WITCHY WEDNESDAY: HAINTS

Liz Ramos, under the supervision of Rue the cat, talks about haints, the spirits of the American South…

Greetings Witches! I am on a personal historical fiction fixation, focused primarily in the early 1900’s Jim Crow Era. I just did a rewatch of Sinners, and am currently halfway through reading The Reformatory by Tananarive Due – and decided to take a rabbit hole journey into the world of Haints.

What are Haints? Haints are spirits of the deceased that have died horrible, violent, cruel deaths, sometimes suddenly. These souls are trapped between the living and the dead, and they are anything but peaceful. Haints are malicious, malevolent spirits who are hellbent on causing harm and chaos to the living around them. They intend to cause illness, harm, misfortune, and even death. The crops all die, the baby screams and screams night after night, and now the dog is scared of the back porch? All Haint activities. These spirits come from Gullah Geechee traditions and folklore, from the descendants of the Central and West African slaves. The Gullah Geechee primarily reside in the American Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, in the Appalachian Mountain range. Looking at Haints from a historical context of the slave trade, Civil War, Rosewood, Jim Crow Era violence, etc. – are we surprised that Haints would exist in these areas?

With this information in mind, I have a confession – I truly believe that the Nottoway Plantation fire in Louisiana last year was the work of the Haints – and I am glad they did it. Places like this that caused so much pain and suffering need to be removed from existence if they are not serving an educational purpose (like the Anne Frank House). The fact they held weddings and other festivities there and completely disregarded the horrible history of the place is despicable and deplorable.

Keeping history and Haints in mind, how can we enjoy the beauty and magic of the land without being bothered by these spirits? Carried from Gullah Geechee traditions, porches and entryways are painted “Haint Blue” – this is a blueish green color that is said to look like running water or the light sky, and convince Haints to move along and about their business elsewhere. Another action is the blue bottle trees. These are trees with cobalt blue bottles tied in the branches. The bottles are said to trap the spirits in them at night, and in the morning sun the Haints are released from this plane of existence.

Whether you live in the American South or not, it is important to be mindful of the history and spirits around us. They are a larger part of our lives than we realize. Happy learning witches!

Elizabeth Ramos is a magic practitioner who specializes in nature focused, healing, protective, and ancestral magics. She is a Reiki Master-Teacher and lives with her husband and their several Feline Leukemia Positive kitties in Upstate New York.

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