Tunda
The Tunda (Template:Lang-es) is a myth of the Pacific coastal region of Colombia and Ecuador,[1] and particularly in the Afro-American community of the Chocó department,[2] about a shapeshifting entity, resembling a human female, that lures people into the forests and keeps them there.
It is capable to change its shape to appear in the form of a loved one, as in the likeness of a child's mother, to would lure its victims into the forest and feed it with shrimps (camarones peneídos) to it docile. This is called entundamiento and a person in this state is entundado(a).[3]
Her shapeshifting abilities are said to be imperfect, as this doppelgänger of sorts would always have a wooden leg in the shape of a molinillo, or wooden kitchen utensil used to stir hot drinks such as chocolate or aguapanela. The monster, however, is very cunning when trying to hide this defect from its would-be victims.[4] In other versions, it appears to male loggers or hunters working deep into the jungle as a beautiful woman that tries to lure a man away, so it can reveal its hideous nature and suck his blood or devour him as a wild animal.
See also
- Sayona
- Patasola
- Deer Woman
- Sihuanaba
- Baobhan sith
- Leanan sídhe
- Huldra
- Soucouyant
- cliodhna
- Vengeful ghost
References
- ^ Leyenda “La Tunda”
- ^ La Leyenda de La Tunda
- ^ González Cortés, Flover. 2001. Fantasmagorías. Mitos y leyendas del Pacífico colombiano
- ^ Puertas Arias, Esperanza. 2000. Del Pacífico colombiano, La Tunda: Mito y realidad. Sus funciones sociales
External links
- La leyenda de la Tunda
- La Tunda se convierte en gallina
- Leyenda: La Tunda de esmeraldas (with picture)
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