10 Common Myths and Legends in Colombia Part 1

Witches who are waiting for children in the forest, men who turn into caimans to secretly observe bathing girls or one-legged beauties who seduce men to devour their hearts afterwards, the legends and myths of Colombia are not to be surpassed in dramatics.

These mystic tales from different places are shaped by the various cultural influences as well as by the different natural conditions. To give you a small taste of it, we have put together ten well-known examples in this first part of a two part blog post on some of the most interesting myths and legends in Colombia to give you a little insight into this world.

 

La Patasola

 

Patasola is described as a woman in the depths of the forests of Colombia who has the ability to change her appearance depending on the situation. Exact stories about this mysterious woman vary but one thing they all agree on is that she has only one leg!
 

She is often described as a beautiful young woman who seduces men with her gorgeous looks and lures them into the depths of the woods. Mad with lust, they lose their way.

Then she shows her true face: the eyes of a wild animal, claws like a cat, long pointed nails, matted hair and thirst for fresh blood.

She then preys upon the (unfaithful) men and not quite in they way they were hoping.
 

A Patasola statue in a theme park in the area of Villavicencio (colombia.com)

 

Her appearance is feared mainly in the rural areas by hunters, gatherers, farmers and miners. Some claim they hear her screaming in the night, a scream reminiscent of a desperate young woman in distress. Maybe that's her bait?

It is likely that La Patasola existed as a warning to men to avoid being seduced by beautiful women. So long story short, don't be unfaithful guys!

 

El Mohan

 

El Mohan, a magician who lives in rivers, is a creature in human form with sunburnt face, long hair and piercing eyes. The Mohan appears at various rivers and streams and smokes a thick tobacco to drive the insects away. It is said that Mohan lived in the dangerous depths of some rivers and streams, where he lived in underground caves that only he knew and considered his own.
 

He enchants the women who go to these streams and rivers to wash their clothes, steal them and enjoy the sight of their natural beauty. When he really likes them, he kidnaps them and nobody ever sees them again.

Those who have heard the legend of Mohan do not walk quietly along the banks of rivers, especially at night, because many fishermen claim to have seen the creature navigating the streams or sitting on the rocks.

 

Mohan as he is often illustrated: smoking tobacco and sitting on rocks (mitos-cortos.com)

 

On full moon nights Mohan is known to play tunes his guitar. Thanks to the rays of the moonlight you can see his huge hair, elongated nails and his with moss covered back.
 

As it is well known that the magician is a lover of tobacco, some fishermen leave a bag of it as an offering before entering the river, because in this way will be a good catch of fish.

 

La Llorona

 

This next Colombian myth, the legend of La Llorona, reaches from Mexico to Argentina and has different variations.
 

In Colombia, people believe La Llorona is the spirit of a woman who is said to have lost (or killed, depending on who you ask) her children. She wanders through the lagoons, rivers, valleys and mountains looking for them.
 

It is said that La Llorona is dressed in a black robe, and her hair is long and black. She is said to carry crickets, fireflies, butterflies and other insects. Those who have seen her say that she carries a dead baby in her arms.

 

La Llorona carrying her baby (unpocodemitosyverdades.com)

 

One version of this Colombian legend claims she was originally a beautiful young indigenous woman who is said to have fallen in love with a Spaniard. They kept the relationship secret, but still fathered three children together. Some time later, the Spaniard marries a rich woman from Europe. The contemptuous native kills her three children. She regrets it immediately and throws herself into the river. In front of the gate of heaven she is rejected and sent back to earth. Since then her spirit has been wandering around, lamenting with this painful and familiar cry: "Aaaaaaaaaay, my children!

Needless to say, it's preferable not to run into her while wandering around the woods! Although, if you do, you may not sure if the proper response is pity or dread. Probably both!

 

La Madremonte

 

This next common myth in Colombia is another woman you won't want to encounter. She is known as La Madremonte.

The farmers and loggers who have seen her say that she is a corpulent, elegant lady, dressed in fresh leaves and green moss, with a hat made with leaves and green feathers. Her face is not visible because the hat is covering it.

There are many people who know her screams or howls in dark nights. Many believe she is resposible for causing dangerous storms. She lives in entangled places, with green trees, away from the noise of civilization and in warm forests, with dangerous animals.
 

The farmers say that when the Madremonte bathes in the source areas of the rivers, the sky becomes cloudy and the rivers overflow, leading to floods, strong storms and terrible damage.
 

She punishes those who enter her territory without permission and especially perverts, unfaithful spouses and vagabonds. She curses the cattle of unfaithful farmers with plagues and she punishes the ones who seize the land of other people or cut off the fences of neighbouring territories.

While some say you can avoid her by carrying some smoking tobacco tied to your waist, maybe it's just best to avoid being unfaithful or stealing!
 

El Hombre Caiman

The Hombre Caiman is a Colombian legend in a city of Magdalena, on the Caribbean coast. There are several variations of this common myth in Colombia.
 

A well-known one tells the story of a fisherman who spied on the women of the village while they were bathing in the river Magdalena. Because of the intense fear he felt of being discovered, he asked a magician for help, who gave him a red and a white potion. As a result he could become an alligator with the red to spy on the girls at close range and with the white he would regain normality.
 

With the help of an acquaintance who applied the white potion to him, the man spied on the women without a problem until one day his friend could not accompany him and took another person who was so frightened at the sight of the alligator that he dropped the potion so that its contents were diluted until he dropped a few drops on the head of the animal so that he was turned permanently into a half human and half alligator.

El hombre caiman; partly human - partly reptile (unmitocorto.com)

 

It is said that the alligator man became a phenomenon that caused terror and could never spy on the women in the river again, because because of his monstrous appearance, they never went swimming in this place again. Because of his ugliness, he only received visits from his mother. When his mother died, he was carried away by the river until he disappeared, so he was never seen again.

Still you might want to keep a watchful eye when swimming in the Magdelena!

If you do travel to Colombia, you might hear about some of these common Colombian legends yourself. Of course, there are variations depending on the region or even the indiviual storyteller, but if you happen to have the chance to hear one of these legends of Colombia told, they are sure to fascinate you! To learn about a few more, be sure to check out part two of this series on the 10 most interesting myths and legends in Colombia.

If you'd like to come to Colombia to be fascinated by so much more this wonderful country has to offer click here to get some help designing a tailor made trip based on your interests or check out all our great Colombia travel experiences. We promise to never leave you in the forest or along a creek bed alone!