Legends are part of folklore, a story that is neither myth nor reality, but is located in a middle ground. These can be natural or supernatural events, where in this case the legend of the weeping woman is located in the second point, since it is the banshee of a woman who travels different places in search of his children.
In this particular case, it is a legend that is widely known in different regions of Latin America, since there are different variations in each country (even in different parts of it). This is because for years, there have been figures with similar characteristics, such as those found in the mythology of the aborigines; which spread throughout the continent and also, the Spanish colonization allowed them to be translated into the Hispanic language.
However, one of the most representative stories and that is thought to be the true legend, is that of Mexico; which you can read below. In addition, later on we will give some interesting details about this supernatural being that has frightened so many people, since although its origin dates back to Latin America, it is also known in other countries in Europe and Asia.
What is the true story of La Llorona?
The origin of the story is not entirely clear, since as we mentioned, there are a series of versions with differences depending on the country, but since Mexico is one of the most popular, it is the one that we will tell below.
At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, an indigenous woman with a really beautiful appearance was deeply in love with a Spaniard from the colony, who also fell in love with her and even wanted them to marry. She accepted and they began to live together, but due to the machismo of the time, the woman could not accompany him since he had many meetings and obligations because he was a prominent diplomat of the time. However, they both enjoyed their company in the time they could be together.
The couple had three children in ten years, but the woman still felt dissatisfied with an aspect that did not even make her sleep some nights, which was the fact that the in-laws did not accept the relationship, because she was of a different class than her husband, this was not something well seen at that time and was even considered a serious fault for the most conservative parents.
Due to this, the woman with each passing day and keeping in mind that problem that disturbed her, was filled with hatred against the family. What neither of them knew is that a monster would be spawned, which together with the fact that she was very jealous of her husband and the comments from outsiders that he was thinking of leaving her at any moment, would unleash a real misfortune.
One night, blinded by these negative feelings, she decided to take her children from the house and escape to a river that was relatively close. There, he held tightly to the smallest of them and submerged him until he died, as well as the other two.
In the middle of murder and once the woman unloaded all the hatred accumulated by murdering her children, for a moment her mind managed to clarify and she realized what she had done. He had just killed his three children by drowning them in a river and it was neither a dream nor a nightmare, as anyone would have liked it to be. They were the facts, she has just ended the lives of three small innocent children that she herself cared for since they were in her belly.
Because of this, the woman began to scream desperately while crying, something that lasted for a considerable period of time. However, because the water flow took the children and the disturbing situation that happened, this caused a kind of amnesia; so she got up quickly and started looking for the three children, believing that she had misplaced them while she was crying desperately for no apparent reason (according to her).
Versions of the legend of the weeping woman
- In the version of the story of the weeping woman for children small the story is completely different, in addition to being a little shorter and it is about a ghost woman who aims to scare those irresponsible who have not fulfilled their duties.
- There is also another variation of the legend where the woman commits suicide some time after having murdered her children. Then the body is found by a peasant who cannot contact any family member (remember that she was an indigenous woman who lived surrounded by other classes) and buried her. But due to his need to find his children, the soul was left wandering.
- On the other hand, it is possible to find yet another version in which the purpose of the weeping woman is to scare men who are unfaithful or parents who are irresponsible when taking care of their children.
This incredible legend of the weeping woman arose, according to what is said in many towns in Mexico, because for several nights, people were frightened by the screams and cries of a desperate woman. However, one night the inhabitants plucked up the courage to go out to find where it came from.