The Soucouyant In The Winchesters Episode 6 Was Inspired By A Real Caribbean Myth
The "Supernatural" franchise has long been fascinated with the idea of the past coming back to haunt. This theme is often explored in the form of vengeful spirits who want to right the wrongs they experienced in life. At the same time, some of the smartest characters in the lore opened the door to future torment on their own accord, such as Mary Winchester, who sold her child's soul to a yellow-eyed demon.
Until Episode 6, "The Winchesters" resisted exploring vengeful spirits in favor of worldly monsters. However, this episode mixes the best of both worlds by having a spirit possess a vampire-like creature known as a soucouyant. Essentially, the angry ghost wants to get revenge on an old friend for murdering them, and the creature it embodies has significance to the pair's history.
The monster that gets possessed in Season 1, Episode 6 of "The Winchesters" is one of the show's most interesting to date, and its real-world origins can be traced back to the Caribbean.
The Winchesters gang comes up against a soucouyant in Episode 6
"The Winchesters" only showed viewers a couple of basic sides of the soucouyant. In the episode, she's impervious to most attacks and has the ability to scorch her victims. Additionally, the hunters explain that defeating her requires a stake through the heart or a decapitation, similar to a more traditional vampire. Simply chopping off her hand doesn't work, as the show's Scooby gang learned the hard way.
Per Caribbean Reads, there are different versions of the soucouyant in the native folklore. Some people believe that she's a hideous hag, similar to her appearance in Episode 6 of "The Winchesters." However, others are under the impression that she's a beautiful woman with great seduction skills. One thing that is consistent in most versions, though, is that she can turn into a ball of fire and fly.
According to Caribbean Reads, it's believed by some that the creature originated in Africa and made its way to its renowned continent with other travelers back in the day. Regardless of where the monster came from, you don't want to get on its bad side.