Venezuelan Myths and Legends 1 "La Sayona"

in #culture6 years ago

I'm going to tell you a little about the legend of the sayona, this tells the story of a very jealous woman, who killed her husband and her mother thinking that they had an affair, her mother while her death agonized cursed her, since then her soul wanders looking for unfaithful men to conquer and kill them, she is called a sayona because she is dressed in a black sackcloth, since the legend goes back to the time of the colony.

There are different versions of the encounters with the sayona, since it is also said that she had the ability to transform from a dog, a wolf or the woman mentioned.

But all the narrations agree to say that she is a beautiful woman with black hair who dresses in white, who changes to a horrible appearance at the moment of corralling her victim, and her screams can be heard in the distance and chill anyone who pot , she wanders chasing the maniacal women.


la sayona.jpg

( Foto referida de google )


The narrative was always used to end with warnings like "therefore it is better that those men who enjoy cheating their partner think twice before the sayona appears"

The legend itself begins like this:

La Sayona was a very pretty woman who was the wife of a very womanizing man, had several lovers. The real name of La Sayona is Timotea.

Legend has it that once, while her husband was sleeping, she heard him mention the name Casilda, this name corresponds to his mother's name. Since she did not trust her husband, she supposed that one of her husband's lovers was her own mother. The next morning he left very early at his mother's house and had a very sharp knife in his dress. When his mother offered him coffee she put the knife in his stomach and his mother, dying, said:

  • Why? Why do you do it?
  • You are also my husband's lover
  • A mother is sacred - she said, almost dying - you will be a cursed woman. I go to the quiet grave but you, you will become a despicable being, and you will never find consolation or rest, you will wander for all eternity chasing men.

At this very moment, he begins to roam the Venezuelan countries; La Sayona, appearing to men in the bush, or in the savanna and is apparently a very beautiful woman, with long, silky hair and a beautiful and attractive body.
The men who see her fall in love instantly, she happy accepts the proposals made to them and takes them to the mountain, once they want to make her his, she transforms immediately, screams desperately, her teeth become in sharp fangs, his hair is completely disheveled, his nails become claws, his mouth makes fire and his eyes are like two balls of blood.

Men usually go crazy or die immediately, and only some live to tell about it. Those men who know about the existence of La Sayona, when they travel alone, carry a cross of blessed palm and when they show it they flee in terror. She usually hides in the rivulets, in the savannah and the plains of the Apure State. At present, it is said that La Sayona is the woman of the devil.

On one occasion, a brave man, in order to end his curse, wanted to punish La Sayona, it is known that the old man put his underwear inside out, he looked for her, hiding some branches of mistress and when he La Sayona came out, he prayed the Credo backwards, to the harsh punishment with the altamisa branches but he could not remove the enamel or remove it from his curse, so La Sayona continues to wander the plains, and its surroundings.