Have you ever been to a place, maybe a forest or secluded beach, and been overwhelmed by a feeling of otherworldliness? Like the space around you was both of and separate from our world? I have, and it’s a feeling I try to hold on to when it happens. But, what if during these moments of in-betweenness you saw… something? A small figure, very small. Almost but not quite human, with backwards feet and without thumbs. Would you be afraid? Would you try to get closer?
Sources:
http://habilis.udg.edu/~info/webs/Corpus%20i%20diccionaris/Corominas&PascualDCECH/ZBREVE-Joan-Corominas-Diccionario-Etimologico-de-la-lengua-castellana.pdf https://www.skandium.com/blogs/news/legends-of-the-tomte https://www.reddit.com/r/Humanoidencounters/comments/jpsobk/comment/gbhbw8g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/ps897k/a_imp_haunted_me_in_order_to_listening_to_my_voice/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Duende https://www.expatsinmexico.com/mystical-mexican-creatures-and-beliefs/ http://museodelosduendes.com/ https://www.cibercuba.com/lecturas/el-guije-un-cubano-diferente https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCije https://www.irishtimes.com/news/fairy-bush-survives-the-motorway-planners-1.190053 https://www.icelandreview.com/news/icelandic-mp-moves-elves%E2%80%99-boulder-his-home/ https://medium.com/omgfacts/you-can-go-to-school-to-become-an-elf-expert-c82b7630ed1e Mysterious Cinematic Foreboding Background by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7695-mysterious-cinematic-foreboding-background License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Air Of Mystery by chilledmusic Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7119-air-of-mystery- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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Thanks to Disney, most people imagine mermaids as beautiful humanoids, with human upper bodies and beautiful fish tails, who rescue humans and sing with all their sea-dwelling friends. But mermaids, called sirenas in Spanish, have historically been much darker.
In this episode, we cover several mermaid legends from Latin America: Iara, ipupiara, El Hombre Caiman, Tlanchana, Aycayia, Mami Wata, and touch on La Sirene. Join us for the aquatic journey and to hear reportedly true encounters with these enigmatic beings.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji_mermaid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Caribbean#Introduction https://www.livescience.com/56037-feejee-mermaid.html https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/9lpf6t/reproduction_of_horniman_museum_fiji_mermaid/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil#Geography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iara_(mythology) https://www.rejectedprincesses.com https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Otaria_flavescens/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Hombre_Caim%C3%A1n https://www.calendariodecolombia.com/fiestas-nacionales/festival-del-hombre-caiman-en-plato https://mexicounexplained.com/la-tlanchana-mexican-mermaid-legends/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_Mexico#Pre-Columbian_civilizations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Sea https://www.science.org/news/2020/06/ancient-dna-reveals-diverse-origins-caribbean-s-earliest-inhabitants https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2014/10/the-beautiful-monster-mermaids.html http://azurina-en.cult.cu/index.php/identidad-e-historia/tradiciones-y-leyendas/40-aycayia https://merstruck.com/2021/05/10/the-mermaid-of-black-conch-fantastical-romance-taino-myth-post-colonial-caribbean/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_river_dolphin#In_mythology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazonian_manatee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mami_Wata https://wakingbear.org/la-sirene-the-mermaid-of-vodou/ https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/water/becoming-mermaids https://www.evergladesfoundation.org/post/myths-of-mermaids https://www.floridastateparks.org/Mermaids https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ocean/ https://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm Thinking Music by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4522-thinking-music License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Not As It Seems by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4144-not-as-it-seems License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Content warning: this episode includes violence, torture, sexual assault, suicide, ableist language, and child murder.
Imagine walking home after Mass on Good Friday in the lovely town of Seborucal, near Remedios, Cuba. You and your family are chatting, perhaps planning your Easter dinner. Suddenly, a loud scream cuts through the night. The sound sends adrenaline rushing through your bloodstream. Somewhere, somewhere close, there is a woman in pain. You look around frantically, trying to see where she could be, but all you hear is the endless screeching and wailing. You turn, heart pounding, to a horrific sight. A woman, neck dripping blood, holding her own head in her hands, long black hair flowing to the ground. Her decapitated head continues screaming and there’s a look of wild rage on her once exquisitely beautiful pale face. When she is close enough to reach out and touch, she disappears. But that scream is stuck in your head. You hear it in your mind all day, every day, until you sink slowly into madness, the sights and sounds of that Good Friday night forever haunting you.
The phenomenon of screaming or wailing ghosts is probably as old as humanity itself. From Ireland's bansidhe, or banshee, to Mexico's La Llorona, screamers are often portrayed as portends of catastrophe or death. In this episode, we cover Cuba's La Gritona of Seborucal and La Llorona, as well as a true crime case in which the perpetrator claimed to be La Llorona personified.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AaiYDA2L https://archive.org/stream/historyofcuba01johnuoft/historyofcuba01johnuoft_djvu.txt https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/exploring-the-early-americas/interactives/buccaneers-of-america/#6 http://carlosbua.com/historias-endemoniadas-cubanas/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy_in_the_Caribbean https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_l%27Olonnais https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Spanish_Caribbean_Islands_in_the_American_Viceroyalties_1600.png https://axaxl.com/fast-fast-forward/articles/sparks-of-genius_pirates-peg-legs-and-us-workers-compensation-insurance https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/la-llorona-and-the-days-of-the-dead-in-mexico-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona#Per_region https://www.tremendanota.com/tarekos-mitos-leyendas/ https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/la-llorona-and-myths-of-filicide https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/19/obituaries/mother-sentenced-in-deaths.html https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Woman-recalls-drowning-kids-in-1986-2055547.php https://www.texasobserver.org/la-llorona-return/
My grandparents took care of me every single day after school and all through the school holidays, until I was in high school and had to ride a bus home. When I’d want to nap, I wander to the back room of their house to lie down. Perched on top of a dresser in the corner of that room was what I thought was a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary. Standing on a crescent moon, she loomed over a small row boat being tossed on the waves with three sailors aboard, her arms open, a golden halo around her head.
When my grandparents had both passed away, the statue fell into the care of my mother, the only of her siblings who is still a practicing Catholic. A few months ago, I was poking around in the closet of my parents' guest room looking for photo albums and other trinkets from my childhood when, lo and behold, there she was. My mom told me her name was La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. A mouthful, I know. I had already been thinking about starting this podcast at the time, and decided then and there that I'd have to do an episode about this Patroness Saint of Cuba, who had literally looked down on me most of my life. Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation#Biblical_account
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Immaculate-Conception-Roman-Catholicism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation#Biblical_account http://www.aboutsanteria.com/la-virgen-de-la-caridad-de-cobre.html https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=10996 https://www.catholic.org/mary/appear.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Pillar https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/virgen-of-charity-of-cobre--la-virgen-de-la-caridad-del-cobre-5718 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cobre,_Cuba https://repeatingislands.com/2012/05/10/miami-herald-readers-asked-to-share-their-caridad-del-cobre-miracles/ https://repeatingislands.com/2020/09/09/virgen-de-la-caridad-del-cobre-unites-cuba-says-president/ http://www.aboutsanteria.com/la-virgen-de-la-caridad-de-cobre.html https://www.thecubanhistory.com/2020/03/santeria-sincretism-of-ochun-and-the-cuban-virgen-de-la-caridad-del-cobre-santeria-sincretismo-de-ochun-y-la-virgen-de-la-caridad-del-cobre/ http://interfaithmary.net/blog/cuba https://sacredsites.com/americas/cuba/el_cobre_san_lazaro.html "2012.1.25 cuba b 819" by cheeses is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 https://ermita.org/ https://www.facebook.com/standrewcctx/photos/a.494858227622686/888479331593905 https://www.nationalshrine.org/blog/the-guidance-of-our-lady-of-charity/ https://oracionesymilagros.com/algunos-milagros-de-la-virgen-de-la-caridad-conocelos/ https://www.lahabana.com/content/praise-be-to-our-lady-of-charity-la-virgen-de-la-caridad/ https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/us/la-virgen-de-la-caridad-anniversary-celebrated-in-miami.html https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_-_Wiki_Loves_Pyramids_tour_101.jpg Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-12/our-lady-of-guadaloupe-feast-day-mexico-americas.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe#Origin_and_early_history https://catholicpilgrimagesites.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/the-rose-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Good_Event https://www.tesorosdelafe.com/articulo-460-maria-del-buen-suceso-quito-ecuador http://www.divinemysteries.info/our-lady-of-the-rosary-san-nicolas-argentina/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Rosary_of_San_Nicol%C3%A1s#History http://www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/messages/sannicolas_messages.html Resignation by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4276-resignation License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
My bisabuela, Isabel, used to tell my dad that if he didn't behave or go to sleep when he was supposed to, that el lobo (a Cuban variation of El Cucuy) would come out of his closet and eat him. To this day, my father refuses to sleep with open closet doors in the bedroom. He's 61 years old.
El Cucuy takes many forms. It is sometimes tall and thin, wearing a long robe or coat and carrying a sack in which to stuff children. Other times it may be large and fur-covered, with pointed teeth and long claws. Regardless of its appearance, the scariest thing about El Cucuy is it's dinner of choice: young children... eaten alive. The Cucuy legend takes many forms. In this episode, I cover a few of them, their backgrounds, and then look for reported encounters with the monster itself. What I found was really strange, really neat, and delightfully spooky.
During the show, I mentioned that in Brazil, there is a show called Sito do Picapau Amarelo that starts La Cuca as a recurring character. I've linked a video below, but be warned. This show is...bizarre... yet has been around since the 1970s in one form or another. CW: I'm pretty sure that there may be blackface used in some of the older episodes, so keep that in mind if you search YouTube for clips. Yes, it was a different time and place, no it is not acceptable.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(folklore)#Legend
https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/El_Coco https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/bogeyman/ https://mexicounexplained.com/el-cucuy-mexican-bogeyman/ https://www.latinolife.co.uk/node/1226 https://blogs.transparent.com/portuguese/the-legend-of-the-cuca/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%ADtio_do_Picapau_Amarelo_(1977_TV_series) http://www.theparanormalguide.com/blog/coco https://themissingandthelost.com/elcucuy/ https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2438 Bastidas, Grace. “Scary Latino Myths: Read This or El Cuco Will Get You.”Latina 26 Oct. 2011: n. pag. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. https://freesound.org/people/cmusounddesign/sounds/71949/ https://freesound.org/people/xtrgamr/sounds/259519/
Hello, cafecitos! Santeria Pat 2 aired Friday, September 17. We discussed some more specific aspects of Lucumi practice, including initiation, rituals, and sacrifices. We also discussed the padrino-godchild relationship, which is the central relationship within the practice. Researching this episode was so much fun. I learned so much and actually got to interview a very experienced Santera!
Eni Acho is the voice behind AboutSanteria.com, and has over 20 years of exposure to the faith. She was such a thoughtful, helpful person to talk to and I'm so grateful she took the time to educate us Aleyos about her faith. I'll be posting a summary of that talk next week, so be sure to check back to learn more about common Lucumi questions from a practitioner themselves.
Sources: â
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa#Beliefs http://www.aboutsanteria.com/ https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/exercise-religious-practices-rule-law#church http://userwww.sfsu.edu/biella/santeria/dec6.html https://www.latinolife.co.uk/node/231 https://www.themysticcup.com/post/the-year-in-white-iyaw%C3%B3-basic-rules https://www.themysticcup.com/post/santer%C3%ADa-etiquette-101-attending-a-wemilere https://www.caliricans.com/culture/puerto-rican-new-years-traditions/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korban http://orichasonline.com/About_Orichas/ https://www.themysticcup.com/post/animal-sacrifice-a-right-not-necessarily-guaranteed https://www.learnreligions.com/ebbos-in-santeria-sacrifices-and-offerings-95958 https://www.reddit.com/r/Santeria/comments/og7pa3/demystifying_%C3%A9bo/ http://santeriachurch.org/our-services/santeria-initiations/ Credits for images on Instagram: "Santeria Temple_Cuba 173" by hoyasmeg is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Cuba Havana Santeria" by Anja Disseldorp is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Gambao, Gerardo y Jesús" by Vacacion is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "The faithful" by Vince Alongi is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Banquet for a deity" by Vince Alongi is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Macumba" by Carlos Ebert is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Samaritans' Passover at Mount Gerizim" by Flavio~ is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Sacrifice of Isaac" by aiva. is licensed under CC BY 2.0
It's here! It's here! I can't believe it. Thank you so much to everyone who's joined and supported this journey so far. Writing this podcast and learning how to record and edit has been so much more fun than I could have imagined. I am glad to say that you can expect the sound quality to improve over the next few episodes! Now let's recap episode one!
Santeria, or Lucumi, as discussed in this episode is really what inspired me to do this podcast. You can read more about that over on the blog. Lucumi is a decentralized Afro-Cuban religion, born of a mixture of traditional Yoruba practices and Catholicism. It has a few central tenants: worship of the orishas, reverence of ancestors, and a concept called ashe. The orisha are the spirits or gods of the Lucumi religion. They control different aspects of life or nature, and can be helpful or harmful. To appease the orisha or offer thanks, offerings are made which usually include food and drink, but may also include changes in behavior, money, or the blood of animals. Ancestors, called egun, are also revered and prayed to in Lucumi, and many practitioner have ancestor alters in their home, which are kept full with offerings, usually food or candles. Ashe is the life force that moves through all things. In Lucumi beliefs, ashe may be transferred (or stolen!) between living things. Santeros guard their ashe closely to keep it safe from those with ill intent. Lucumi spread with the Cuban Diaspora following the communist revolution in the 1950s and 1960s. Currently, there are an estimated 75-100 million Lucumi practitioners all around the world, many of them in the Caribbean and United States. I hope you'll join me again on September 17th for part two, where I'll go over initiation, rituals, and sacrifices and their role in Lucumi. Until then, don't forget to grab your cafecito y ponte tu azabache, porque nos vamos! Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Cuba https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa http://www.aboutsanteria.com/orisha-overview.html Loue S. (2014) Santería. In: Leeming D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_832 http://www.orishanet.org/?page_id=85 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olorun http://www.aboutsanteria.com/religion-and-god.html "Santeria" by KARL-SEBASTIAN SCHULTE is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Muñeca de santera" by JavierPsilocybin is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "File:Ellegua.jpg" by Happycheetha32 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 "DSC09520" by Daniel Retana is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 "cepo: memorias de la esclavitud - matanzas, cuba" by Claudia Regina CC is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 In Western European culture, Friday the 13th is thought to be a very unlucky day. But... what if every day had the chance to be unlucky? What if, every day, you or your child ran the risk of becoming cursed if you didn't take the right precautions? And the person cursing you may not even know they've done it? Today, we're going to talk about one of my favorite supersitions, the one I refer to in my sign off... el Mal de Ojo (the Evil Eye) and azabaches! El Mal de Ojo, or the Evil Eye, is a concept found throughout the Near Eastern and Latin American world, with origins dating back to Bronze Age Syria. El Ojo can be blamed for pretty much any illness or misfortune that befalls a person, but is especially dangerous to infants and children. The Evil Eye may turn on you if someone looks upon you in anger, envy, or admiration. If this happens, a person could become grievously ill or die. One way to distract El Ojo is by wearing pins or jewelry made with azabache (jet). Azabache pins are commonly worn by Caribbean Latino babies. In Central and South America, you'd be more likely to see azabache or red thread bracelets. In Jewish and Greek cultures, it is customary to spit three times at someone (or upon hearing good or bad news) as a form of defense. To learn more about El Mal de Ojo, remedies should you be afflicted, and my personal experiences and thoughts, make sure to listen on Anchor.fm, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, RadioPublic, or Breaker! Comment below with your thoughts or personal experiences with the Ojo! Sources and Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_eye https://www.originalbotanica.com/blog/evil-eye-protection-jet-azabache-stones/ https://www.naatikmexico.org/el-mal-de-ojo-the-evil-eye/ https://www.mybigfatcubanfamily.com/2015/11/10-cuban-superstitions-that-helped-you-survive/ https://www.latintimes.com/evil-eye-superstition-5-ways-mal-de-ojo-cured-latin-world-301842 https://www.livescience.com/40633-evil-eye.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder https://thecrystalcouncil.com/crystals/jet https://www.gotquestions.org/scarlet-thread.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazar_(amulet) https://www.kveller.com/20-jewish-superstitions-that-will-absolutely-ward-off-the-evil-eye/ |
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