A ghost of a woman who lost her children and now cries while looking for them in the river. She has been a part of Hispanic culture in the Southwest since the days of the conquistadores.
The tall, thin spirit is said to be blessed with natural beauty and long flowing black hair. Wearing a white gown, she roams the rivers and creeks, wailing into the night and searching for children to drag, screaming to a watery grave.
No one really knows when the legend of La Llorona began or, from where it originated. Though the tales vary from source to source, The one common thread is that she is the spirit is of a doomed mother who drowned her children and now spends eternity searching for them in rivers and lakes.
It is said that if you hear her crying, you are to run the opposite way. If you hear her cries, they could bring misfortune or even death.
Her weeping and wailing became a curse of the night and people began to be afraid to go out after dark. She was said to have been seen drifting between the trees along the shoreline or floating on the current with her long white gown spread out upon the waters.
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On many a dark night, people would see her walking along the riverbank and crying for her children. Children are warned not to go out in the dark, for La Llorona might snatch them, throwing them to their deaths in the flowing waters.
Though the legends vary, the apparition is said to act without hesitation or mercy.
The tales of her cruelty depends on the version of the legend you hear. Some say that she kills indiscriminately, taking men, women, and children - whoever is foolish enough to get close enough to her. Others say that she is very barbaric and kills only children, dragging them screaming to a watery grave.
She has been seen along many rivers across the entire Southwest and the legend has become part of Hispanic culture everywhere.
Part of the legend is that those who do not treat their families well will see her and she will teach them a lesson.
La Llorona has been heard at night wailing next to rivers by many and her wanderings have grown wider, following Hispanic people wherever they go. Her movements have been traced throughout the Southwest and as far north as Montana on the banks of the Yellowstone River.
The Hispanic people believe that the Weeping Woman will always be with them, following the many rivers looking for her children, and for this reason, many of them fear the dark and pass the legend from generation to generation.