Huaka'i Pō - The Nightmarchers of Hawaii

There are actually a few different kind of nightmarchers in Hawaii, depending what type of warriors the night marchers trail were originally made up of, there are also several variants of the legends on the processions and what would happen to those that encounter these wandering warriors of the past.

Many Nightmarcher trails are well known among these in Laie, and in the Manoa Valley. People report everything from hearing distant drums, barking of the warriors dogs, seeing the light of their torches farther up the trail, and some even say they have seen the night marchers marching with full warriors entire. There are many dangers that are supposed to be connected to being spotted by the Night marchers, and how the only way to avoid the dangers are to show total respect, and even then one are said to require a relative in the Nightmarchers procession in order to not be whisked away, or fall dead to the ground right were one stands.

The Night marches or in Hawaiian (Huaka'i Pō) travel through out the islands of Hawaii to do as they always done and, that is protect their home. They are the ghost of Hawaii's warriors. On the nights of Kane Lu lono, Akua or, on the night of kaloa they leave their burial grounds and they march all through many sections of the islands. The Nightmarchers  will march out to battles of the past and they will also march out to several of the places that are considered grounds. Hawaii's Night Marchers leave their final resting places about sunset and will walk and march the islands of Hawaii until sunrise. I have also heard of a few daytime sightings. Daytime sightings are usually only witnessed when the Night Marches are going out to guide and escort a dying relative to the spirit world.

Illustration Guerrier des Iles Sandwich. Drawing by Jacques Arago from 1819, 

depicting a Hawaiian Warrior wearing a helmet with a mushroom ornament crest.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Arago_–_Guerrier_des_Iles_Sandwich.jpg

Right before the Night marchers come upon one, You can usually hear their drums beating and there have been reports of hearing chanting, dogs barking and one can see the Night Marchers torch lights from a distance. According to legend it is best to leave the area when you see or hear any of these things in to save yourself form death if seen by a Night marcher. However, if you don't have time to escape the Night Marchers, it is said that if you lay down, face down on the ground it is a show of respect and that the Night marchers (might not) harm you. Some even say that lying face down prevents the Night marchers from noticing you. However, I would rather leave the area if I had time to get away.

If you live in an area near the Nightmarchers trail and you hear the chanting, drums torch lights and a foul smell. You must go indoors to protect your self. If the Nightmarchers sees you, the only way to avoid death is to be in the bloodline of one of the Nightmarchers. if a member of the persuasion knows you and you are related in that family then, no harm will come to you or so the legends say.

Some places that the Nightmarchers are said to travel is as follows...
On The Island of Oaho; Manoa Valley at the University of Hawaii Manoa Campus, Pali Highway in the majestic Koolau Mountains, at The Kamehameha Schools campus located in the Kapalama part, The Kualoa Ranch on the Windward side, Laie and at La Perouse Bay

The above mentioned are only a few of the places where Nightmarchers have been reported. However, there are many other locations where it is said that Hawaii's Night Marchers will visit. It is suggested that any night time visitors to any Night Marcher location, or even day time visitors, be very wary and alert!

Other websites of interest in this topic www.to-hawaii.com/legends/night-marchers.php

Did Robert Johnson Sell His Soul to Satan?

Tarot card illustration of Robert Johnson and the Devil by Philip Cheaney

This article for the Paranormal Corner was written by Jose Prado.

We've all heard the story of the famous Blues musician Robert Johnson, and how he supposedly sold his soul to Satan on the Crossroads in order to learn how to play the guitar. But the truth is far from it. Robert Johnson wasn't the one who made the pact on the Crossroads; it was another musician, a friend of his named Tommy Johnson who made the legendary deal on the Crossroads. And Tommy never claimed it was 'the devil' he made the pact to. He always told people even in interviews, that he made the deal with Papa Legba, the Vodoun God of the Crossroads, the one who opens and closes doors to things. To gain favor from a Deity or spirit of Doorways and Roads whether it be Legba, Hekate, or Ganesh will lead to prosperity and fame. But somehow they twisted the legend to say he sold his soul to Satan, is an outright lie.*

To further the lie they then confused Robert Johnson with his friend Tommy Johnson. Why would American historians confuse them? And why would they say either one of them sold their souls to the Devil? These are the reasons why.

1) America has a long history of racism and ignorance of other ethnic groups and cultures and more than likely white Americans in the 1920’s couldn't tell the difference between one black musician named Johnson and another.

2) Both Johnsons were Vodusants, that is to say, Voodooists, their religion was Voodoo, they believed in different spirit forces that ruled all things. [1]

But to white society in 1920's America it was all 'pagan' blasphemy mixed in with 'devil worship', they couldn't tell the difference. 

3) They were both Hoodoomen (Conjuremen, Conjure workers, Hoodooists, Rootworkers etc) they both practiced Hoodoo, the witchcraft of the Voodoo religion.

Contrary to popular belief, not all people who believe in Voodoo are witches. A Voodoo witch practices Hoodoo and is referred to by the above names. Voodoo is the religion, the stories of the Spirits/Gods/Divinities the prayers etc...Just as not all Catholics are priests or can bless things. Or not all Wiccans are witches. There is a clear line between a regular Vodusant and a Rootworker. But to white supremacist America, no one saw the difference. [2]

Many today still view it as Satanism. But these men, back then both openly admitted to practicing witchcraft. The controversy they stirred up must have been enough to have white Americans talking about ‘demons’ stirred up by blacks under every corner. Or then again, it may not have been that controversial since many white Americans already had such racist notions to begin with. If anything all it did was solidify those notions. With Tommy Johnson openly speaking of his pact to a Pagan God or Spirit? It was propaganda that racist America could use to spread to one another about the ‘heathen’ blacks. To them it was clear: a black blues musician sold his soul to Satan. Clearly to them a spirit or God from another religion is 'evil' and of Hell. And since Robert died of seemingly un-natural causes[3], it was said his death was due to the Faustian deal with Old Scratch (nickname for the Devil in New England and Pre-civil war America) who had come for his due.

4) Both Tommy and Robert were known Hoodoomen. In fact you'll even find Occult messages in Robert's lyrics about how his lover used Hoodoo to cheat at Gambling along with other hidden messages.

And since he wrote a song about Hell Hounds, to them it was proof he was consorting with Satan. Of course for all anyone knows, the song was a reference to something else. We know his song Crossroads was about hitch hiking on the Crossroads. But most people think it was referencing his non-existent 'deal'.

5) Both Tommy and Robert were friends, and both were Vodusants and Hoodoomen. So when one person talked about one of them it was probably inevitable the other would come up in conversation. So that may have started the confusion for white historians in the first place.

But despite popular legends and confusion, the facts are these:

* Robert Johnson did not make any deal on the Crossroads (that we know about, it would not have been odd for any Vodusant to make one with a spirit there)

* The one who made the deal was Tommy Johnson his friend.

* Tommy did not sell his soul to any spirit, let alone to Satan.

* Tommy Johnson made a pact (an unbreakable promise to a divine being) with the Vodoun Crossroads spirit (Or God as I believe him to be) Papa Legba to learn how to play the guitar.

* What he promised is unknown to us; pacts are sometimes secret and are between the spirit or Deity and the human.

* Whatever he promised, we can be sure of one thing: it was not his soul he gave away. Legba is a benevolent Divinity. Good spirits or Deities do not do things like that.

* Pacts could be promises of leaving offerings to a spirit or God when you have money, paying them tribute on special days like their feast day, wearing special colors, beads, or amulets or other things to signify your allegiance to them etc... Pacts are also not exclusive to non-christian religions. Plenty of pacts can be found in the Bible. Noah’s pact with God (Genesis 9:11-17) or God’s pact with Abraham (Genesis 15:1-4). Vows of chastity made by Christians are pacts with God. A pact is a solemn promise to a Deity or spirit that in exchange for a gift they will bestow upon you, you will reward them with something in return. A gift for a gift in other words.

But when people hear the word ‘pact’ they usually think of pacts with demons or the Devil. It is important for everyone to realize that it is not always so. In fact, infernal pacts are rare and nearly non-existent. In my work as a Pagan priest and exorcist I have only come across two such cases. So remember folks, next time you see a black shadow or apparition on the Crossroads at midnight don't be so quick to say its 'Satan' it could be anybody.

* Note: In some beliefs and stories it is Satan who is summoned on the Crossroads. So it's not impossible. I have met Hoodoo men/women who perverted the teachings of Hoodoo and summoned demons under Satan, and they did go to Crossroads or Cemeteries to make deals with them. But they do these things "under the table" or in secret. So don't expect people to openly say they are doing these things. Because they would be shunned as blasphemers by the rest of the community. No one would be dumb enough to openly admit they were doing that.

---

[1]  In Voodoo, a believer can either be Pagan and believe that some spirits are Gods like me, or a believer can be a Monotheist and view the spirits as messengers like the Angels in Christianity, doing God's work. Whether or not Robert and Tommy Johnson were Polytheist or Monotheist is not known

[2]  Some of us are divided on the issue, some believe you can not be a Vodusant without being a witch, others make a distinction. It's not racist to believe they are one and the same. It is racist to lump all other religions into one category for not being Christian

[3]  No one knows how Robert Johnson died. The stories range from demons having come for his soul to having been poisoned by the jealous husband of a woman with a beer bottle laced with strychnine. The next morning he is said to have been found convulsing on the floor.

Bibliography

Bartkowski, J. P. (1998). Claims-Making and Typifications of Voodoo as a Deviant Religion: Hex, Lies, and Videotape. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion .

Day, A. (2010). Satan Whispers: Bob Dylan and Paradise Lost. Cambridge Quarterly .

Haskins, J. (1990). Voodoo & hoodoo: Their tradition and craft as revealed by actual practitioners.

Hays, T. (2012, October Friday). Robert Johnson: Murder or Bad Whiskey? Retrieved from Criminal Element.com: http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/10/robert-johnson-murder-or-bad-whiskey-tony-hays-true-crime-historical-bottoms-up-music

Hurston, Z. (1931). Hoodoo in America. The Journal of American Folklore .

Kloc, J. (2010, June 21). Fact-checking the Life and Death of Bluesman Robert Johnson. Retrieved from Mother Jones.com: http://www.motherjones.com/riff/2010/06/music-monday-blues-robert-johnson-honeyboy-edwards

Lynn, J. (n.d.). Voodoo Spells. Powerful Papa Legba Crossroads Voodoo Spell Retrieved from Voodoo-Spell.Org: http://www.voodoo-spell.org/2012/05/powerful-papa-legba-crossroads-voodoo.html

Maximilian, J. R. (1921). Devil Stories : An Anthology.

Pascoe, P. (1996). Miscegenation Law, Court Cases, and Ideologies of “Race” in Twentieth-Century America. The Journal of American History .

Yronwode, C. (1995-2010). The Crossroads in Hoodoo Magic and The ritual of selling yourself to the Devil. Retrieved from Lucky Mojo.com: http://www.luckymojo.com/crossroads.html

Mythological Beasts: Nøkken

 

Asian White Water Lily (White Lotus) 

by PJ 2011 Honolulu, Hawaii

Nøkken was in norse mythology a creature of the inland waters much like Huldra was a creature of the deep forest. And like the female Huldra, that lures people into the forest and never let them go, the male Nøkken would try to lure people to the waters and drown them.

The Norse Nøkk seem to be similar to stories of water elves, also known as nymphs in other european cultures, and also carry similarities to the mermen of the seas and oceans.

The most common described way for Nøkken to lure gullible people to its watery depths is in the form of a stunningly beautiful white horse, which willingly would let especially young children climb up on its back, and then leap with them into the water.

In other legends Nøkken seeks out one person a year to drown in his fresh water ponds, where he lures using his power of invisibility, or the ability to shape-change into something unsuspecting like a floating log, a beautiful water lily or even other plant life that is making it look like the edge of the pond is farther in, so when you move over to the water to pick flowers you would fall into the deep cold, treacherous waters.

In other occasions Nøkken was said to appear as a handsome young man, playing music in the calm tranquil forest, luring young fair maidens into his watery embrace and their doom, playing the harp or fiddle he would spellbind them with his magical charm.

In order to protect yourself legends say, is by spitting and then tossing a steel needle or a steel cross into the water. Another way was to bind Nøkken to a Nøkkstein (Nøkken rock) and then let it drop into the water directly vertically from as high up as you could get it, if you have already been grabbed by Nøkken and is about to be pulled into the waters you can break free by saying his name, as in this norwegian phrase "Nøkken! Nøkken nål i vann. Jomfru Maria kastet stål i vann! Du synker, jeg flyter!" translated this becomes "Nøkken! Nøkken! needle in water. Virgin Mary tossed steel into the water! You are sinking I am floating!"

So the next time you see a floating tree stub or water lily, a beautiful white horse wandering by the outskirts of a small lake or pond or even a handsome young man fair-skinned and with blond long hair playing the harp or the fiddle next to a river or pond it just might be Nøkken himself trying to trap you as his once a year victim... beware.

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Water lilies are called Nøkkerose in Norwegian, PJ 2005 Honolulu, Hawaii

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Cherokee Screech Owls

Screech Owl Feather

I have a friend that lives in my building. One night he and I were talking outside and he told me about experiences he has had with screech owls. Now, my friend is two thirds Cherokee and the Cherokee legend says that they believe that the screech owl acts as a consultant to keep them in line and that a screech owl could also bring on sickness as a punishment. Also the some Cherokee women would bathe their children's eye in water with owl feathers in it because they thought it would help the child stay awake.

In my friends case he would at times see screech owls and. He told me that the owl would speak to him but that he could not understand what it was saying and also, that he would respond in a language that he didn't understand either.

The one thing that he did understand and know for sure was, Every time he would see a screech owl and would speak that strange language with it, someone he was close to would die within a few days. He told me that a screech owl had made it's home in a large bird house that his son built in the back yard. The owl only stayed in the bird house for about a week but the one night the owl was screeching very loud and my friend went into his strange language mode and then the owl was gone.

Two days later my friend's wife was talking to her mother on the phone and all seemed well. However, during their phone conversation, my friend's wife's mother died. she never said anything about feeling ill at all. She just died while talking on the phone. Since his mother-in-law was a very healthy women and not over sixty years old an autopsy was performed and the report came back as cause of death undetermined.

Another time he saw a screech owl and in a few days his best friend died. Yet another time three days after he saw and heard another screech owl, his cousin died a very fast and unexpected death. My friends cousin was laughing at a joke that was just told and he very simply dropped dead.

Believe me when I say to you that when my friend sees a screech owl, he becomes very worried about himself and his loved ones. Even though there are a few cultures that consider the screech owl to be a good omen or a protector  of fertilely and power. My friend only sees sadness and death when he sees and hears one.

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The Curse of the Lava Rocks

Photo by PJ, Honolulu, Hawaii 2009

I think it is safe to assume that, most people that have ever been to the garden state of Hawaii has some knowledge of the legend of the lava rocks. For those  who are not aware of this legend, I will explain it to you in as much detail as I can.

In Hawaiian mythology one have a Fire Goddess that is the creator of volcanoes. She protects the volcano islands of Hawaii and the lava rocks that came from volcanoes on all islands of the state. Her name is Pele. As legend has it, if you take a lava rock out of Hawaii, Pele becomes angered and you will have bad luck in your life until the rock is returned to it's rightful place. It is also illegal to take lava rocks away from the islands.

I have a friend who, was hiking on the big Island with his Mother and I. His auntie lived in California. She thought Hawaii was so beautiful she wished she could take a little bit of Hawaii home with her and she did just that. she packed one of the lava rocks and took it home with her. She did not know about the legend so she thought nothing at all about taking the rock home to California. Once she got home, her bad luck started. She lost her job, her car was stolen, her rent was increased and she became ill. All with in two weeks of being home. She called her sister and as they were talking about things her sister asked her if she might have taken a lava rock back home with her. When she said yes, she did take one home, her sister told her to mail it back to her at once and she explained the legend to her.

Now, she did as her sister had asked and mailed the rock back to her in Hawaii.

Once the rock arrived here it was taken and put back where it was taken from. My friend's Auntie started to have good luck again almost right away. Her illness was gone, she found a great job and, she was able to find a nice place at lower rent then what she was paying. Also, within a week after the rock was returned, she met the man that would become her husband. So if you go to Hawaii, go ahead and admire it's beauty and have a great time. Just leave the lava rocks here where they belong. I also found out that Hawaii is not the only place where taking volcanic rocks are supposed to bring you bad luck, the Island of Iceland in Europe has the same happen to them though they do not have a volcano goddess as in Hawaii they have a belief that the land itself would curse you, it is also illegal to take rocks from Iceland just like in Hawaii too.

You can find more information on the lava rock legends and read about what some had to say when they returned the lava rock to it's rightful place after their.

http://www.volcanogallery.com/lavarockstories_New.htm

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