Dec 08 2009
More ceguas
There are many versions of La Cegua. She is supposed to be a very beautiful young lady with long black hair who appears to men in the country, on roads and up hills, by rivers, out of nowhere, and ask them to take her to the nearest town. People say that no man can resist her plea. The woman suddenly turns into something horrible. She has the face of death, with eyes that cast fire. Her laugh can be heard in lonely roads and freezes with fear those who are able to hear her in the distance. Her main purpose is to chase womanizing or alcoholic men and punish them until they are almost dead, lying on the streets, all “played by cegua” or dumb. (jugado ‘e cegua in spanish). Some people say that ceguas are witches that have the ability to throw up their souls to become this dreadful apparition.
Other versions:
“The most terrifying of Nicaragua’s folkloric characters is La Cegua, a witch who resides in the woods. She takes on several facades. At times she appears in a white corn leaf dress with a veil covering her face. It is said that she has long black hair covering over her face. She is also said to wear a Guarumo Tree leaf dress and her voice is made rasping and hollow by plantain leaves covering her teeth. Others say that her face is ghostly and that her eyes stare into her victim’s souls. Still another version says that she is believed to have the face of a horse. Nicaraguans also say that she walks through the woods and back roads naked, waiting for her next victim. Men are drawn to her fantastical silhouette. The words she speaks to these men are so horrific that the victim goes insane instantaneously – something from which they never recover. La Cegua is believed to have super-human abilities and is able to walk through solid objects, gravitate above ground and fly at extreme speeds in her efforts to lure men into her trap. To save yourself from such an encounter you should carry mustard seeds and throw them before her. She apparently will stop to try and pick up the magical seeds. As with other myths in Nicaraguan folklore, the tale of La Cegua is believed to ensure that men come straight home after work.” – Nicaragua.com
Other countries: Costa Rica legends, La Cegua
Photograph: ElNuevoDiario
