Nicaragua de mis recuerdos

Researching some information about our legends in Nicaragua, I found some interesting sites regarding this special topic which I would like to share:

Wikipedia:

• Cadejo: There is a good white cadejo and an evil black cadejo. Both are spirits that appear at night to travellers. The white cadejo to protect them from harm during their journey, and the black cadejo (sometimes an incarnation of the devil) to kill them. The cadejos usually appear in the form of a large, cow-sized shaggy dog with burning red eyes and a goat’s hooves, although in some areas they have more bull-like characteristics. According to the stories, those who have attempted to kill the black cadejo have failed and perished.
• Segua - Also called Sihuanaba, Segua is probably a romanization of the nahuatl “Sihua” which means woman. The legend of Sihuanaba says that the woman, originally called Sihuehuet (”beautiful woman”), had a romance with god Tlaloc’s son, which resulted in her pregnancy. She was a bad mother, leaving her son alone to meet her lover. When Tlaloc found out about this, he cursed Sihuehuet to be now called Sihuanaba (”hideous woman”): she would be beautiful at first sight, but when men approached her, she would turn into a horrible abomination

Vianica:

• Chico Largo: There are several different legends concerning the Chico Largo. The central idea in all of the stories is that a very big person (called Chico Largo) living on this hill spread fears among the population. Some believe this person represents the devil, and although most people tell the story as if it were a legend, they still do fear this place. According to one of the stories, people were transformed at the Chico Largo into cows after selling their soul to the devil. Notable is the fact that there are nowadays many cows living at the area.

Nicaragua.com:

• La Mocuana: The Nicaraguan folkloric legend of La Mocuana is believed to be based on genuine history and that La Mocuana was a living Indian princess. Her father was hospitable to the Spanish conquerers at first but then ordered them to leave. Soon the Spanish forces returned to take over the village and take their gold. The chief of the village had hidden the treasure and his daughter La Mocuana was the only other individual who knew its whereabouts. During a battle between the two groups the tribe gained victory. Some time later the son of one of the Spanish soldiers came to live near the village and soon fell in love with La Macuana. She too fell in love with him and they planned to run away together. She gave him her father’s treasure so that they could have something for their lives together. The Spaniard preferred to keep the gold for himself and sealed La Macuana in a cave, running away with the treasure. La Mocuana escaped through the back of the cave. The heartbroken princess began to wander the woods and was driven made by the thoughts of betrayal and feelings of guilt. Country people say that her sad figure can be seen on dark nights. She is also said to lure drunkards and philanderers to her cave where they disappear.

Planeta.com:

• Mombacho Volcano: They say the clear waters that surge from the volcano have magical powers. They say that if hunters fell an animal in Mombacho, they will find no trace of what they shot, and that if you steal a plant, you will lose your way home.

American Folklore:

• The Invisible Hunters: Late one Saturday afternoon, three brothers left the village of Ulwas on the Coco River in Nicaragua. They were going to hunt wari, the wild pig which is so delicious to eat. After walking an hour through the bush, they heard a voice. “Dar. Dar. Dar.” said the voice. The brothers stopped. They looked around, but there was nobody there. Then they heard the voice again. “Dar. Dar. Dar.” The voice came from a vine that was swinging from a tree in front of them.

La Carretanagua (the Nagua Cart) is one of the many legends that from generation to generation had haunted the dreams of us nicaraguans, since we were small. I have listened to different versions about its origin, but all these stories agree that this is a bewitched, noisy cart that crosses the streets of the towns in the middle of the night, taking advantage of the shadows and the fear of people.

“La Carreta Nagua is hauled by two undead oxen that slowly lead it in the middle of the night” says my friend Denys Rocha. “The legend was brought by those who came from Mexico once they lived in Nicaraguan lands. Through the years, this legend has become part of our folklore.

The first time I heard of La Carretanagua was when we lived at Candelaria Street, one of the few paved streets of old Managua, many years ago. “If you don’t go back to sleep” scolded my mother “I am going to open the door so the Carreta can come and get you”. It was at daybreak, the light was still very tenuous to be able to distinguish the objects.

Suddenly, I heard a strange noise that came from the street, similar to the bumping of a wheel against the pavement. The sound convinced my youthful mind that indeed, the Carreta was there, ready to take all the naughty children, included me.

The words of my mother were very effective because I stopped bothering her and went back to sleep. From that day on, this incident was forever engraved in my mind.”

This story was told to Martha Isabel Arana by Denys Rocha. Picture: Manfut.org/ Museum of Myths and Legends, León, Nicaragua.