Corn Islands Legend: Don’t Play with Your Shadow

Back in the day, children on Corn Island were warned never to play with their shadows.

“Don’t play with your shadow,” the elders would say. “Dobby will come and take you away.”

And those who did were quickly scolded by their grandparents.

Dobby wasn’t someone you ever wanted to meet. A shadowy spirit, feared by all, he was said to roam in the evenings and on lonely or sacred days—especially during Lent—seeking mischievous children who dared to mock the balance between light and dark. If you danced with your shadow, played games with it, or tried to step on it, people believed Dobby would take it as a calling—and come for you.

Children listened, wide-eyed and silent, especially when the sun was low and the shadows stretched long across the land.

No one wanted to tempt fate. No one wanted Dobby to come.