Mythical Creatures Folklore Collection Project
Latin American Creatures
Common theme: Of the tales that I collected, they all share the theme of having a behavioral component for children whether that be spatially, to contain them within the realms of adult supervision or cautionary, to establish respect between all parties.
La Llorona, “The Crying Woman”
Cultural Background of Informant:
Informant Name: Paola cazares
Informant Age: 22
Informant Gender: female
Informant Birthplace: Morgan hill, CA
Informant Current Residence: Waukegan, IL
Informant Ethnicity: Mexican-American/ Latina
Informant Religion: Not given
Date Collected:5/19/2014
Genre: Verbal Lore = Folktale, Legend
Presentation: This legend is told to young children by their parents.
Who is La Llorona?
La Llorona is haunted lady with pale skin, disheveled hair, and covered eyes.
Text
“I first heard this folk tale when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was at an aunts house in Oregon, which had a huge plot of land behind it. My aunt tried to ensure that me and my cousins stayed inside. She told us that La Llorona was a woman whose husband decided to leave her because he could no longer take care of their children. In order to stay with him, the woman drowns her children. After she does this, the man still refuses to stay with her, and so the woman goes
crazy. She drowns herself in a river, but then gets stuck in limbo for what she did to her
children. The legend says that she now walks around at night crying and yelling ‘Ay mis
hijos’ which means ‘Oh, my children’.”
Context
Why?
- It is used to scare children or caution people about making irrational choices.
- Spatial: reinforces boundaries that children should not cross, leaving home unsupervised
- “I've heard a few people add a section where La Llorona is looking for kids to take the place of those she lost and also I once heard someone say that this tale could be referencing the interaction between Hernan Cortez and La Malinche during the Spanish colonization of Mexico.”
Where?
- This tale is told in parts around Mexico.
Emotions Evoked:
- Fright
- Discipline/Orderliness
La Llorona, “The Crying Woman”
Cultural Background of Informant:
Informant Name: Eduardo Misael Najera Ortega
Informant Age: 22
Informant Gender: Male
Informant Birthplace: Mexico
Informant Current Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Informant Ethnicity: Mexican
Informant Religion: Raised Catholic
Date Collected:5/17/2014
Genre: Verbal Lore = Folktale, Legend
Presentation: This legend is told to young children by their parents.
Who is La Llorona?
La Llorona has the shape of a woman, but her face is demonic. She is pale looking, her clothing is old and worn out. She has black hair and she is always crying.
Text
“The tale of La Llorona goes as follows: there was once a woman who was married.
One day she came home and caught her husband cheating on her with another woman.
That same night after the husband had left, in a moment of great sadness and delusion
the women drowned her kids in the near by river. After she snapped out of her trance she
realized what she had done. She then committed suicide. It is now said that some nights if
you go out to the river and you are a cheating man you can hear La Llorona’s cries as she
mourns for her children. She cries as she screams “My children, my children, where are
my children.” If you get close to her, she will devour your soul.
Context
Why?
- “Apparently, one of my distant uncles had actually encountered La Llorona since he used to always cheat on his women. So I think the main function of the tale is to serve as a scare tactic to bestow good morals on young boys, especially morals that do not permit cheating on women. Now my family and I use it to make fun of scary situations with the saying “Watch La Llorona is bound to come out if we stay here.” I only ever take it seriously if I am near rivers at night. I know some variations exist since this is at least 10 generations old in my family but mainly in how the children die.”
- Cautionary: reinforces good behavior (don’t cheat on women) (moral tale)
Where?
- This tale is told in parts around Mexico.
When?
- “I was told about the tale at the age of 9 years old. I was in my house in Huamuxtitlan, Guerrero Mexico.”
Emotions Evoked:
- Fright
- Discipline/Orderliness
Maria Mandunga
Cultural Background of Informant:
Cultural Background of Informant:
Informant Name: Nicole Castillo
Informant Age: 19
Informant Gender: Female
Informant Birthplace: Passaic, NJ
Informant Current Residence: Basking Ridge, NJ
Informant Ethnicity: Mexican/Colombian
Informant Religion: Catholicism
Date Collected:5/19/2014
Genre: Customary Lore = Game, Verbal Lore = Folktale
Presentation: This is a tale passed on to children by elders through a game that’s basically hide and seek in the dark.
Who is Maria Mandunga?
Maria Mandunga is a haunted lady with pale skin, disheveled hair, and covered eyes (much like La Llorona).
Text
“I first remember playing it around the age of 7 or 8. There was a woman named Maria who died by being hanged by a curtain. Her eyes were covered and she awoke dead to look for her children who were locked in a dark room nearby.”
Context
Why?
- meant to keep you on your toes and scared as you play with the other kids because it happens in a dark room
- Spatial: reinforces boundaries that children should not cross, leaving home unsupervised
Where?
- “I know it has been in my family for at least three generations now. I’m pretty sure this is a variation of La Llorona but altered to be a kid’s game. La Llorona is heard a lot in Mexico and Maria Mandunga in Colombia.”
When?
- “We typically play it at every gathering and it’s always the older kids who ask to play it to scare the younger kids.”
Emotions Evoked:
- Fright
- Discipline/Orderliness
Duende
Cultural Background of Informant:
Informant Name: Julio Santiago Guerrero
Informant Age: 22
Informant Gender: Male
Informant Birthplace: Tulcán, Ecuador
Informant Current Residence: Hanover, NH
Informant Ethnicity: Hispanic
Informant Religion: Christian
Date Collected:5/14/2014
Genre: Verbal Lore = Folktale
Presentation: This legend is told to young children by their parents.
Who is Duende?
Duende is a small green man with large ears and a big hat. He has a beautiful singing voice accompanied by his drum playing.
Text
“Duende would try to get girls to fall in love with him. That's why he sings to them so beautifully. Commonly, once a girl hears him, she would fall in love and follow him. People would never see the girl again. If the duende finds a guy, he kills him because he is jealous of all the girls.”
Context
Why?
- “The elders of the family had told me this tale along with my cousins. I think they told us this to keep the girls safe at home so they didn’t wander and get lost. The girls of my hometown would get even treated by Shamans so that they are immune to the Duende’s song. For the boys, it also made us fearful to wonder in the woods at night because we did not want to creep up on the Duende and be killed.”
- Spatial: reinforces boundaries that children should not cross, leaving home unsupervised
Where?
- This is heard a lot around Mexico.
When?
- “I was about eight years old when I first heard the tale.”
Emotions Evoked:
- Fright
- Discipline/Orderliness
Jinete Sin Cabeza (The Headless Horseman)
Cultural Background of Informant:
Informant Name: Angelica Carrillo Leal
Informant Age: 20
Informant Gender: Feminine
Informant Birthplace: Mexico
Informant Current Residence: Mexico
Informant Ethnicity: Mexican/Latina
Informant Religion: Catholic
Informant Background: I live in the border with Texas. Currently in second year of college. Starting speaking English five-six years ago. Neuroscience and Studio Art double major.
Date Collected:5/12/2014
Genre: Verbal Lore = Folktale
Presentation: This legend is told to young children by their parents or elders.
Who is Jinete Sin Cabeza?
He is a headless horseman who rides around with a large sword during stormy nights.
Text
“My grandmother told us that there was a very remote town where at night, a beautiful horse would be heard galloping past the homes of the people. People saw the rider and wondered why he rode so heavily at night and thought he was really strange for doing that. One dark night in particular, there was heavy lightning. A person wandering outside had been approached by the horseman who decapitated him. It was not until years later than the horseman returned to strike again, long after people had forgotten about the previous murder. On another night with thunder, the horse was heard again. The town was fascinated by the sounds and went outside of their houses to see what was going on. The lightning struck the rider and made him glow. The people could see that he had no head and they were afraid. They went into their houses and stayed there in confusion.”
Context
Why?
- 1) “Since I remember hearing it on Halloween, I think my grandmother told us this story to try to scare us before we went out. It makes sense because Halloween is made to spook you and scare you and hearing a story would get us really jumpy before we were even scared by anyone giving us candy.”
- 2) But since I heard this tale at other times too, I think it could also just be to keep children in the house so they do not wander off. Hearing about a headless man isn’t something a little kid wants to see so it working to keep them on their good behavior is easy.
- Spatial: reinforces boundaries that children should not cross, leaving home unsupervised
Where?
- This is heard a lot around Mexico, as well.
When?
- “I do remember my grandmother told it to us, the kids at the house who had gathered for Halloween to go trick-or-treating. She had mentioned that her mother told her and that her grandmother told her mother so it has been around for a long time.”
Emotions Evoked:
- Fright
- Discipline/Orderliness
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