La Llorona
Crying ghost mother
La Llorona (Spanish, "the weeping woman") is a ghost from Latin American folklore who wanders waterways crying for her drowned children.
In the most common version, she killed her own children after being betrayed by their father, then drowned herself in grief.
Her wailing is said to presage death or misfortune.
Parents invoke La Llorona to frighten children away from dangerous waters: If you go near the river at night, La Llorona will get you.
- ghostApparition of the dead
- weeping womanFemale figure in tears
- MexicoNorth American southern nation
- Mexican folkloreTraditional stories from Mexico
- phantomInsubstantial apparition
legend · grief · cautionary tale · children · lost children · oral tradition · colonial era · Central America · drowning · guilt · regret · riverbank · conquistador · wraith · infanticide · Bloody Mary · betrayal · mourning
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, folk tales, folk tale
- Latin American culturetango, samba, cumbia, mariachi, ceviche
- Fictional GhostsCasper, Slimer, Moaning Myrtle, Nearly Headless Nick, Jacob Marley
- Horror IconsFreddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Chucky
- legendsKing Arthur, Robin Hood, Hercules, Merlin, Excalibur
La Lloronaprotective mother
Parent who fiercely guards offspring
Earth Mother · Virgin Mary · Mother Earth · Madonna figure · Mother Teresa
La Lloronafairy godmother
Magical benefactor figure
guardian spirit · good fairy · protective spirit · good witch · tooth fairy