The Mythical Spirits of Venezuela
In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I
wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your
own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that
is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and
legends in other cultures to find something that has a rich history
surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. One of the countries
that have some unique myths is Venezuela. Venezuela is officially known
as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and it is located in South
America; it is mostly known for its high level of biodiversity.
El Silbon
El Silbon was once a spoiled child who killed his own father in order to eat his entrails, but was caught by his grandfather who whipped the boy. The grandfather then gave the boy his father’s bones in a sack, banished him from his home, set his dogs on him, and then cursed him. When the dogs caught up to the boy, they killed him, and the grandfather’s curse took hold, turning the boy into El Silbon. El Silbon takes the appearance of a ghostly man, over six feet tall, who is very skinny, and he carries a large sack on his back. El Silbon can be recognized by his eerie whistling which causes humans to feel intense fear and dread. At night, El Silbon sneaks into houses where he will count his father’s bones all night long. If the family living in the house hears El Silbon, then they will have good luck for a year; however, if no one hears El Silbon then at least one member of the household will die before morning.
La Sayona
La Sayona was once a very pretty young woman called Melissa who was married and had a young son. Melissa would swim naked in a river near her village every day, and one day a man came across and was hypnotized by her beauty. For weeks he would come to the river to watch her swim, until one day Melissa caught him and told him to leave her alone. The man told Melissa that he was there to warn her that her husband was sleeping with Melissa's mother. In anger Melissa killed her husband and her son, and then set out to kill her mother. As her mother was dying, she laid a curse on Melissa that she would have to avenge all women for all of time who had unfaithful husbands. When Melissa’s mother took her last breath, Melissa was transformed into the ghostly figure that became known as La Sayona. La Sayona is a mostly transparent ghost that can take the form of any woman to lure unfaithful husbands to come near. Once the unfaithful are within her grasp, La Sayona kills them and devours their life energy.
La Llorana
La Llorana was once a young woman called Maria who drowned her two children to get revenge on her husband, who left her for a younger woman. However, she quickly fell into a deep despair when she realized that she had not just punished her husband, but also killed her own children. In her despair, she killed herself in the same river as she drowned her children. She then rose as a spirit known as La Llorana, who searches without rest for her children to beg their forgiveness. La Llorana will often drown any child that resembles her own dead children in the hope that their lives could be exchanged for those of her own children. She often asks for forgiveness from these children before she drowns them.
Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke El Silbon
El Silbon was once a spoiled child who killed his own father in order to eat his entrails, but was caught by his grandfather who whipped the boy. The grandfather then gave the boy his father’s bones in a sack, banished him from his home, set his dogs on him, and then cursed him. When the dogs caught up to the boy, they killed him, and the grandfather’s curse took hold, turning the boy into El Silbon. El Silbon takes the appearance of a ghostly man, over six feet tall, who is very skinny, and he carries a large sack on his back. El Silbon can be recognized by his eerie whistling which causes humans to feel intense fear and dread. At night, El Silbon sneaks into houses where he will count his father’s bones all night long. If the family living in the house hears El Silbon, then they will have good luck for a year; however, if no one hears El Silbon then at least one member of the household will die before morning.
La Sayona
La Sayona was once a very pretty young woman called Melissa who was married and had a young son. Melissa would swim naked in a river near her village every day, and one day a man came across and was hypnotized by her beauty. For weeks he would come to the river to watch her swim, until one day Melissa caught him and told him to leave her alone. The man told Melissa that he was there to warn her that her husband was sleeping with Melissa's mother. In anger Melissa killed her husband and her son, and then set out to kill her mother. As her mother was dying, she laid a curse on Melissa that she would have to avenge all women for all of time who had unfaithful husbands. When Melissa’s mother took her last breath, Melissa was transformed into the ghostly figure that became known as La Sayona. La Sayona is a mostly transparent ghost that can take the form of any woman to lure unfaithful husbands to come near. Once the unfaithful are within her grasp, La Sayona kills them and devours their life energy.
La Llorana
La Llorana was once a young woman called Maria who drowned her two children to get revenge on her husband, who left her for a younger woman. However, she quickly fell into a deep despair when she realized that she had not just punished her husband, but also killed her own children. In her despair, she killed herself in the same river as she drowned her children. She then rose as a spirit known as La Llorana, who searches without rest for her children to beg their forgiveness. La Llorana will often drown any child that resembles her own dead children in the hope that their lives could be exchanged for those of her own children. She often asks for forgiveness from these children before she drowns them.
