Who Dat Boo-Hag Is?

The lowcountry of South Carolina has no shortage of legends and ghost stories. But there is one legend that I am particularly fond of, so much so that I couldn’t resist bringing it up in my latest novel, Savannah Grace. It is the legend of the Boo-Hag.

Now if you’re squeamish, I suggest you stop reading right here. That’s because hearing about the Boo-Hag has been known to induce nightmares and cause people who are otherwise completely sane to place a jar of rice by their bedroom door. Why would they do such a thing? If you’re not squeamish, read on and I’ll fill you in.

The Gullah folks that originally inhabited the sea islands of South Carolina were the first to spread the word about the Boo Hag. They described her as being a witch-like being that could fool even the best of us. That’s because she looks completely normal, even beautiful, in the daytime. But all that changes once the sun goes down.

You see, the Boo-Hag has a little problem. She doesn’t have any skin. Yep, that’s right, she’s nothing but raw meat (maybe that’s how Lady GaGa got the idea to wear the meat outfit). As you can imagine, it’s not pleasant to be around someone who looks like a walking, talking version of a slab of prime rib. So in order to fit in with the rest of us, she has to find some skin to steal so she can disguise herself as a member of the human race.

Skin stealing, from what I understand, can be a risky occupation. Most people don’t voluntarily give theirs up. So the Boo-Hag has to be cunning and do her stealing at night, when her victim is sound asleep.

According to the Gullah folks, the Boo-Hag can make herself small enough to slide right underneath your door. Once inside your bedroom, things get downright nasty, because the Boo-Hag is now in a position to ride you.

Those of you with dirty minds should be ashamed of yourselves. Boo-Hag riding has nothing to do with …. well, you know what. Instead, it has to do with her stealing your breath. And your all-important skin.

Once she is certain that you’re fast asleep, the Boo-Hag will shed her false skin and leap on top of you so she can suck the breath from your lungs. Hopefully, you will remain unconscious through all this and wake up unharmed, although you will probably feel tired. But woe to you if you wake up while the Boo-Hag is riding you. If that happens, you will become her next skin donor and will find yourself left with a raw, flaxen body, just like hers.

But there’s good news! The Boo-Hag is a very curious creature and can be easily distracted. So all you have to do to ward the Boo-Hag off is to place a jar of rice by you bedroom door. She will feel compelled to count every grain of rice, and since the Boo-Hag is terrible at math, she will get confused once she counts above ten and have to start all over again. This can take all night, which is exactly what you want to have happen, because the Boo-Hag must return to her skin before dawn and get home before all her ‘magical’ powers evaporate. And you will wake up refreshed and ready to face the day instead of feeling tired and possibly having to explain to all your friends and family members why you no longer have any skin.

So take my advice and fill a jar with rice as soon as you can. That way, you can wear a confident smile next time someone says to you, “Don’t let the Boo-Hag ride ya!”

If you’d like to read an entertaining story about the Boo-Hag, follow this link: http://themoonlitroad.com/the-boo-hag/

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