Glenisha Shillingford a young woman from the Virgin Islands, shared a folktale from her youth. The US Virgin Islands is chain of Caribbean islands, made up of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Shillingford told the story of a "Cow foot lady" which is equivalent to St. Croix's "Goat foot woman". The description given of this cow foot woman could seem a bit unrealistic, but to those that believe in Voodoo is wouldn’t seem so far-fetched. Shillingford describes the cow foot woman as something like the boogie man, having big hooves and very angry (possibly because she lacked a man). Shillingford personally imagined the cow foot lady to appear as something like a mythological hybrid creature "like a man horse" or centaur. The cow foot lady could out run the young individual that is up to no good and would "gon come for you". In her words the story of the cow foot lady was to further enhance what your parents tell you about right and wrong.…show more content… Shillingford admitted to having strict parents and they would reinforce their rules by warning their children that sneaking out or doing anything considered "bad" would make this cow foot lady come for you. Things like carnival and J'ouvert parades were reasons for teens to sneak out despite having no school, but there are high crime rates and voodoo at play throughout the island. These were reasons for children to stay in the home. Eventually the children age out of believing in the folktale but it sticks with them through the rest of their lives. This story was passed down to Shillinford from her mother who learned of the story once she arrived in St. Thomas. A friend of Shillingford told her about the cow foot lady before her mother referenced it. The story is of the island and has been passed down
