INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘American Horror Story’ Season 6: The True Story Of The Lost Colony Of Roanoke

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 01:12 PST, Aug 3, 2016

After months of speculation about American Horror Story Season 6, there were finally glimpses of the setting and storyline. Not only did FX release teasers showing a farmland cottage, but TMZ shared photos allegedly from behind the scenes. Fans got the feeling that the show would focus on the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

While it’s a great idea, there are many fans now wondering about the legend behind this story. Just what is the true story and how could it possibly work out as an American Horror Story season? What does “Croatoan” mean—and not in the Supernatural sense. Here’s a look at the story you need to know for more of this to make sense.

The Telegraph shares the story that is set in July 1587, when Englishmen arrived in North Carolina’s Roanoke to settle. People had tried to settle here before, but had failed. The only thing remaining was one single skeleton, but it didn’t put Sir Walter Raleigh and the rest of the new explorers off. Even when it got difficult, they asked for reinforcements rather than to find somewhere else.

John White had left his family behind and returned to England for help. He didn’t manage to return until 1590, and every single settler had disappeared without a trace. Just the word “Croatoan” was carved into a tree.

This word was the name of a Native American island, now known as Hatteras Island. White never managed to get there due to an unwilling crew and bad weather. Nobody every found out what happened to the settlers—or the previous inhabitants—but there were certainly plenty of legends. Did the Native Americans attack? Was there a killer epidemic? Maybe Spanish pirates found them and attacked.

The true story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke certainly makes a good setting for American Horror Story Season 6. With so many legends, the writers could focus on one and have that legend still alive on the island for tourists or new inhabitants to discover.

How could something like this work with previous seasons of AHS? After all, there are clues that the baby from Season 1 will appear, and others believe that the antichrist (the child of Vivian and Tate) will appear during the season. Is it possible that either of these are the real reason for “Croatoan” on the island? Did Native Americans need to make a sacrifice to keep their homeland safe? Maybe the baby or antichrist lives on the island, and killed and hide the settlers somewhere.

This sort of storyline would suit the trailer of the women running down the stairs, only to be almost grabbed by various hands. Do these hands belong to the ghosts of the settlers?

One of the chilling trailers had an insect working its way over a woman’s hair and face. Could it be a parasite that kills everyone? Maybe something in the water? Or is this just an insect on a dead body—one of many that will start piling up throughout the season? The parasite would work with another teaser of a family with flowing eyes.

American Horror Story won’t be the first to cover the ghost stories of “The Lost City,” nor will it be the last. That doesn’t mean the storyline will be any less chilling than many of the others. The benefit of AHS is that the writers can take one idea and spiral it out to many other chilling stories. We just have to look at Season 5 for that, with James Patrick March being based on the real-life serial killer H.H. Holmes.

What do you think about the latest photos from TMZ for American Horror Story Season 6? Will it be focused on The Lost Colony of Roanoke? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Don’t forget to tune into the American Horror Story Season 6 premiere on September 14 on FX.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

Share this article: ‘American Horror Story’ Season 6: The True Story Of The Lost Colony Of Roanoke
More from Inquisitr