scary folklore in american, hispanic, and navajo cultures

Kimberly A. Artman           

Professor Florence 

ENG 515 Life/Literature of NM

1 May 2011                                         

Scary Folklore in American, Hispanic and Navajo Cultures

Americans have used myths, folklore, and fables to teach their children valuable lessons.  These folklores gave children a moral at the end of the story on which to reflect.  Sometimes the stories were more frightening and were meant to deliver a message in a more abrupt fashion.  The Boogie man was used by some parents to scare their children into the appropriate behavior.  The Navajo and Spanish people have handed down a variety of stories similar to the Boogieman and they call them Skinwalkers or La Llorona.  Most New Mexican children are familiar with each of these scary characters because they are a mixture of American, Spanish, and Indian folklore, the cultures that are found in New Mexico.

A myth is a story based on a person or origins of the world.  It is an attempt to solve a mystery or dramatize an actual event.  A myth is often related to a sacred event.  Folklore is a fictional story that not only involves people but animals as well.  A folktale is one that usually has a lesson to be learned or has a central conflict.  A legend is based off of a real person, subject or event.  A fairy tale involves fictional settings and characters and don’t have much, if any factual evidence.  A fable is a mixture of stories, myths, and legends.  La Llorona, the boogie man, and Skinwalkers seem to be all human but not a specific one rather a generality.  I think most the terms apply to the three characters listed above except the legend; as there is no evidence in each case of there being some real life person at the origin of the story.

Many countries use folklore to teach their children values and beliefs.  Some of these cultural beliefs are found in Asia, Africa, Egypt, Europe, and India. They teach children the history of their culture though tales that are age appropriate.  The origin story is one most countries and religions hand down through time.  The Native Americans and the Africans believe people came from the core of the earth while Egyptians believe that the universe was made of water.

America has some great stories that have been exaggerated throughout time like Paul Bunyan, Billy the Kid, and Babe and the Blue Ox.  Tales have also gotten scarier to make the point more direct. The Boogie man is often portrayed onscreen as scary characters like Michael Meyers, Freddie Krugger or Hannibal Lector.  These men all have the same outlook toward children…. to hurt and scare them.  Some parents allow their children to watch these films in order to scare them into not being out late at night, not having premarital sex, or just hanging out with a bad crowd.  Those of us who like a less subtle approach use the generic boogie man without all the blood and guts.  A saying that has been said by mothers around America and that is “only bad things happen at night”.

     One popular legend or myth in America is the one that children tell mostly at campfires or slumber parties to scare each other.  The popular ghost story is called Bloody Mary.  She has become known around the United States as a scorned woman, or witch, out for revenge.  Some of the popular tales about Bloody Mary say she was in an accident of sorts which left her face disfigured and ugly.  She is said to hide in mirrors and will come out to scratch the viewers’ eyes so they too will become hideous and not able to see her again.  The legend goes that if you say her name three or more times in a mirror in a dark room lit by a candle, her visit will leave you scared or dead.

New Mexico has had a blending of cultures since the conquistadors arrived in the 1600’s.  The Spaniards had offspring from the Native Americans and called them mestizmo’s.  The Anglo Americans arrived later when trade routes were made, like the Santa Fe Trail, and had children with both the Spanish and Native Americans and called them coyotes.  Thus, New Mexico became a land of blended cultures and blended folklore.  Most children have heard scary folklores from each of the three major cultures.

Hispanic people have had many tales told throughout time such the Chupacabras, La Mala Hora and La Llorona.  All these tales have an outlandish creature that comes to teach a moral or lesson.  A chupachabra was a real fossil found in Albuquerque’s west side and looks much like a gargoyle.  No one has yet explained its mysterious appearance since it was found in New Mexico in the 1980’s.  Some speculate that it is an alien and more are around buried and yet to be discovered.

La Llorona is also known as the “weeping woman”.  It is said that La Llorona was a confused woman.  She is said to have drowned her own children to spend more time with a man.  The man is said to have left her and realizing her mistake she killed herself and walks the ditch banks at night to find her children.  There is a different version of the story one in which the man she was in love with was her husband who had an affair with another woman.  To get back at her husband she is said to have drowned their children.  La Llorona is said to be in such despair that she walks the banks of the river at night looking for children to steal.

Abran is the leading character in the book Albuquerque written by Rodolfo Anaya.  Abran has an encounter with La Llorona one night while driving around the barrio and describes her in a certain way:

He was deep in thought when an old woman ran in front of his car.  He slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop.  He saw her clearly, her wild hair flowing around wrinkled face, the eyes wild and dark, the lips open in a scream that filled the night.  La Llorona, he thought, the wailing woman of the barrio. (24,25)

La Mala Hora is another myth told in the Spanish cultures of New Mexico.  At night, during the bad hour, seen at a crossroad, a demon like woman appears to those who will see death in the days to come.  One of the stories tells of a lady going to visit a friend.  She sees La Mala Hora on the road during the night and the following day her husband is killed.  This is yet another tale of staying clear of the witching hour to prevent meeting a ghost.

One would think that a screaming, disfigured woman would be enough to scare anyone who wishes to travel at night but the Hispanic/Anglo people don’t have the market on scary figures.  In another book called Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman, a witch is said to be able to transform into another object (like an animal) and enter ones soul by just staring in their eyes.  Another way for the witch to gain control of another human is to embed them with bone beads or powders which have been cursed.  Hillerman uses the skinwalkers as mysterious character in the story. 

I was trying to get a better handle on the term skinwalker and browsed around the internet finding stories told from real Navaho men and women that live on the reservation.  I came across a story told by a Navajo man when he was a young boy.  He does not believe that it is a story but rather a real incident that happened to him one night traveling from his grandmother’s house.

As I play this memory back in my mind, there are only a few clear memories that I have of that evening. I clearly remember looking in my rearview mirror and seeing the dark silhouette of something very tall and very skinny that seemed to be covered with some kind of hair or fur running behind the truck after us! Whatever it was, it wasn't a normal human or human at all. I remember hearing my brother crying and my dog barking ferociously at whatever was chasing us. I remember speeding very fast and shaking violently as the truck bounced on the washboard dirt road. I distinctly remember that this thing was only getting closer as my brother cried "it's coming up on your side!" I remember being as scared as hell and thinking that I didn't want to die.

So what can be said of all those scary folklore stories from a variety of cultures?  People in Mexico may have heard of La Llorona but maybe not Skinwalkers.  Native Americans around the world may not have heard the story about Bloody Mary or La Llorona as their storys are based off of origin type people.  People in Africa may have never heard of Bloody Mary but may have a similar tale handed down.  It seems that people in New Mexico are exposed to these different folktales as the population is a mixed culture.  I decided to see if my theory held up in a group of students that I teach weekly.

I asked a group of fifth grade students if they have ever heard of a Skinwalker, La Llorona, or Bloody Mary.  The majority of students knew of all three scary folklore characters.  My classroom is located in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico and has a variety of cultures intertwined.  It is amazing to me that these children know their own cultures scary tales and those of their friends of different cultures.  It can be said therefore that due to the blending of cultures in New Mexico, our children are exposed to many folklore tales more so than children around the United States with only one culture.

Works Cited

Anaya, Rudolpho. Albuquerque. Albuquerque: UNM Press, 1992.

Hillerman, Tony.  Skinwalkers.  New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1986.

Kutz, Jack.  Mysteries and Miracles of New Mexico.  Corrales: Rhombus Publishing              Company, 1988.

Navajo Reservation Ghost Story. Online posting. 4 May 2009 Web 2011