The Origins Of La Llorona: The Weeping Woman
By Sarah Norman | October 30, 2023
The Legend Of La Llorna
La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, is a ghostly figure whose tale stretches across time and continents, leaving a trail of fear and fascination in her wake. She embodies the very essence of the unknown, weaving a narrative that intertwines love, betrayal, despair, and the restless souls of the afterlife. But what makes her legend so enduring, so spine-chilling, is not merely her spectral presence, but the enduring power of a mother's grief.
As we embark on this visual journey through the history of La Llorona, you'll witness the evolution of this eerie legend, from its ancient roots to its contemporary manifestations. Be prepared for tales of midnight cries, watery graves, and encounters that will make the hairs on your neck stand on end.
A dark-haired woman in a long white gown haunts rivers and lakes, searching for her drowned children. No one, especially children, dare go near her for fear she will drag them into the water and drown them. Her name is La Llorona and she is a well-known figure in Mexican folklore.
Snake Woman
While the exact origin of the legend is unknown, many believe it dates back more than four centuries. The figure of La Llorona is thought to be one of the goddesses worshipped by the Aztecs. The goddess Cihuacōātl, which means “Snake Woman,” was said to dress in white and walk around at night crying. She was also considered to be an evil omen. La Llorona has also been connected to the Aztec goddess Chalchiuhtlicue, meaning “the Jade-skirted one,” who was the goddess of the waters and had a reputation for drowning people. The Aztecs gained favor with Chalchiuhtlicue by sacrificing children to her.
Love, Betrayal, and Tragedy
The La Llorona myth has also been connected to a real woman named La Malinche, who was the mistress of Hernán Cortés during his conquest of Mexico. According to legend, La Malinche was reviled by her people due to her connection to Cortés, who left her after she gave birth to his child. She responded to his desertion by murdering their child. While there is historical evidence that La Malinche did exist, there is no proof that she killed her children.
Versions Of This Myth Go Back To Ancient Greece
European legends of scorned women murdering their own children date back to ancient Greece, with the story of Medea who murdered her sons in response to her husband’s betrayal, so it is possible that the tale of La Llorona was imported from Europe.
Irish Banshee Myths Are Eerily Similar To La LLorna
There are also similarities to be found among the banshees of Irish mythology who are known for their shrieking and are believed to be omens of death. Then there is the British cautionary tale of “Jenny Greenteeth,” who would allegedly drag children into the water and drown them. Parents used this tale to keep their children from getting too close to the water and falling in.
The Mother's Curse
While there are multiple variations of the tale, the current legend states that La Llorona was once a beautiful woman named Maria. She was born into poverty but because of her beauty was able to acquire a wealthy husband. The couple had two children but eventually, the husband began to stray. After catching her husband with another woman, Maria flew into a rage and murdered her children by drowning them in a river. Some versions have Maria as merely negligent, rather than murderous, leaving her children home alone while she went out with various men. She comes home one day to find her children have drowned in her absence.
Haunted Waters
Maria is stricken with grief after the death of her children. In some versions, she immediately drowns herself. In others, she spends the rest of her life by the river, crying and searching for her children. She will not eat and eventually takes on a skeletal appearance, before eventually dying on the riverbank. However, this is not the end. Her spirit continues to wander along the river, weeping and wailing for her children. People begin to call her La Llorona and fear her as she is rumored to take people and throw them into the river. Some versions say she would only take children, but others say that she would take anyone who got near to her.
La Llorona Sightings Vary
Like the legend, the details of the alleged sightings of La Llorona also vary. Some report that she appears as a warning to children who disrespect their parents. Others claim that she is a death omen for anyone who sees her. Reported sightings of the apparition have been made not only in Mexico but also among Hispanic communities in the United States. However, there are no documented reports of La Llorona dragging anyone to a river and drowning them.
Stay Away From The Water
In Mexico, as the sun sets and the world outside darkens, the tale of La Llorona becomes a haunting reminder for children not to venture out alone, especially near bodies of water. Her mournful cries, echoing through the night, serve as a chilling reminder of the dangers that lurk in the dark. Parents invoke her name, urging their little ones to stay close, for fear that she may snatch them away, just as she did her own children.
Seriously, Stay Away From The Water
In the Southwestern United States, the story of La Llorona takes on a similar role. Parents, grandparents, and storytellers employ her tale as a means to ensure good behavior. Children are cautioned not to stray too far from home, especially near the treacherous waters of rivers and lakes, for fear that La Llorona's ghostly presence may materialize, ready to claim disobedient souls.
Through the ages, the legend of La Llorona has evolved into more than just a supernatural yarn; it has become an integral part of parenting and cultural education, instilling a healthy respect for the unknown and a reminder to tread carefully in the world after dark.
The Cry Of La LLorona
Legend has it that in Guatemala City, there resided a woman entangled in a forbidden affair with a lover. Her forbidden love bore a son, Juan de la Cruz, a child concealed from her husband's knowledge. In a tragic turn, she made the harrowing decision to drown her own offspring, concealing her infidelity. As retribution in the afterlife, she was condemned to an eternal quest, endlessly scouring every place harboring pools of water in search of her lost and murdered son. This haunting journey is marked by her mournful cries for her beloved child, earning her the moniker of the Wailing Woman, or La Llorona. This spine-tingling narrative has woven its way into the fabric of popular culture, shared through generations to send shivers down the spines of countless children. The heart-rending wail of "Oh, my children!!" (¡Ay mis hijos!) has become synonymous with her chilling tale. A peculiar detail adds to the eerie mystique: if one hears her cry from afar, the ghost is believed to be nearby, but if the cry is heard nearby, it signifies the ghost's distant presence. Crossing paths with this spectral entity is an ill-fated fate, as it is said to ensnare the unfortunate soul, leading them into the afterlife, never to be seen again.
Staying Safe From La Llorona
The haunting story of La Llorona unfolds in the vast Venezuelan Llanos, casting its eerie shadow across the colonial era. La Llorona, believed to be the restless spirit of a grieving woman, met her tragic end due to the heart-wrenching loss of her children. The circumstances surrounding their demise remain shrouded in mystery, whether by her own hand or at the hands of her own family. As a safeguard against such vengeful spirits, generations of families have maintained the tradition of affixing wooden crosses above their doorways, seeking protection from the sorrowful specter that is La Llorona.
Keep An Eye Out For La Llorona
The ethereal figure, tall and slender, is rumored to possess an innate allure, accentuated by her cascading ebony hair. Draped in a pristine white gown, she roams the banks of rivers and creeks, her mournful cries piercing the stillness of the night as she tirelessly searches for unsuspecting children to drag, their screams fading into a watery abyss. While the legends surrounding her vary, one unsettling constant remains: this apparition acts without hesitation or compassion. The tales recounting her cruelty diverge depending on the version of the legend one encounters. Some insist she shows no discrimination, claiming the lives of men, women, and children alike—anyone unfortunate enough to draw near. Others maintain that her brutality is reserved solely for the young, snatching them away with piercing cries, consigning them to a chilling watery grave.
La Llorona Is An Incredibly Popular Ghost Story
A wide array of La Llorona narratives can be unearthed within news reports and across the vast expanse of the internet. For a comprehensive collection, delve into "The Weeping Woman: Encounters with La Llorona," a book penned by Edward Garcia Kraul and Judith Beatty. As you explore these chilling tales, you'll uncover a multitude of variations. Sometimes, La Llorona fixes her spectral gaze on you from a distance, relentlessly pursuing you, sending shivers down your spine as you hasten towards the safety of your home. On other occasions, she materializes atop a horse, a ghostly equestrian figure. In yet other renditions, she appears within your horse-drawn carriage or modern vehicle, delivering cautionary messages against wayward behavior before vanishing, much akin to the famous spirit of the vanishing hitchhiker. In some of these unsettling stories, an encounter with La Llorona proves to be fatal, adding a chilling dimension to her legend.
La Llorona Is Seen As A Metaphor For Cultural Anxieties
According to Camille Acosta, who wrote her masters thesis on folklore, La Llorona is the "origin story" for the anxieties of the Latinx people. She says:
No two individuals view La Llorona in the same way. For example, the children I interviewed mostly saw La Llorona as a ghostly apparition more than willing to instill fear in young ones who misbehave. For the young adults including myself, there was description of La Llorona not just as a ghost but as a monster making us feel isolated from normalcy. For my parents however, La Llorona wavered from being a mother with the world on her shoulders to a key for escaping the harsh realities of life through ostension. Every single informant viewed the Llorona as a unique and personalized character in their own minds.
