v Douen
Douens are supposed to be the evil spirits of children who died before they were baptised. They trap children and lead them away from safety, sometimes to their deaths. They look like ordinary children, but wear hats that cover their faces and are barefoot. Their feet are turned backwards. Children who play with douens, thinking perhaps that they are ordinary children, are gradually lead further and further astray and may be found the next morning in a precarious position, if at all...To believe that douens are the "lost" souls of children who died before they were baptised, you must believe that people need to be baptised or christened to save their souls. If you, like me, believe that all children are inherently innocent in this sense, then the spirit known in Trinidad and Tobago as the Douen may be something even more evil.
