scared. He knew his family believed in a ghostly hand that showed up before someone’s death. Unable to enjoy the movie, they left right away.

When they tried to sleep that night, Mr. MacKenzie felt someone moving in the room. He lit the gas to check, but the room was empty, and the door was locked. As he went back to bed, the cold hand touched his forehead. He grabbed the arm, describing it as soft and slender, and felt it up to the elbow where it suddenly disappeared. The next day, they got a telegram telling them that one of Mr. MacKenzie’s sisters had died during the night.

Here is another gripping ghost story recounted by Scotish author Elliot O’Donnell

Have you had any similar experiences with in your family? Tell us about it in the comments.

If you enjoyed this article you might be interested in other omen phenomena such as Our Lady of Fatima or Katherine Hobbs predicting her own death

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