Boo Hag

A Boo Hag is a mythical creature in the folklore of South Carolina's Gullah culture. It is a regionalized version of the Hag myth.

The legend

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 "ridin'" you.cite web |url=http://www.charlestonghosts.com/boohag_story.html |title=Charleston South Carolina Ghosts - Boo Hag Legend |accessdate=2007-12-31 |author=Eric Wright |quote=] cite web |url=http://www.visitcharleston.org/ghosts.htm |title=Charlestn Ghosts |accessdate=2007-12-31] cite web |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=xfI8ikLv7E8C&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&source=web&ots=OpoBNxHLrX&sig=ITvPSU892TVKq467hNztFAQT0Ro |title=Wicked Charleston: The Dark Side of ...|accessdate=2007-12-31 |author=Jones, Mark R. |date=2005 |publisher=The History Press |pages=128 |isbn=978-1596290761]

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 ridin'.

When a hag determines a victim is suitable for "ridin'", 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.Fact|date=December 2007

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.Fact|date=December 2007

Boo Hags referenced outside South Carolina

While the Boo Hag is a product of Gullah culture, the legend has managed to become known on a wider scale. The legend has been used as an object lesson in stranger danger. cite book | last = McKissack | first = Patricia | coauthors = Onawumi Jean Moss | title = Precious and the Boo Hag | publisher = Atheneum (Anne Schwartz Books) | year = 2005 | pages = 40 | isbn = 978-0689851940 | quote = "Now remember, don't let nothing and nobody in this house—not even me, 'cause I got a key." ] [cite web |title=Precious and the Boo Hag |url=http://www.state.lib.la.us/empowerlibrary/PRECIOUS%20AND%20THE%20BOO%20HAG.pdf |accessdate=2007-12-31 |author=Louisiana State Library |date=2007-04-27 |format=pdf |pages=3] The legend has also been the subject of song,cite web |url=http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=45021 |title=Ballad of the Boo Hag by David Bowles |accessdate=2007-12-31] and poetry.cite web |url=http://thestarlitecafe.com/poems/71/poem_8233338631.html |title=Poetry From The Starlite Cafe: The Legend of the Boo Hag |accessdate=2007-12-31]

External links

* [http://www.charlestonwalks.com/ghosts.html Ghosts & Legends Tour of Charleston]
* [http://www.common-place.org/vol-03/no-01/seeman/seeman-2.shtml Spooky Streets] Contains a note regarding a link between racial inequality and boo hags.
* [http://www.choosecharleston.com/a-ghostly-bite-of-history/ A ghostly bite of history] Information regarding an ongoing theatre show, including a boo hag.
* [http://www.discussanything.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27272 Forum thread with a slightly different account of the legend]

* [http://www.americanfolklore.net/folktales/tx7.html Boo Hag Story]

References