Sihuanaba

thumb|right|Depiction of Sihuanaba

<span lang="km" dir="ltr">The</span> Sihuanaba, Siguanaba, Cegua, Cigua, or Sihuehuet is a supernatural character from Central American folklore, though it can also be heard in Mexico. It is a shapeshifting spirit that typically takes the form of an attractive, long haired woman seen from behind. She lures men away into danger before revealing her face to be that of a horse or, alternatively, a skull.

The Siguanaba and its variants may have been brought to Latin America from Spain during the Colonial Period, used by the colonists as a means of exercising control over the indigenous and mestizo population.

Appearance

When encountered, she is a beautiful woman who is either naked or dressed in either flimsy white or black clothing; she usually appears bathing in a public water tank, river, or other water source, although she may also be found washing clothing. She likes to lure lone men out late on dark, moonless nights, without letting them see her face at first. She tempts such men away from their planned routes to lose them in deep canyons and dark forests. If her victim (usually an unfaithful man) does not die of fear, then he is driven mad by the sight. From afar, the Siguanaba can imitate the appearance of a man's girlfriend in order to lead him astray.

Defence

Traditional methods are said to ward off the Siguanaba. In the border regions between Guatemala and El Salvador, those who see the Siguanaba make the sign of the cross upon her or bite their machete, which simultaneously banish both the evil spirit and the fear that grips the victim.

Likewise, cigua or cegua, names for the spirit in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, also have their origin in the Nahuatl word cihuatl, simply meaning "woman". Guatemalan historian and folklorist Adrián Recinos gave two possible origins for the word siguanaba. In one source, he claimed ciguanaba meant "naked woman" in one of the languages of Guatemala (of which there are more than 20), but he failed to identify the exact language of origin. In another source, he claimed that its origin is the Nahuatl ciuanauac or ciguanauac, meaning "concubine".

Regional variations

The Siguanaba is sometimes viewed as a naked woman combing her hair|thumb|right

In Guatemala the Sihuanaba is known as La Siguanaba; she is known as Cigua in Honduras, Ciguanaba in El Salvador and as Cegua in Costa Rica. Although the name varies from place to place, the appearance and actions of the Sihuanaba remain unchanged.

Spain

In other latitudes and cultures, not connected to each other, the theme also appears. For example, an original variant is found in Spain. The washerwomen, especially in the province of Asturias, constitute a kind of supernatural beings, "ghosts that almost always lead to death." They are fuzzy beings who wash clothes on the banks of rivers on moonless nights. The specter of the Wagtail is often described as an old woman with white hair and dressed in black. There are also versions in which it is said that she acquires the form of a beautiful woman before men, but when men approach her, she turns into a monster and then kills them.

El Salvador

The Salvadoran legend of La Siguanaba says that the woman, originally called Sihuehuet (beautiful woman), was a peasant girl that ascended to queen using her charms (and a witch's brew) to lure into marriage Tláloc's son, Yeisun, who was a Nahuatl prince. After marriage, when her husband went to war, she had affairs with other men, and Cipitío was the child of this relationship. Sihuehuet was a bad mother, neglecting her son, leaving him alone to meet her lovers. To inherit the throne she concocted a plot to use another magic potion to poison Yeisun during a festival, and so claim the throne for her lover.

But the plan worked too well. Yeisun was transformed into a savage giant monster with two heads, who ravaged the attendants to the palace's feast. The guard struggled and defeated the creature, ending Yeisun's life. When Tláloc found out about this, he sought the help of the almighty god, Teotl whom condemned and cursed Sihuehuet: She would be called Sihuanaba ("hideous woman"); she would be beautiful at first sight, but she would turn into a horrible abomination after luring her victims to isolated gorges. She was forced to wander the countryside, appearing to men who travelled alone mostly at night, but it is believed to appear at any time even during daytime. She is supposed to be seen at night mostly but on daytimes as well; in the rivers or bodies of water of El Salvador, washing clothes or bathing, and always looking for her son, Cipitío, who was also cursed by Teotl to remain a boy for eternity. In Guatemala, the legend is more common in Guatemala City, Antigua Guatemala (the old colonial capital) and the eastern departments of the country. The most common variant in these areas is that where the spirit has the face of a horse.

On the Guatemalan side of Lake Güija, in Jutiapa Department, the Siguanaba is able to take on many forms but the most common is that of a slim, beautiful woman with long hair who bathes herself on the banks of the Ostúa River, although she may also appear by other water sources or simply by lonely roadsides. To lustful men she appears just as a beautiful woman, while to lovestruck men she takes the form of the object of the man's affections.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, this spectre is known by the name of Cegua, a spectre that is characterized by its face--that of a dead horse in a state of decomposition. In this country, La Cegua is a myth that is most common in rural areas, although the figure's actions are generally the same as in the rest of Mexico and Central America (especially her habit of bathing at night). La Cegua particularly sometimes appears among herds of horses, mounted on one of these, which causes panic. Other popular versions say that the Cegua appears on the roads as a beautiful woman before the womanizers or drunkards, who are asked to take her to her horse (or car or motorcycle, according to more modern versions). She is described as a very pretty young woman, white, with an oval face, large black eyes, long curly black hair (or brunette, depending on the version), and a beautiful mouth, with lips red as blood, with a divine voice that lulls like siren song, and a slender body with pronounced curves. She is dressed in full black or white, or on some occasions, in a vaporous pink dress or a luxurious period dress.

Legend has it that no man can resist such a beautiful body and sweet plea, which makes them climb it. Once climbing the woman, after a while of riding, she transforms into a monster with a head similar to that of a horse. La Cegua also appears to those womanizing men who walk late at night on the street, she appears to them and with her sweetness makes them believe that she is a new conquest, but later shows them her horse face. The Cegua can also appear in the form of a child who cries inconsolably on the side of the road or near a river, and when the rider picks him up and puts him on the horse to calm him, he transforms into the monster with horse face.

In Costa Rica, it is believed that La Cegua was a young libertine who had been denied permission to go to a party by her mother. When she tried to hit her mother, her mother cursed her. Still others also affirm that it is a demonic manifestation, like the Devil.

In the province of Guanacaste, La Cegua, in addition to appearing to men on the roads, could also appear at dances and festivals in the towns, where she flirts with every man who approaches her. The one who manages to win her, accompanies her to the clearing of the Guanacaste pampa, and under a leafy Guanacaste tree, surrenders to her love affairs. Late at night, when the man finally tries to kiss her, the metamorphosis occurs.

Nicaragua

In Nicaragua, she is also known as the Cegua (or also Ceguanaba or Ceguanagua). In this country, Cegua is also more present in rural areas and her actions are the same as in other countries. It is said that she was a witch who was betrayed by her partner and that she is looking for revenge against the womanizing men and night owls, for which she made a pact with the devil in a cornfield, where she performed a ritual to vomit her soul and begin a transformation. First, she transformed her face into that of a skeletal mare. Following that, the rest of her body transformed: her legs become as long and robust as a horse's hind legs, and her feet and arms got bigger, giving her great physical strength and speed, which ensure that her victim cannot escape. After this transformation, the Cegua would walk through the fields in search of womanizers and night owls to punish their behavior. When the rider or night owl is not cautious, the Cegua would ambush him first, playing with him, then tormenting him but not killing him immediately. The specter seizes the man and bites his cheek to mark him as an adulterer, leaving him crazy and scared to death. Of those who were left alive, they remain in a state of idiocy. From there, the Nicaraguan popular saying derives: "It is played by Cegua." There are also stories that there is not just one Cegua, but several, that can cooperate to catch victims. Other versions include the Cegua as a beautiful girl who, when a man approaches, turns into a horrendous old woman.

There is also another version of the legend, from the department of León, which describes her as an ugly and old woman, with long white hair, breasts down to her stomach, who laughs mockingly. When she has her victim, who are men and boys, trapped, she offers him one of her breasts; it terrifies him until it drives him crazy. And still today, it is said that the Cegua also appears in the trees of Guanacaste, where a womanizer or night owl awaits her, under a beautiful veil. When the man approaches, she lifts her veil, showing a horrible skull in a decomposed state.

Panama

In Panama, this entity is known as the Empollerada Woman. As in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, she is said to punish drunk and womanizing men who travel by transport. She is described as a woman of great beauty who is very brooding and very well groomed; hence her name. Upon seeing her, she would convince the man to put her on his horse (or car, according to modern accounts). When turning to look lasciviously at the young woman, the man finds that he has mounted a specter on his horse who, instead of the head of a woman, now presents herself with the face of a human skull (or, in the most versions, as a hatched skeleton), thus terrifying the man. In this version, the ghost originated as a woman who committed suicide because her boyfriend or lover was unfaithful to her, and her spirit wanders in search of revenge, punishing womanizers and drunkards like her partner.

Other spellings are: Cihuanaba, Sihuanaba, Ciguanaba, Ciguapa.

Appearance

Defence

Regional variations

Spain

El Salvador

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Panama

See also

Notes

References

Further reading