Saint Anastasia Escrava

Anastasia, holy Anastasia,

You who were borne by Yemenja, our mother,

Give us the strength to struggle each day

So we may never become slaves,

So that, like you, we may be rebellious creatures

May it be so. Amen

The above is an image of Brazilian folk saint Escrava Anastacia (Anastacia the Slave), the daughter of an African princess in colonial Brazil who was reputed to work miracles and be a model of virtue in her own lifetime. Renowned for her beauty and her beautiful blue eyes, she is said to have often exclaimed, “eu não sou escrava” (I am not a slave). The popular image is of her muzzled with an iron mask which many believe was a punishment for the refusal of her master’s sexual advances. She more than likely died of gangrene from wearing that mask, and is said to have forgiven her oppressors before her death.

Ethiopian Pegasus

This was a winged horse from Ethiopia documented by the ancient Greeks. It had the wings of a bird on a horse that had one great horn protruding from its head. It was born from an island in the Red Sea off the coasts of Ethiopia.

Stagger Lee (African American)

Stagger” Lee Sheldon was a black cab driver who in 1895 shot another dude named Billy Lyons after they had been drunkenly arguing and Billy had, “snatched Sheldon’s hat from his head.” According to the newspaper, after plugging Billy in the gut with his revolver, Stagger Lee, “picked up his hat and coolly walked away.”

Immortalized in song, Stagger Lee has become an archetype, the embodiment of a tough black man; one who is sly, streetwise, cool, lawless, amoral, potentially violent, and who defies white authority.^[4] Within thirty years of Shelton’s death, Benjamin Botkin records stories of his having been born with a caul over his face (signifying one with the power to see spirits and destined for trouble), or of having sold his soul to the Devil (in exchange for the hat, said to be magic, over which he killed Billy Lyons). Additional legends credit him with the ability to transform himself into animals, of having caused the San Francisco Earthquake, and of having fought a duel with Jesse James

It was mentioned that even the devil himself was afraid of him and somehow he managed to kick the devil out for a time and ruled hell itself.

Night Doctors, also known as night riders, night witches, Ku Klux doctors, and student doctors are bogeymen of African American folklore who emerged from the realities of grave-robbing, medical experimentation, and intimidation rumors spread by southern whites to prevent workers from leaving for the north.

Night doctors wandered the night looking for victims to dissect and torture.

Boo Hag (African American)

According to the legend, Boo Hags are similar to vampires. Unlike vampires, they gain sustenance from a person’s breath, as opposed to their blood, by riding their victims.

They have no skin, and thus are red. In order to be less conspicuous, they will steal a victim’s skin and use it for as long as it holds out, wearing it as one might wear clothing. They will remove and hide this skin before going riding.

When a hag determines a victim is suitable for riding, the hag will generally gain access to the home through a small crack, crevice, or hole. The hag will then position themselves over the sleeping victim, sucking their breath. This act renders the victim helpless, and induces a deep dream-filled sleep. The hag tends to leave the victim alive, so as to use them again for their energy. However, if the victim struggles, the hag may take their skin, leaving the victim to suffer. After taking the victim’s energy, the hag flies off, as they must be in their skin by dawn or be forever trapped without skin. When the victim awakes, they may feel short of breath, but generally the victim only feels tired.

An expression sometimes used in South Carolina is “don’t let de hag ride ya.” This expression may come from the Boo Hag legend.

It was also said that if a person placed a broom beside their bed before going to sleep it would prevent the Hag from riding them. Hags supposedly would be distracted by counting the straws of the broom and would not get to ride the person sleeping before the sun rose the next morning.

Basket Monster

According to Zulu mythology this is a monster that has the appearance of a basket. A story tells of how a woman left her baby in a basket to stop it rolling away as she worked but when she turned round later the basket had grown legs and scuttled away.

Waterlord

A seven-headed sea creature that causes droughts when it is insulted. A tale from the Fulani of Mali in Africa tells of a story about a girl called Jinde. Each day Jinde would carry a jug of water on her head and take some water from the river to bring home. One day the Waterlord rose from the waters and captured Jinde who then forced her to marry him. Despite being in love with another she had no choice but to become its spouse. Waterlord decided to let Jinde go back home to say goodbye one last time to her mother. But when she came back home, her parents refused to open the door saying that her home was with the monster now. She then went to the house of her old boyfriend who then took his father’s sword and protected her as they went to the lake. The Waterlord raised its head above the water to kill the young man but Jinde’s boyfriend was victories in the fight and severed off the monster’s seven heads.

This is alternate version to the one I read.

In Haitian folklore, werewolf spirits known locally as Jé-rouge (red eyes) can possess the bodies of unwitting persons and nightly transform them into cannibalistic lupine creatures.

Another variation:  Many Haitians believe that je-rouges, cannibal werewolf-like monsters or evil spirits that inhabit people during the night, trick mothers into giving up their children by waking them at night and asking if they can take the child. Sleepy mothers may answer yes or no. Je-rouges spread this curse like vampires by injecting it into unsuspecting human targets through fangs.