According to folklore, she was an enslaved African woman who made a deal with Le Diable (the Devil) to give her soul to him, becoming a demi-demon, in exchange for eternal beauty.
However, her hideous face is hidden by a large brimmed hat, and her long dress hides the fact that one leg ends in a cow hoof.
[citation needed] She can cast spells on her unsuspecting male victim, whom she leads into the forest.
The victim, confused, lost, and scared, runs around the forest until he falls into a ravine or river, or gets eaten by a wild dog and dies.
[1][2] To break the spell of La Diablesse, one must turn their clothing inside out, light a sacred candle, and walk home backward, away from the last area in which she was spotted.