While visiting Colombia, I heard many folk tales. Each of them involved a hideous creature able to devor hapless wanderers. Parents and grandparents tell their children these stories to scare them enough to prevent them from exploring the jungle alone, so they’re pretty much all scary. If you’re looking for a villain with South American flair, here are a few ideas.
Sirena (evil mermaid)–If you swim in the Rio Guatapurí during Holy week, you will become a sirena. The river comes from a high mountain in Sierra Nevada, the closest glacier to the sea, giving the river its name, cold water. There's a peninsula where one side is a river and the other side is the ocean.
Mohan–The Mohan walks the mule trails across the mountains. Big and hairy like a yeti, he is strong enough to rip a cow in half. He will eat the ribs for lunch and leave the rest, continuing his travels. He could eat a child whole, so he is to be avoided. His hair is white with a black body.
La Patasola–A one-legged female with a hoof, cat eyes, big mouth and teeth with fangs. She is a soul in grief, misplaced from purgatory. Some accounts say her leg was cut off by her jealous husband, causing her to flee to the forest and revenge herself on all men. Able to change her appearance, she lures them deeper into the forest where she feasts on their blood.
Madre Monte–Jungle Mother has hair of leaves and a cloak of moss. Protector of the forest, she can “disappear you” if you encroach upon her lands. Hunters and loggers draw her fiercest ire. If you enter her domain, you will become disoriented and will walk in circles until she, or something even worse, gets you.
While I heard these legends in the Antioquian region of Colombia, many South American countries have their own version. They would make a horrifying anthology. If you decide to do your own research, beware! The illustrations can be frighening.
Article By Amber Gabriel
Amber Gabriel is a Central Texas author, artist, and teacher. She lives on a ranch with her husband, their four dogs, and a herd of Black Angus. She writes, reads, dances, paints, plays several instruments with varying degrees of competence, and never stops spinning stories in her head.