I am translating from Spanish to English what the old man is saying. I apologize ahead of time because he uses a lot of homophobic and sexist language common (unfortunately) to Cubans.
“Call the Cops Fucker, Call the Cops Fucker, Call the Cops,” then he says something I can’t understand.
“F——-! F——- Dog! Fucker! I shit on your Fucking Mother! If you’re a man then fight! F—- Dog!,”
(He basically keeps repeating F—–Dog over and over again)
“I’m coming here, you won’t have peace! F——-Dog”
Well my friends, this all for today. But remember if you are trying Wild sex, try this….
Since writing about Otura Niko, I got curious and wanted to know more about it. I had never heard of this sign before. And I wanted to trace its origin. I think I found the possible origin. Translated from the original Spanish article here.
In the land of Yewe Inle, there was a time when there was a terrible drought. Everything was a great disaster. It was then when the main kings met with the Obá Ikú (king death), Elegua, and Iroko to deliberate in an assembly. The result of that assembly was that everyone should do Ebó. The last three, as they had no money for the Ebó, decided to ask Oba Ikú for twenty-four coins, he accepted.
But with the condition that they pay him back within three days. They formally promised to do so. When the three days passed. Obá Ikú went to Elegba’s house to collect. He found him sitting in the doorway of the house, he refused to pay.
Obá Ikú bashed him with his cane and killed him. And made a hill of crab land (Ilekan) and buried him there. Together with his hand of Ifá, he sacrificed a rooster for him, and said:
“From today onward, you will be the Orisha (God) Elegua,”
Obá Ikú continued to the house of Iroko. And found him in the heart of the mountain. He asked for his money back. But he refused. And so Obá Ikú took his cane and killed him.
Throwing two majá that Iroko had in his room, two white jars, and killing a white chicken, he sang to him:
“IROKO DILOYU, IROKO DILOYU, BABA IKU EGUN LAYE, IROKO DILOYU,”
(ROCO DILOYU, IROCO DILOYU, FATHER OF DEATH CURSED IN LIFE, IROCO DILOYU)
And he said to Iroko,
“You will become an Orisha, everyone will worship you,”
And at that moment a sacred tree rose, which is the Iroko. Obá Ikú sent an envoy to Orunmila. Who by now had made his daily divination and saw the Odu (text) Otura Niko. So he performed an Ebó, feeding his ancestors along with the land and his Ifá, and he prepared a large casserole of ajiaco.
Otura Niko becomes a child when Obá Ikú arrived
An Orula baby doll
Orunmila invited him to lunch, when they finished Obá Ikú thought:
“I killed Elegba and Iroko, I must now finish with Orunmila as well,”
Obá Ikú raised his scythe to land a blow to Orunmila. But he dodged the blow of Obá Ikú. Who then pursued him tenaciously. And while he was escaping, Orunmila performed sarayeye (cleansing by rubbing a sacred object on the body) using the stick known as Espanta Muerto (frighten the dead). A cleansing to keep him safe from death.
And he arrived at the river. Out of fear, Orunmila leaped into the River. But Obá Ikú absorbed the river to catch him. But Orunmila still escaped. Then Obá Iku, disheartened, walked away.
Leaving Orunmila the victor. The river continued its normal course. And Orunmila came out of the water singing:
“IRE IRE WANWAN LELE ASHE IFA”
(GOOD LUCK WANWAN LELE DIVINE GRACE OF IFA)
Then Orula transforms into a child, to avoid being recognized and starts crying. He stands at the foot of a laurel bush, which had a lot of curujey (West Indian tufted airplant) on top and continued to cry. At that moment he meets two women who were passing through. They prepared a jar and opened one of the jugs. And filled it and leaves, some plants and placed the child (Orunmila) inside and took him to the house of Olodumare. One of them suckled him from her breast.
When they arrived at Olofin’s (GOD’s) house, the child surprises everyone by speaking to Olofin and tells him that he wants Aiyé to take him home. She rejects this, but because it was a direct order from Olodumare, Aiyé accepted and took him. She prepared a mat next to hers. When night came Orunmila returns to her in his normal adult state and says:
“I am Otura Niko and now I am your husband. With these transformations I defeated Obá Ikú. Because I am the foreman of the Egun (dead). But never reveal this secret to anyone,”
Orula
The woman was engaged and they lived happily. Where the fame of Otura Niko began to spread throughout that land.
After some time,
Shango, Egun, and Oshumare come to visit Otura Niko. To receive them all worthily, he tells his wife, Aiyé, to cook great delicacies. She replies in front of Shango:
“I have no time,”
Then Otura Niko threatens her. And she mocks and insults him, saying:
“You are only great because you are the foreman of the Egun (dead) and capable of shape shifting,”
At the moment, Otura Niko took his Irofá and ran after her. She was on her way to Olofin. But before arriving, Otura Niko caught up with her and gave her a blow from his Irofá and killed her. Then he said,
“I killed you for violating your oath,”
(You see, his power was in that he had become the foreman of the dead. And apparently, no one knew that. Nor that he was such a mighty shape shifter. To know the secret was to share in the power. And I suspect that Orunmila also didn’t want Iku, the Orisha of death, to know the secret of his survival).
Shango and Orunmila
Immediately, he made a pact with Shango. Also giving him the secret and the ashé (power) of Otura Niko. He took Aiyé and buried her. Then he put his Ifá next to her tomb and gave 2 black chickens to the spirit of Aiyé. Along with his Ifá.
And put the chickens with Ekó to Egun. They lowered the vultures and ate them. Letting him know the power of Egun that he had.
Prayer of Otura Niko, Otura Ogbe
“Otura Niko adifafun iku alashona oumbo wa ni eshu ishonshon oba lele iroko oba lele orunmila ore lawa oba iku yen ore amaiyekun belele iya lele lokua ariku omi orunmila oun sede otura niko umbo atefa ni egun agboran iku agboran olofin yewe inle oba iku onika ododo sekun iroko segun gbogbo iya kalalu elebo owunko elebo moyeni iku orunmila akue ye akualosiña iya laye oba iku,”
(Otura Niko, the death of our child’s mother, is the God’s faith, the king, the king, the king, the king of death, the king of death, the eternal friend of the mother, the king of heaven, he is the king of heaven).
It’s unknown if Otura Niko was named after him. Since he ritually becomes the “foreman of the dead” after this. Or if the Odu (text) already existed prior to him taking on this title. But that doesn’t really matter at this point. As the Foreman of the dead, Orula is immune to death.
He’s also shown to be a masterful shapeshifter. So he could take on any variety of forms and escape Iku. And foreman is another term for supervisor. Perhaps it even means he could command the dead in this form. Or command Iku to leave him be.
I’m not sure yet. I have to ask my Babalawo about his knowledge concerning the text. And see from there what happens. Take care of everyone. And as usual, be safe.
– M
The Eggun or dead, looking at their own corpses on a battlefield
Well, we are finally at the last day of the Noumenia. The day when we finish the festival. This one is an odd mix of the first two. It’s a semi stay at home festival. It focuses on non human as well as human spirits.
Our Agathos Daimoi (Good Spirits) or spirit guides. Those spirits who have watched over us since the days of our birth. In ancient times they were honored with huge feasts in the household. The family would gather round. Like Christmas it was a family celebration.
Usually everyone in the family participated in thanking and honoring their Daimoi. Followers of the Theoi and Theia are still here. And so, modern temples who worship the Gods come together in temple celebrations to honor their good spirits. In my case and in the case of many other people, I do it alone. I do have a temple, but we don’t always celebrate the Noumenia together.
And they use the modern calculation of the New Moon. The timing I use was revealed to me. And it took me a long time just to study. So I choose to do it my reconstructed way.
Sunset
We begin our celebration as always at sunset, marking the next day. We set up a shrine to our Agathos Daimoi. Now my shrine is personal to me and so I can’t snap a picture of it. But what they have are typically images of protective spirits. This also includes our ancestors because they are also our Agathos Daimoi.
A warrior statue of someone’s Agathos Daimon
Now they don’t have to be Greek spirit guides. Any spirit guide is an Agathos Daimoi no matter what culture they come from. I personally have native and African guides among many others. And their images adorn my shrine. Now the images can be anything.
If you have plant spirit guides, place potted plants or images of those plants at the shrine. If you have guides who are ancestors, place their pictures there. If your guide is a guardian Angel then place a warrior Angel statue in the shrine. If you are protected by a specific Saint or Demi God also place an image of them there. There is no wrong or right way to do this.
An example of someone’s personal shrine to their Agathos Daimon. As you can see, the imagery doesn’t have to be a solid picture. It can be anything. Any idol you chose as long as it has meaning for you and your guides.
I use to have this book shelf dedicated just to them. I placed all my guides images there. An old associate of mine who practices Voodoo and Hoodoo managed to get her hands on a bakery rack. And she uses it for all of her guides to have a place in her room. Now, on to the God of this festival.
Agathos Daimon as a God of luck
An ancient depiction of Agathos Daimon or rather a God in his Agathos Daimon form. Asklepius
Agathos Daimon meaning “Good Spirit” can also mean “Good God”. There’s a lot of debate over this. But essentially Agathos Daimon is a spirit guide. But also the name of a God of good luck and prosperity who appears as a giant snake. It’s said he’s the husband of Tyche (Lady Luck).
There are some who claim this is a title for Zeus (who does appear as a giant snake sometimes). We know that Agathos Daimon is the name for a spirit guide. But whether or not there is a God or group of Gods who share that name depends on your view.
Zeus in his Agathos Daimon form
Personal Revelations
Now, this is my personal experience. This is not to be taken as “gospel”. This was a personal gnosis granted to me. I do not claim to be all knowing. But I did see him in a vision.
It was in an exhaust trance.
It kind of freaked me out because it looked so real. Imagine having a giant talking snake with semi human-like features in your bedroom. I damn near shit myself. He is not the serpentine form of Zeus. Though he did say Zeus has a similar avatar.
But he did tell me that he was a God of good luck and did confirm Tyche was his wife. He also told me he was the Lord of all Agathos Daimoi. In other words, he’s the God and chief of all spirit guides in Greek culture. This is what he told me. I did notice that after I began giving him cultus, my guides got stronger.
No matter what culture they come from. He does bring good luck. In fact sometimes when I pray to him I see visions of golden coins falling from the skies. And in any working with Tyche, he amplifies her gifts to immense levels. I have contemplated buying an image of a golden serpent for him.
He gives good luck by causing you to “shed” your bad luck. Like a snake shedding skin. Sometimes it’s a painful process. Emotionally, mentally, and spiritually painful. But when he’s done, anything that was holding you back is removed.
Besides Agathos Daimon, there are also the ancient heroes. You have probably heard of the term “hero worship”. Well that is because the heroes of the ancient Greeks are like our version of the Saints. In fact, the cult of the Saints was basically ripped off of our hero cults. We honor the Heroes for their intercession in our affairs.
People are used to asking the Gods for favors all of the time. However, the Gods are cosmic beings and are thus busy most of the time. The heroes on the other hand, were human once. And they are members of “The Mighty Dead”. The most powerful of the dead who can grant any boon.
It should be noted that at least some of these heroes are Demi Gods. Or became Gods after death. So hero worship is sometimes literally worship. So we have the added benefit of God power with hero power. Best of both worlds.
And I can also tell you that they are great to call in battle against dark entities. The heroes understand humanity on a level the Gods don’t. And they’re closer to us because the underworld is beneath the earth itself. In another, more spiritual dimension. Even Gods of the dead aren’t so close because they occupy higher space.
The Ceremony
Some heroes are Deified. So at least some of the Gods worshipped on Agathos Daimon are heroes
First, we give offerings to Hestia. Rather than the libations, I like to use candles this time. Fire is sacred to Hestia anyways. But yesterday I used libations. I wash my hands in the Lustral Waters and I speak the words,
“Hestia, Daughter of the Most High God, Zeus the God of Gods. Hestia of the golden hair from which fiery oil ever drips, ancient keeper of the ways of the Gods, protectress of the family and the house of the family. Keeper of the Hearthe on which our ancestors once cooked their meals, and families gathered round to celebrate and eat meals, while priests and priestesses gathered round it to perform rituals, we ask for your holy intercession on our behalf great lady, O Princess of the Olympioi, grant to us your favor and grace so that we may continue our work and begin the rituals of Agathos Daimon, Yammas,”
I usually wait for a sign from Hestia. A feeling of grace to overcome me, which tells me she’s here. Allowing me to continue on, now spurred by her spirit. Now I bring either wine for libations, or food. Home cooked food.
Whatever you are eating is what you should offer.
I bring part of my dinner to them. I have two shrines for them. One on the outside and one in home. Back when I didn’t have the time, space, or money to give my offerings, I used to leave it outside. I asked Agathos Daimon for a sign of where I should leave the offerings.
The next day my mother told me that she saw a huge snake by this tree on the left hand side of our apartment. I took it as a sign and went there. I felt the power of that tree. A hidden power. I must have walked by that tree a dozen times.
And never had I bothered paying attention to it. Now I looked inside it not with eyes, but with heart. And I felt it’s hidden power. It was damn near invisible. But there.
I guess I wasn’t ready to know about it yet.
And then for the first time I noticed something I never noticed before. The roots of this particular tree looked like giant snakes. I took that as my second sign. I opened myself to my spirits and asked if this was the place and they said yes. From that day forward, it was my shrine to Agathos Daimon and to my personal Daimoi.
Giving offerings
Today I had a simple food. It was just pasta and eggs and bread. But it was all that I had to give. After lighting the candle for Hestia, I ate dinner with my mother. And I separated a portion of the food into a bag. I prayed to the spirits who worship the Gods to charge it with prayers for them.
Then when I finished eating, I blessed it in the name of the Gods. They could eat the psychic energy. I went to the shrine. I prayed to Agathos Daimon and my Daimoi first.
Agathos Daimon and his attendants
“My Lord, Agathos Daimon, please shed from me all all that is impure. Cleanse my life and that of my loved ones of things we no longer need or want. And bring to us prosperity. As I honor you I also honor my Agathos Daimoi, my good spirits that you have granted me. And those whom are empowered by you even if they come from other lands.
I pray to you my holy Daemons, great spirits granted to me by the Gods for my own blessings and protections. I thank you for all the good things you given me and my family. I thank you for always being my support in the darkest of times. May Agathos Daimon bless you my Agathos Daimoi. Continue to walk with me on the path, Yammas,”
Spirit Guide
I drop a portion of the food for both him and also my guardians. Next, the heroes. I name a bunch of heroes from Greek religion, and also from other cultures that I look up to. Then I say something like this,
“Holy Ones, great heroes of old, I pray, please support us in our work. Please empower my Daimoi and grant them victory in everything that they do. And grant me victory and focus, please aid me in (give your petition here) please grant me your support. I ask that you intercede with our Gods. And that you also intercede personally for us in all of our affairs. And especially in the petition for which I have dedicated to you. Yammas,”
I dropped the rest of the food there. I went back to my home. And there I made candle and incense offerings for Agathos Daimon, my Daimoi (on my ancestor shrine), and the Heroes. I paid homage to my spirits and when I was finished, I burned a final candle to Hestia. And this time I took a reading from my temple for her.
And with that, the feast of Agathos Daimon is over now. This can be a private holiday. Or you can invite a close circle of friends to honor their own patrons and spirits. Like I said, it’s a mix of the Deipnon along with the actual Noumenia feast. Good night everyone.
I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. I view it as propaganda to cover up the genocide of the Native Americans and the theft of their land. But as this Thanksgiving falls on Folklore Thursday, I figured you’d all like some Halloween mixed with the turkey. A vanishing English colony, a mysterious message on a tree, Shamans and shape shifting, and a tragic curse. And the Ghost of the first English woman ever born on the continent.
A ghostly English and American fairytale worthy of the Brothers Grimm.
The Mystery of the Missing Colony at Roanoke is known far and wide. As are the legends of Virginia Dare. Roanoke was the first true English settlement in Turtle Island (America). It was Founded by Sir Walter Raleigh a notoriously brutal colonizer and war criminal. While he committed genocide in Ireland at the behest of Elizabeth, here he used different tactics.
Walter Raleigh, I withheld the “Sir” here on purpose. May he be damned eternally
He decided to “befriend” the indigenous peoples so that he could slowly infiltrate their societies. And learn all that he could about them. Including potential enemies, resources to steal, strengths and weaknesses, and who would be allies of England. This was especially important for when they would stop being friendly and begin forcing submission. Now, Raleigh already has a strange history including a missing head after he died.
But that’s a story for another time. For now we will focus on the strange connection he has to this story. The settlement was on an Island off the coast of North Carolina. It wasn’t supposed to be there at all. It was supposed to be in Chesapeake Bay.
But the Pirate captain they hired to take them, a Portuguese Mercenary*, was in a rush to raid Spanish ships. So he left them stranded on Roanoke Island. Raleigh had previously befriended two indigenous leaders : Manteo and Wanchese. In fact, he took them all the way to England and they met the Queen. And Raleigh managed to get Manteo a Lord Title.
Becoming the only Native who ever received an English title. The Colony was given to the command of Governor John White. There were 115 Colonists under him. Among them was his daughter Eleanor, and her husband, Ananias Dare.
The Baptism of Virginia Dare at Roanoke Colony, image from the State Archives of North Carolina
Virginia was the very first child of English blood born on Turtle Island. But little did they know the dangers they were in. Many of the local tribes despised them. You see years before, another mercenary captain had ordered the whole sale slaughter of many indigenous tribes. Their crime? That one of their chiefs had held the captain’s silver cup in his hand for a moment.
The Captain believed he was trying to steal the cup. So he decided he make an example of them. Just to prove a point. This left the local tribes permanently traumatized. And when Europeans had once again appeared in the form of the Roanoke colony, they decided to show the invaders they weren’t welcome.
As things began to get dangerous, John White knew they needed help. So he left, presumably just for a few months. Returning to England for aid. He told the colonists that if they had to leave for any reason, to carve the name of their new location on a nearby tree. And if they were forced under pressure to leave, to carve a cross underneath the name.
When John White left for England, he had no idea that he would never see the people of Roanoke again. In 1588, the country was bracing for an Invasion from the Spanish armadas. Three years had passed before he and his new crew with their supplies made it back to Roanoke. And when they got there, they were greeted with an eerie silence. The whole colony, all 115 of them had long gone.
John White and the English soldiers find the colony empty, and a single word carved on a near by tree
And near the ruins of the settlement was the word “Croatoan” carved in a nearby tree. The disappearance of Virginia Dare and the Colony as well as the mysterious word has been the subject of fiction. From the Buffyverse where Virginia Dare was a past slayer, to “The Immortal Nicholas Flamel” series where she’s a villain. To her being a demon responsible for the disappearance of the colony in the FreakyLinks tv show. To the Croatoan virus from Supernatural which is a demonic virus that turns people into savage zombie like monsters.
Comic books. And recently on the CW series Legacies, a Demonic Monster that hunts and devours those who keep secrets. Of course all of that is nothing compared to the racist, anti indigenous fiction created later. One of the most famous Apocryphal stories spread is how the colonists died. That Virginia’s mother Eleanor bravely carved the word into a tree as a clue.
While she had her dead husband at her feet and her baby in her arms while savage natives attacked. Except that not one of the Roanoke colonists were killed. Remember, there wasn’t a cross carved under the word. Which means they weren’t forced to leave. There was no conflict.
And despite the English repeating stories of how the whole village was butchered, not one body was found. The village was abandoned with nothing left behind even for raiders. Which means the colonists took the supplies with them. Most of the English assumed local tribes had killed them all. But John White rightly assumed that the word was a misspelling of the word Croatan.
The name of Manteo’s tribe. But even with the possibility that they survived, he choose not to look for them. He and his crew went off to raid ships. And this is where Colonial history falls silent. Many people have said he wanted to find his family but a storm was coming.
Other sources say he also wanted to engage in raiding Spanish ships. Some believe he was more motivated by greed at this point. And since three years had passed since the colony was abandoned, he probably did believe they were dead. Although others claim it was the captain and not John White, who wanted to raid the ships. It depends on who you talk to.
Personally, I’m inclined to believe that there was a storm, he was pressured to leave by the soldiers, and he also thought they were dead. A man isn’t just going to give up on his daughter and granddaughter no matter what. Especially someone who brought an army and supplies even after three years. When anyone else would have assumed they were dead. I can only imagine the anguish he just have felt.
Native History, Legend, and Lore
Chief Manteo
But Native history picks up where colonial history left off. According to the Croatan, Manteo discovered that some of the tribes were planning a raid on the settlement. So he not only warned them, but led them through a tunnel on Roanoke island where canoes were secretly waiting for them on the other side. He brought enough not just for the colonists, but all of their supplies and personal possessions as well. He led them to his tribe the Croatan Nation.
Now we explore Virginia Dare’s childhood. Only she stopped being Virginia Dare. Her Mother was renamed “White Doe”. And Virginia became “Little Fawn”. Little Fawn was beloved by the whole tribe.
And was seen as the embodiment the principles of the First Nation. Not as a colonist or settler. But as a native woman. We do know that the new generation of Croatan not only knew native traditions but European traditions as well. Which means there was an equal exchange of cultures between the groups.
This is purely fictiinal. Croatan Native Women didn’t dress like this. From northcarolinaghosts.com
Upon becoming a woman, she inherited the name White Doe from her mother. She also earned the title of “Beloved Woman” and “Prophet”. She was trained as a Shaman. She grew up with Wanchese’s son who was named after his father. The younger Wanchese loved her, but had never confessed his feelings for her.
Later in Jamestown, some of the other settlers in 1608, reported that they saw survivors from Roanoke.
“Seven English alive…who escaped the slaughter at Roanoke. Fower men, two boys, and one young mayde,”
Except nobody died. The massacre was stopped by Manteo. Many suspect the young woman was White Doe/Virginia Dare herself. There were also tales of gray eyed natives or people with mixed features in those days. But going back to Croatan accounts, White Doe’s magic became so powerful, that she attracted the attention of a male shaman named Chico.
Chico was greedy for her power. He believed that if he could marry her, he could gain her powers for himself. Maybe even sire a child with greater powers still. But White Doe politely said no. This angered Chico greatly.
And he began to plot against her. For if he couldn’t have her power, nobody would. He led White Doe to her birth island at Roanoke. What pretext he used to lead her there isn’t clear. What is said is that he cast a powerful spell on the island.
And that she became a real white doe the moment she stepped foot on the cursed land. Trapped in this form, Chico abandoned her to her fate. When she disappeared, the whole village began to speculate that Chico was behind it somehow. But nothing could be proven.
The Magical Doe of Roanoke Island
Stories from the native hunters along the coast started to spread. They told of a lone white doe on Roanoke island. It was said that when tribal hunters shot arrows at the Doe, it went right through her. Taking no effect. And the animal was supernaturally fast as well.
Wanchese was sure it was his White Doe. It seems her magic remained even after she was cursed to animal form. He figured what Chico had done. So he decided to save his love. And he had the tool to do it.
Wanchese inherited a silver tipped arrow from his father. The arrow was a present that Wanchese Sr. was given by the Queen of England. It was reputed in the tribe to have special powers to break any enchantment. This makes sense because silver is the metal of the fae. And it’s said to have powers over evil spirits and magic.
His plan was to give White Doe a harmless flesh wound. That way the curse would be broken with her life spared. I think you can already tell this tale is going to end badly. The younger Wanchese chased her across the lands and finally cornered her in Kill Devil Hills. And there he fired his arrow.
Only to realize he had pierced her heart. She slowly turned back into a human woman.
She locked eyes with him, breathed her last breath, and died. Then her spirit appeared out of her body in the form of a ghostly white doe which fled into the forrest. Now I have told you this version of the story first. And the reason is because out of all the stories I researched, this one seems to be the most accurate account. It came from one of my paranormal books which I will cite later.
And it is recited orally for generations by the tribe. But for some reason, everyone either scoffs at the story as a silly fairy tale. Or they pervert the Croatan accounts for their own gain. As you’ll see soon by this next part.
Big Business, Bullshit, and Bigotry
As I have mentioned above, there are dozens of distortions to this story. The colonists and their later descendants were for the most part, unruly people. They had a sense of racial superiority about them. And in modern and former times, Virginia Dare was taken as a symbol of white womanhood and racism. She was used by racist white men in the South as a banner to rally white women and men to stop black women from voting.
VDare is a White Supremacist organization created by Peter Brimelow, the former Forbes editor and author. He stole the image of the White Doe for his fascist, anti immigration movement which wants to keep America white. To this end, this militia encourages European immigration in order to “purify” the US.
And she’s also been used in more recent times by racial separatist and Neo Nazi organizations. Invoked for different white supremacist agendas. Currently to protest immigration by non whites and “pc culture”. Her story has been perverted for other people’s agendas for hundreds of years. And one of those agendas was to sell wine.
During prohibition, a new take on Virginia Dare arose. One where the native leader Wanchese was scared of English people. In this myth, he turned against the Roanoke colonists and plotted to kill them all. In this version Manteo is still the one who saves them. But instead of Wanchese’s son, it’s a warrior named “Okisko” who is White Doe’s love.
And rather than a silver tipped arrow, he uses an oyster tipped arrow with a mother-of-pearl lining. The silver arrow remains with Wanchese. But story says that Wanchese was also hunting her. They make him into the stereotypical “evil Indian”. The reason Wanchese has been vilified by colonial sources, is because he broke relations with the English.
He saw the English as dangerous. And that they had ulterior motives for their “friendship,”. Wanchese was a noble warrior and leader of his people. And while he was never a Chief, his words held a lot of weight with them. He tried to warn Manteo about the dangers of being too close to the British Empire.
But sadly he didn’t listen. Wanchese broke his ties with the British. Which made Manteo their one ally. History was rewritten Wanchese as a villain. So back to the revised story, here she was supposedly stalked by both her true love and Wanchese.
Wanchese is portrayed here as a macho man who wanted to kill the white doe to prove he was a skilled hunter.
And Okisko wanted to save his love. They both found her drinking water at a pond and fired. Both hitting her in the heart at the same time. When she becomes human, Wanchese realizes what he did and flees. So here they paint the great leader as a shameless coward as well as a killer.
Okisko buries her.
He took her to the center of the Roanoke ruins and buried her there. And from her fallen body, came the scuppernong. The first of the grapes grown in North Carolina was born. Grapes as red as blood. And this was how they sold the wine in North Carolina.
Sallie Southall Cotten wrote this poem for a wine brand to sell the grapes. This version of the story was made famous from the Poem, “The White Doe or the Legend of Virginia Dare,” it was a campaign to sell wine. And other versions of the story were further distorted. A famous NY Times article actually claimed that a hunter from Virginia shot the white doe with a silver bullet. Causing her death.
But it was all a massive media campaign to sell wine. And there are still people who view it as true to this day.
The ghostly white doe is still spotted to this day. Ever since her death at Kill Devil Hills, she’s been seen. Hunters who go to Roanoke island have seen a pure white female deer. Supernaturally fast, because they all say the same thing. They can only ever get a glimpse of the deer.
As soon as they see it, it’s gone. As in the blink of an eye. Many skeptics have tried debunking claims that this is her spirit roaming the island. Claiming it’s just a rare breed of albino deer. But that has never been proven.
Where are all the albino deers? It’s only ever one deer, a female deer who is spotted. And it’s been spotted since colonial times. Albinos would have to appear once in every generation. Maybe it’s an immortal deer. She only comes out at night.
Even today there are people reporting the mystical white doe. The sightings are regarded as an “urban legend,”. But if that’s the case, then this is the longest running Urban Legend in US History. Or perhaps there is more fact than fiction here. A mystical blend of historical mystery and the Supernatural.
And it only gets weirder. In Manteo, North Carolina they have a play showing the founding and vanishing of the Roanoke Colony. The play has been going on since the 1930’s. In every single play, the actors reported encounters with people dressed in period clothing roaming around backstage. Except these people are not from the cast.
And many have claimed to have seen ghostly apparitions of a young blond maiden they think is Virginia herself. Are these the ghosts of the colonists? Could it be that what happened to Virginia has caused them to remain in limbo? Stuck between realms. Much like White Doe herself, Little Fawn, the Beloved Woman, who even today remains untamed, illusive, and perhaps….unknowable.
*Some accounts claim it was a Spanish captain named Simon Fernando. But given the fact that there were serious tensions occuring between Spain and England I find that doubtful. And his name is often used in accounts that to me are less than trustworthy. The Southern author of the book who listened to the Croatan, says it was a Portuguese mercenary who captained the ship. And he had abandoned them on Roanoke to raid Spanish ships.
This account is more in line with the history. And as stated before, they weren’t supposed to be on Roanoke. A fact that is almost left out of every account. I didn’t even know that. The only thing they do agree on is that the name of the ship was Lion.
But even then, popular sources translate it as Lyon which is French for Lion. If it had been Spanish as they claim, it would have been Leon. The Portuguese name would have been Leão and to non speakers of the language it may have sounded like Lyon. What I discovered is that the author was right : the name of the Captain was Simão Fernandes. Usually translated as Simon Fernandes and eventually in apocryphal accounts as Simon Fernando.
Many historians from the West especially England, try to translate the names of other cultures in English. Juan becomes John and so forth. English museums do this all the time. So mistranslations are bound to occur. So the Pirate captain’s nationality was changed from Portuguese to Spanish.
Probably because the people doing the translating in future generations may not have been able to tell that his name was Portuguese. There are some minor similarities in both languages and the translators may have translated his name so many times that it no longer looked like his name.
Amazon has it for $19, but you can buy it on Thrift Books for $5.29 and that includes the hardcover edition
⬆️ This book had some of the most accurate information. There were a few things that were wrong but mostly correct. Also, the colonial ghosts at the play since the 1930’s comes from this book as well. This author has thoroughly researched the South. And while I don’t always agree with his opinions, he does have good information.
And he has tried to verify as much as possible. Also the report from Jamestown comes from this book.
4) The Sad Fate of White DoeNew York Times (April 22, 1888) (this one mentions the revised stories including that a farmer supposedly killed her with a silver bullet)
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 