The Argentine legends The most well known shorts are the Smurf Enrique, the Curse of the Virgin of Tilcara or the Phantom Ballerina of the Colón Theater, among others.
Legends and myths are a group of beliefs without any scientific support, but are transmitted orally from generation to generation, so their durability seems eternal.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
In this article, you will be able to know the 52 most popular legends of Argentina, that speak from presence of spirits to mortal combinations, including the appearance in the country of famous that supposedly were dead.
If you like legends, you can know about other places in the world. For example, you can see 10 amazing legends and Ecuadorian myths (short) .
The 50 most known legends of Argentina
1- The lethal combination between wine and watermelon
It is a popular truth that the mixing of wine with watermelon can be deadly for those who consume it. However, this legend has no logical explanation.
From the scientific field, Facundo Di Genova explained that this mixture is not only not lethal, but is good for sex. "The wine has glycerin, watermelon an amino acid L-arginine, which generates the active principle of Viagra,"he explained.
2- The Smurf Enrique
This legend began on April 17, 2000 in Santiago del Estero, when two policemen from the town of Frias said they saw in the square Antonio De La Vega a petite creature, with a childlike appearance.
The case came to the television, where the agents told that, suddenly, this person's eyes lit up and disappeared. Shortly afterwards, another police officer reported a similar incident in the Varela Band, Catamarca.
In this last record, the goblin said he was an envoy of Satan. The legend still lasts, although the evidence is unclear.
3- The hammocks that move alone
In a square in the town of Firmat, province of Santa Fe, there was a strange movement in hammocks, moving alone. The images were televised and the mystery grew.
There were different theories, all related to spirits present in the area. However, a group of US scientists revealed that the movement was caused by a combination of environmental factors.
4- The Curse of the Virgin of Tilcara
Virgin of Punta Corral, patroness of Tilcara. Photo recovered from Jujuy Al Momento.
Before the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, the entire squad of the Argentine team promised the Virgin of Tilcara, Jujuy, where the competition was preparing, to return to thank if they were champions.
The team got the title in Aztec lands With Diego Maradona as a star but never returned to fulfill his promise, so it is believed that the curse made that despite having the best players in the world, will never win a World Cup.
5- The leather in Lake Gutierrez
This legend is one of the many that the native peoples have in the Patagonian lakes. The Mapuche Say that in Lake Gutierrez lives an incredible creature an animal whose body is covered with cowhide.
According to the myth, to feed is approaching the coast, remains immobile, hidden and waiting for some unwary child to approach to take it to the depths and eat it. This legend is similar to that of the nahuelito, a creature of similar characteristics who lives in Lake Nahuel Huapi.
6- The ghost dancer who prowls the corridors of the Teatro Colón
El Colón is one of the main theaters in Argentina and in its corridors there are stories of all kinds. One of them is the one of the phantom dancer who walks around the place.
Many local workers claim that the spirit of a dancer was there. It is said that when the lights go out, it is present by calling the employees by name.
7- Elvis lived in the Conurbano
The mystery about Elvis Presley's death spreads worldwide. There are many versions about his life and in Argentina he is believed to live outside the Federal Capital.
According to some witnesses, in 1977 an airplane from Memphis landed at El Palomar with only one passenger: John Burrows, a pseudonym that the rock king had used on several occasions.
In addition, many users of the San Martin train claim to have seen it in the formations, while others recorded people with physical similarities in a large house in Parque Leloir.
8- The Holy Grail is lying in Patagonia
The mystery about the sacred cup that Jesus would have used at the last supper also has a legend in Argentina.
The Delphos group, led by its director Fluguerto Martí, maintains that the Holy Grail arrived in America on the Atlantic coast in 1307 and still lives in Patagonia, although its place is a mystery.
9- Tue-tue
This legend has its origin in the South argentina And features a large black bird that appears at night.
The bird is present in some house at dinner time and awaits an invitation to return the next day in human form.
As you were invited, you can not deny your human visit, otherwise a curse will fall on you. To get away, you have to say:"Tuesday today, Tuesday morning, Tuesday all week".
10- Hitler in Bariloche
Although the death of the Nazi leader is officially registered on April 30, 1945, it is still believed to be a farce and that Hitler lives in Patagonia.
There are many neighbors in Bariloche who claim to have seen it and even awarded a house in Villa La Angostura, where they would have resided since the end of the Second World War .
11- The Familiar
This legend was born in the sugar mills of northern Argentina, such as Tabacal in Salta, La Esperanza in Jujuy, and other sites in Tucumán.
In order to get out of the economic problems that affected their businesses, the owners agreed with the devil, who offered the lives of their laborers as a sacrifice.
Thus, legend says that the owners made a pact with the same demon, to get out of the financial well. It was a huge black dog that devoured the workers, anticipating a prosperous year.
Although no person could have contact with this creature, it is believed that he slept in a cellar of the mills and attacked at night.
12- The embrace
This legend has a ceremony among the peasants of northwestern Argentina, who to augur a greater fertility in the cattle unite in marriage to two animals. This ceremony is celebrated with coca leaves in the mouths of the animals to be chewed. In addition, they are given to drink chicha.
13- The ghost cart
Ghost truck, Salvador Dalí. Photo recovered from ABC.es.
The Argentinean routes are an inexhaustible source of urban legends, one of them is given in Tucumán. According to some witnesses, the spirit of a damn tropero crosses the roads at night.
There are many witnesses who claim to have seen it on the provincial roads, especially in one near General Paz street, where the noise of the wheels is amplified exaggeratedly.
14- The werewolf
Although it is an extended legend, its origin is in the Mesopotamia Argentina. It is popularly believed that when a family has seven sons, the last one will be a werewolf.
He will be a tall, thin man with a lot of hair, who gets angry easily. Its transformation from human to animal occurs during the days of full moon.
To finish with it, you should leave a blessed bullet in three churches or a blessed knife that has a cross shape, use a flashlight with dead batteries or hit it with an espadrille.
15- The goblin
In the area of the Calchaquíes Valleys there are two stories that involve the elf, a child who died without being baptized. He wears a big hat and cries like a baby.
The first legend was played by an archaeologist who found this creature sobbing on the hill and when approaching, the baby said with a diabolical face:"Tatita, look at my teeth."
The second story occurred in Tafí del Valle, where a peon saw the goblin conversing in a trench with a child in his care, when the man approached, the two creatures disappeared.
16- Bad light
This is one of the most popular legends of Argentina and has its origin in the provincial routes of the north, where the bad light or Lighthouse of Mandinga is made present in the nights.
The light appears suddenly among the dark provincial roads, dazzles all and in it can be seen the soul of some deceased who did not purge their feathers.
17- The Pombero
It is a story similar to that of the elf, which has its origin in the Argentine north. In this case it is a capybara standing on the hind legs, with flat eyes and long-haired eyebrows.
He is known as the owner of the birds, the sun and lord of the night. It is present in the hot months. The most widespread legend is that the furious Pombero, took a rural peon out of his bed and left him in the middle of the mountain.
18- Caá Porá
He is a great hairy man who smokes a strange pipe made of human bones, namely a skull and a tibia. This creature catches people and devours them by sucking them in Misiones and Corrientes.
The legend has many versions, but none of them explains how to defend against this diabolical creature.
19- UFOs in Uritorco
Cerro Uritorco, in the province of Cordoba, is one of the favorite tourist places for UFO lovers, as it is believed that there is an extraterrestrial base there.
The legends are many, but all agree that beings from another planet visit this place loaded with a particular energy.
20- The lady of the candle
On the roof of the school Juan Pujol de Corrientes, tells the story of a beautiful young woman, beautifully dressed in a long white lace dress and a layer of red corduroy.
According to legend, this creature travels the floors of the place during the nights with a lit candle. When the sun starts to peek, the figure disappears.
twenty-one- The lady dressed in black
The woman dressed in black appeared on Route 14, near the town of San Gregoria, Santa Fe province. After being taken to the city by a meat dealer the lady disappeared.
The lady introduced herself as Nancy Nunez, who had died a year and a half ago when her car was run over by the plane that her husband was driving.
There are several accounts of the presence of women on Route 14, where the fatal accident occurred.
22- The lady dressed in white
It is another of the most popular legends of Argentina, with some difference in its story but similarities in its history.
This mystery has as protagonist a young man who attends a party and invites to dance to a lady in white dress, of which he falls in love instantly.
They leave together, she in his coat. The next day, when the boy visits the lady's house, the parents tell him that he died two years ago, but in his room they find the jacket that the young man loaned him the night before.
23- The lady of the cemetery
Cementerio La Recoleta, Buenos Aires.
This is the legend of the man who was imprisoned in a cemetery. Trying to find the exit, he found a woman standing before a tomb, which helped him escape.
However, in a moment the lady stood before a side wall and pointed the way. The man could only see a wall, which she crossed smoothly. This story has different versions throughout the country.
24- A strange dog
In the neighborhood of La Boca, in the Federal Capital, two elders found an abandoned large dog and rescued him despite his strange appearance.
Worried about his health, they took him to a veterinarian, who explained that it was not a dog but a rat of an extraordinary measure.
25- The history of the Kavanagh building
Legend has it that this building in the neighborhood of Recoleta was built at the request of Corina Kavanagh, a young woman from a wealthy but not a patrician family.
The girl made the building to hinder the vision of the local church to the Anchorena family, which prevented her from marrying her son because of her social status.
26- The Vampire of Flowers
Retrieved image from: en. Creepypasta.wikia.com.
Belek's legend began when this circus dwarf was fired from his company and settled in an abandoned house in Bajo Flores, in the Federal Capital.
Over time, neighbors began to notice that the neighborhood cats disappeared mysteriously and there appeared the myth that Belek was a vampire.
Some say that the circus dwarf was trapped with a net but escaped and still lives in Flores cemetery.
27- Furufuhué
This is the legend of a huge bird with its body covered with effulgent scales and can only be seen to counteract. Its place of residence is unknown, but its powerful song can be heard anywhere on Earth.
28- The story of Felicitas Guerrero
It is another story of patrician families in Argentina. Its protagonist is Felicitas Guerrero, one of the most beautiful women of the moment, who contracted marriage with Martín de Álzaga.
A year later, the young woman lost a son and widowed. There were many men who courted her but she fell in love with a rancher.
Sick of jealousy and tired of rejection, Enrique Ocampo, one of the suitors and a patrician family man, killed Felicitas and then committed suicide.
Legend has it that every January 30 (the day of Guerrero's death), the woman's ghost appears with her bloodied torso, wandering wandering all night until dawn.
29- The Phantom of the 237
According to the residents of Ciudadela, in Buenos Aires, a white cloud appears on bus line 237 when the bus reaches the height of the Israeli cemetery.
The witnesses describe that it can be seen a woman's face, which fades when the cemetery ends.
30- The chauffeur's accident
In the El Salvador cemetery in Rosario, a driver on line 114 saw a girl crossing in front of her group and died run over. The driver escaped but the young woman's spirit remained in the last seat.
31- The inhabitants of the subway
There are several histories in the subway of Buenos Aires, especially in line A, the first to be inaugurated in 1913. The most popular is that of a worker who found a man killed in a bathroom, but when he returned with help in The place was nothing.
32- La llorona
This legend is popular in the rural villages of the province of Buenos Aires, where many witnesses claim to have seen a woman with a white sheet covering her body crying in the streets.
For the oral tradition it is a lady in pain, trying to cure her anguish, looking for her children.
33- The Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Engineering of Buenos Aires
The building of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Buenos Aires, in the Recoleta neighborhood of the Federal Capital, could not be concluded and on its problems there is a widespread myth in the academic community.
According to the accounts, Arturo Prins, the engineer in charge, failed in calculations and could not revoke the Gothic-style building or place its dome. The builder was found dead in his office while planning the end of the work.
34- The shingles
This disease that causes a rash on the skin owns a number of legends. Beyond its advance can be dangerous, it is believed that if this rash surrounds the body, the snake joins its head with its tail and becomes lethal.
This legend has a medical support, not because the shingles surround the body one dies but the gravity of the picture is given by the compromised organs.
There are also several myths regarding his cure. One of them is that it can be cured by rubbing a toad on the affected area. Another is writing with ink on both ends the words Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
In addition, in pampean rituals, the evil was healed with a jug of water containing three twigs while reciting:"I was going down a little path, I met with Saint Paul, he asked me what I had, I answered that it was shingles, that with what Would heal? St. Paul replied: with water from the fountain and branch of... (name of the sick)".
35- The late Correa
The veneration of the late Correa is very popular in Argentina. It is done leaving bottles with water in the sanctuaries, located to the sides of the routes by all the country.
According to legend, this woman died of thirst in the middle of a desert of sand and stones back in 1841, while trying to escape the captors of her husband in the province of San Juan.
Deolinda Correa asked God for the life of his son before dying and the miracle was performed, thanks to which the little boy survived feeding on his mother's breasts until found by some locals who rescued him.
36- Gardel, the life-giving singer
After the singer's death in 1935, thousands of worshipers venerate his figure as a living aid. This legend began in prisons and spread throughout society.
It is normal that in his tomb in the cemetery of the Chacarita there are letters, flowers and cigarettes lit as a sign of gratitude. The first plaque in memory of his miracles is of 1979.
37- Benteveo
This bird of the family of tyrannids is one of the typical birds of Corrientes, and locals believe that it is the incarnation of an old woman abandoned by her family to be complaining.
But it is not the only legend about the benteveo, but there are other beliefs that say that a grandfather turned his grandson into a bird when he refused to get a glass of water.
38- Zapám Zucúm
This onomatopoeic voice is known as the mother and providence of children and carob trees, which is why in many places in Argentina is worshiped with simple parties held under the trees.
According to legend, Zapam Zucúm punishes those who cut green carob and those who cut carob trees with the intention of doing harm, taking a child to never return it.
Pericana
This elf wanderer lives in the carob trees and quebrales, and according to legend is a woman of short stature, ugly print, ragged clothing and dark colors.
His ability allows him to intrude along the roads and disappear quickly. However, those who saw it assure that it has a particular whistle.
Pericana acts wickedly throwing stones in the back to the horsemen, so that these fell to the ground and the horse managed to flee. It also tries to seduce the children with wild fruits, to take them without return.
40- Pujllay
Feast of the Chaya. Photo retrieved from Blogs-Infobae.
The legend of Pujllay is that of a gaucho rancid, socarrón, impertinente, alegre and dicharachero, whose veneration takes place in the great festival of the Chaya, that marks the end of the harvest.
For their celebration basil bouquets are beaten on bleached faces, and all laugh and sing to the sound of the monkfish, in thanks to the saint.
41- Mama Zara
The northwest of Argentina is worshiping Mama Zaras, mothers of corn, with a monolith in the center of the planting, which ensures a good rainy season. In the dry season, offerings are made with different crops and rituals for water to fall and fertilize the soil.
Mikilo
The legend of this little elf is originally from La Rioja and according to the locals, this creature appears by the naps, in the summer, to frighten the children that walk in the field.
He is described with a hand of wool and another of iron, which strikes the men. According to the myth, it acts in the afternoon because it protects those who sleep the nap.
43- Huazas
This urban rite is widespread in northwestern Argentina and features this saint, who is venerated with two stones at the entrance of planting to protect the crop. This will prevent the entry of curses and pests in the sowing.
44- Runauturunco
This legend is one of the most popular in the Cuyana region and tells the story of a man who magically transforms into a fierce tiger.
According to the story, after wallowing in a tiger's horn, the transformation takes place that leads humans to have devilish powers.
45- Cachín
This legend, born in the province of Neuquén, tells the story of a shamanic method to cure a disease that causes ulcerous dermatopathy in the lower limbs.
According to the believers, the wounds must be washed with salt water and plasters of ivircún, mehuellín and deo, to break the spell of the ants that cause this disease.
46- Calcurá
With this name it is denominated to some black stones that are in San Martin of the Andes way to Chile , And that according to the legend they carry in the interior the soul of a imprisoned sorcerer.
To avoid the perverse nature of this being, those who clash with these rocks should pray:"Melimilla stone let me pass I beg you and I have this light on, for you I have it, let me pass, I am a sincere friend, I do not kill, I do not steal Animals, I come from good father and well know the machi who I am, let me pass that I will bring you a gift from Chile."
47- Curundú
The curundú is a drink very used in the Argentine coast, that is used in the mate to attract the love of another person. His recipe is a mystery, but the myth is popular.
48- Junllu
With this name is denominated to a rod of 30 centimeters of length, with metallic bells attached to the same one that is used to make cures.
Among other functions, it is used to make disappear some non-addicted spirit that annoys his performance.
49- Pillán
It is a supreme deity of the Araucanians, called thunder, that lives in the hills of the mountain range forging the storm.
According to legend, his axes are the rays that cut the old oaks at a stroke. For that it must be invoked by saying its name four times.
50- Sachayoj Zupay
This autochthonous legend of the saladina forest of Santiago del Estero tells the story of a spirit that wanders the fields running or riding a black mule. This one takes with him mulitas, lechiguanas and other gifts for those who dare to find it.
51- Coquena
It is a divinity of the Argentinean northwest, that is protector of the vicuñas and guanacos. According to legend, he roams the hills during the night driving flocks loaded with gold and silver.
Those who meet her become air. But it is also a source of abundance and punishment for those who treat animals well and badly, respectively.
52- Cachirú
This bird of ill omen, of dark gray and harsh plumage, has power over the bodies and souls of men, punishing them sometimes in life, taking their eyes off the sharp beak.
To avoid their evil, they have to offer three pitchers of shelter that were located in the courtyard; If he drinks them, he accepts the offering and becomes a friend and protector.
References
- The scientific bartender, Facundo Di Genova, Siglo XXI, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2016.
- Supernatural beings of the Argentine popular culture, Adolfo Colombres, Ediciones del Sol, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1984.
- Kavanagh, Esther Cross, Tusquets, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004.
- Felicitas Guerrero, Ana María Cabrera, Emecé, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2012.