The 10 Most Well-known And Popular Venezuelan Myths
A myth is a story of a fabulous nature, which is part of the tradition of a society, and which is transmitted by oral communication. In the past, myths were characterized by beings with the powers of gods or heroes, related to forces of nature and the human condition.
In this article We present to you 10 Venezuelan myths of diverse themes Many of them include life lessons or curious facts about this beautiful country.
With the passage of time, it could be said that the myths have been modernized and that they increasingly concern more urban areas and current societies.
So a definition of myth that today would be more in line with our times would be that imaginary story of a surreal nature, which can modify the true qualities and characteristics of a person or thing, and give them more value than the true one.
As these are stories that are transmitted from generation to generation, orally, these can change in form or content to a greater or lesser extent. Do you want to know the 10 most famous Venezuelan myths? Let’s see them below.
10 great Venezuelan myths
Venezuela is a country rich in myths and curious stories. Most of them have a tragic origin which ends with a social condemnation or sometimes, with a spiritual or divine intervention.
Some of these Venezuelan myths contain a warning message that warns those who hear it to refrain from doing certain immoral or improper acts. Now, we bring you a summary of the 10 most outstanding Venezuelan myths.
1. The Sayona
The first of the Venezuelan myths that we are going to tell you is called “La sayona” This story is one of the most popular myths of Venezuela. It tells the story of a beautiful woman named Melisa, married to a kind and loving man, with whom she shares a 9-month-old baby.
Melisa has a habit of bathing in the river and one day, she discovers a malicious individual who frequently watches her. So one day Melisa asks the man why he is watching her, and he responds that what he wanted was to warn her that her husband is unfaithful to her with her own mother.
Melisa, overcome with rage and despair, runs home and, out of jealousy, sets the house on fire with her husband and baby inside. She later goes to her mother’s house to demand explanations from her and she denies everything. Melisa, seized by her anger, kills her and before dying she tells him: “I never lied to you and you committed the worst sin, for which I condemn you, Sayona.”
The word Sayona refers to the white attire or clothing (saya) worn by women. Stories say that she usually appears to womanizing men, in the form of a seductive woman. By seducing them, the woman changes her appearance into a horrendous one with sharp teeth, and her victims die in horror or flee.
2. Juan Hilario
The story of Juan Hilario tells the story of a character who went to parties to court women and drink One night, Juan Hilario was heading to the nearby town when he met a friend who warned him of the danger of the night due to lightning and rain. Juan Hilario ignores it and leaves.
Along the way he begins to hear the famous whistle: “Compadre, go home, I’m going to the party, you’re not going to scare me.”
And suddenly he starts getting hit. To defend himself, he punches the air hard, and exhausted, he falls to the ground. Juan Hilario later described the ghostly individual who had hit him and his friend told him, the phrase remaining in the legend: “I told you Juan Hilario, those are not games…”.
3. The wigeon
The next of the Venezuelan myths is “El silbón”. The wigeon is one of the most popular myths It tells the story of a spoiled young man who insists his father hunt a deer (bovine animal) in order to eat its entrails.
So his father goes hunting, but as he takes too long, the young man goes to look for him. Upon finding him, and seeing that he had not hunted anything, the young man kills him and guts him, taking his viscera to the house. He gives them to her mother and she cooks them. After a few hours, she notices something strange and her son finally confesses to the murder. She curses him, sends her brother to whip him, and throws spices on his wounds.
It is said that remembering and narrating his suffering frees the listener from his appearance. This spirit appears on the dark nights of May to individuals who party with torn clothes and whistling musical notes which sound like a whistle.
4. The crazy caraballo light
It is said that a woman lost her two sons in the war of independence, who “went after the man on horseback.” She is driven mad by the loss and her soul wanders the wastelands in search of her lost children. Perhaps it is one of the saddest Venezuelan myths.
5. The soul alone
Story similar to the previous one, probably derived from it. It tells the story of a woman combatant in the war of independence who died in a battle He is a wandering, lonely soul who terrorizes those who have done wrong.
6. Maria Lionza
Another of the Venezuelan myths is “María Lionza” This myth tells the legend of Yara, daughter of the chief of a tribe, who was born with aqua green eyes. The tribe’s shaman predicted that she must be sacrificed to the great anaconda or else she would bring a curse to the people. Her father hid her in a cave, guarded by guardians, from which she could not leave.
She was forbidden to look at herself reflected in the water of the lake outside the cave. One night, a mysterious force put the guardians to sleep and the girl managed to escape. She approached the lake and saw her reflection, thus becoming enchanted.
The water god Anaconda came out and fell in love with her. Her father tried to separate them, but the Anaconda revealed itself and caused a great flood that destroyed the entire village. Since then, Yara became the protector of waters, nature and love and she received the name María Lionza.
This myth is located in the Vargas state, specifically in a very deep tourist well It is said that it owes its name to a priest in the area who used to bathe in its waters, in female company. One day, bathing alone, the priest was swallowed by the waters and his body was never found. Since then, his spirit appears on the surface asking for help.
8. The cart of death
Another of the Venezuelan myths is “The cart of death” This myth speaks of the appearance of a cart that travels without horses or rider to guide it. She is stumbling along the street without any specific direction and collecting a pile of human remains.
9. The Llorona
The Venezuelan myth of La Llorona is about a young woman who used to scream in despair: “My son, my son.” This woman is said to attack anyone who comes across her
They say that the origin is that this woman killed her children every time they were born, that one day she confessed her sins to a priest and he told her that, the next time she gave birth, before killing her son, she should give him suck. So this act made her feel great regret and since then she has wandered crying and desperately searching for her children.
10. The fireball
The last of the Venezuelan myths is this one that talks about a ball of fire that moves around like a wheel When you look at it you see a figure reminiscent of a skeleton. It is said that it is the fruit of the soul of a bishop who committed a serious sin and that if you pray, the ball approaches until it burns and on the contrary you must curse it to make it go away.
