American Horror Story: Roanoke – What “Croatoan” Really Means

The word “Croatoan” has a spooky history in real life and on American Horror Story. The word’s origin comes from the mysterious disappearance of an entire colony called Roanoke in 1590, which is the true story that inspired season 6. The residents vanished without a trace, with the exception of one word carved into a tree — Croatoan. History was altered slightly so the word could seamlessly blend into the world of American Horror Story season 6.

Thanks to the interconnectedness of each of its seasons, Croatoan was actually introduced on American Horror Story back in season 1. Medium Billie Dean Howard, the first of Sarah Paulson’s many characters on American Horror Story, shares the word’s meaning and power with Violet. In American Horror Story, the tragic fate of Roanoke goes down the same way, with one exception. The natives’ bodies disappeared, but their spirits remained — malevolent ones, at that. A local elder was able to banish the spirits of the ghost colony by uttering one word he found carved on a tree: Croatoan.

American Horror Story season 6 draws inspiration from the lost colony of Roanoke by telling its story in a slightly confusing timeline which is partially set in present day North Carolina and in 1500s Roanoke. In modern-day Roanoke, haunted residents shout the word in hopes to banish the spirits tormenting them. But, just with season 1, the chant doesn’t work quite as intended. It just goes to show that the word “Croatoan” has a real power to it, but it has not quite been unleashed on American Horror Story. 

The Power of Croatoan Is Still A Mystery

The use of the word “Croatoan” in American Horror Story season 6 builds upon what was revealed about the word in season 1. Across both seasons, the word’s intended use is to banish sprits. Echoing Billie Dean’s speech in season 1, medium Cricket Marlowe (Leslie Jordan) explains the ominous word’s history to Matt and Shelby and provides additional details on the ghost colony’s malevolent roots. As American Horror Story season 6 has a more direct connection to the word “Croatoan”, it is used more frequently in attempts to banish spirits. However, just like with the earlier season, it never quite does the trick to keep them at bay.

This is because the true power of the word “Croatoan” hasn’t been unlocked yet on American Horror Story. The word clearly has a tie to the spiritual world. Two separate mediums warn people about its dark powers, and although the use of the word hasn’t banished them yet, spirits do react to it. In season 1’s introduction of the phrase, Billie Dean informs Violet about how difficult it is to vanquish a spirit, due to the parasitic-like energy a dark spirit possesses. As the show will be airing season 10 in 2021, American Horror Story is nowhere near done telling stories of evil, dark spirits. This opens the door to bring back the use of the word “Croatoan” in future seasons, as it’s already been featured twice and the whole American Horror Story universe is connected.

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