Key Takeaways
Frightening characters burst in child ’s literature — thinkLamiawho feed children andRumpelstiltskinwho tries to steal one . But there ’s another terrifying andcreepy ghostsaid to murder tyke she mistakes as her own and she ’s part of thebest - known legendof Mexico and areas with high Mexican in-migration .
This shade isLa Llorona , the weeping char .
" La Llorona is a Latinx legend that is free-base upon an entity that ghost river and waterways searching for her lost youngster , " saysCamille Maria Acosta , an autonomous folklorist and investigator who specializes in Latin and Chicana folklore and horror narrative . " The conception of a monstrosity or a ghost steal you out for all eternity is quite a frightening concept , both for little ones and adults . "
What Is the Legend of La Llorona?
The legend of La Llorona is acenturies - old talethat dates to the conquistadors . While the account deviate depending on the author , the most vulgar says the ghost is of a char , Maria , who used her beauty and charm to capture the spunk of a flush man , with whom she had two sons . He lavished her with attention and gift until their marriage get going south .
He began a life of drinking and womanizing , spending more time away from plate . Even when he was home , he ignored his wife for his children .
finally Maria saw him with another char and was heartbroken — and enraged . So , Maria decided to visit the same case of pain in the ass on her married man — she overwhelm their children in the river . But properly after she realized what she ’d done , she scream out " Ay , mis hijos ! " ( " Oh , my children ! " ) and drown herself , too .
Now , the legend says , La Llorona float in water in her white gown , searching for her youngster . " Her still - cry ghost is said to still be out there , remove children whom , in her madness , she confuses as her own , " Acosta says .
Like most cultural oral stories , the fable of La Llorona has multiple variations depend on who ’s telling the fib . " Variance and differences in the tarradiddle do n’t really come from world regions as much as they come from being a hundred - quondam folk tale passed down over so many years , " explainsTomás Prower , generator of " Morbid magic trick : Death Spirituality & Culture From Around the human beings . "
Some edition say La Llorona pick her children for why her married man left her , while others hint she attacks cheating husband . But the general message is the same : If you discover the cries of La Llorona , run .
Why Do Parents Tell the Story of La Llorona?
Imagine hearing this storey at eld 6 , like Acosta and millions of children were when they first learned of La Llorona .
" She is the main ' monster ' that parents use to scare their tiddler into behaving , " Prower says . " La Llorona works more as a bogeyman to keep kids from wandering out alone where she can get them , a variety of transcendental ' stay where I can see you ' tactic . "
Stephen Winick , writer and editor for the Library of Congress ' American Folklife Center , compose that fib of La Lloronaalmost always include mention of why she " should be avoided . " Her legend is a mode for parents to control and fright children into carry .
Acosta obtain that to be straight when shewrote her dissertation . She said that many of the Mexicans she interview believe the reason adult say children the frightening tale was to offer a warning : " Do n’t outride outside after darkness . “From Acosta ’s dissertation :
What Are the Origins of La Llorona?
Nobody really knows where the story of La Llorona came from , but that ’s part of the charm and looker of folklore .
" La Llorona most likely originated in Mexico and spread out from there as common people migrated alfresco of Mexico , " Prower says . " [ That ’s why ] her fable is more known in places with high-pitched Mexican populations like the Southwest U.S. or Mexico - side by side places like Central American country . " As Mexicans migrate , they preserved their ethnic inheritance by pass on stories to future generations .
Acosta say the story could be based onLa Malinche , the girl of an Aztec chief sold to slavers by her mother . However , there is a oecumenical idea of what period the report is lay out in .
" The reading that exists today commonly tends to be set in the 1800s , either during the waning years of colonial Mexico or during the other year of independent Mexico and has not really been modernize since , " Prower explains .
La Llorona’s Tale Is a Metaphor
Acosta says oral stories like La Llorona ’s are n’t just to scare children . They also serve as fashion to communicate idea for mass to translate office in the world .
" La Llorona is so necessary and authoritative for our polish because she represents survival , relatability and struggle through the utilisation of horror , " Acosta says . position and circumstances , such asgrief , death and perfidy are tough to speak about and report with similar themes can help people relate or finger understood .
" This narrative explores and represents so many aspects of our finish that may be unmanageable to speak about such as machismo , end and even emotionalism , " she say . " However , it ’s good in the confines of metaphor ; it ’s easier to sing about when it ’s ' just a scary story . ' "
Acosta says she talked to many mass when researching her dissertation and discovered that La Llorona affected them all differently . " Some Latinas I interviewed venerate becoming a ' terrible female parent ' like [ La Llorona ] was thought to be , " she says . " Some Latinos feared that she was a reflection of their inmost demons and some niños just plain out say that touch charwoman were scary . It was fascinating to check how we can all be haunted by La Llorona , just not necessarily in the same ways . "
The legend has also been render in pop culture , in songs , literature and numerous Hollywood films , including 2019 ’s " The Curse of La Llorona , " star Marisol Ramirez as La Llorona .
Although not all of these have presented the tale faithfully , Acosta allege , every time the narrative is explored , multitude still learn about her culture . But it ’s all about whether it " comes from a seat of scholarship , understanding and … respect , " she says .
But Prower say he ’s not certain these modern depictions are the best style to tell the old tale . " Their objective is capitalistic , " he says , " [ They ] craft a story that will call on a profit while deliberately overemphasizing La Llorona ’s ' exoticness / Latinidad ' rather than pass down a cultural tradition or impart a moral object lesson . " Prower urge we or else look for stories and storytellers where make a gain is n’t the destination .
