High john the conquerer

Answer 1

John The Conquerer is a figure in African-American mythology, about a slave who was an African prince and survived slavery with his head held high and his spirit unbroken. Some claim he escaped and went back to Africa, others claim he either did or did not escape physically but his spirit still resides in the US.

he's lent his name to a series of roots used in traditional US black folk medicine/magic generally called John The Conquerer root.

this root has powers (in the folk medicine way of thinking) similar to the Chinese use of rhino horn in their traditional medicine, and others besides.

John The Conquerer and his root was a favorite subject of US blues musicians, which were almost exclusively black/African-American in the early and middle years of the genre.

he's also been confused and conflated with the African incarnation of the mythical Prester John, who was alternately a legendary African or Asian Christian prince living slightly beyond the reach/knowledge of the Western Christian powers but would supposedly come one day to deliver the Christian faith, either in a time of crisis or by generally expelling the Muslims from the Holy Land.