Legend – El Salvadorean

Nationality: El Salvadorean
Age: 20
Occupation: Customer Service
Residence: Inglewood, CA
Performance Date: April 13, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Legend – Cadejo

Over there in El Salvador… well my mom told too that they have the story of the cadejo. I even read it in Spanish class in high school. There’s a black one and a white one. The black one is evil like has like red eyes and the white one is good and it protects women and I dunno what… umm like its said that the white one also protects people who are walking at night and like you shouldn’t turn away from them cause its bad and like you’ll go crazy.

Silvia says that this is one of the many stories that she has heard that come from El Salvador. She says that her family always talks about them and that they have even experienced witnessing some of the legends. She says that her aunt one time had to use the restroom outside since they didn’t have any restrooms at her house. It was dark when she went and while she was out there, she saw a huge black dog with red eyes. For fear of going crazy, she kept looking at it while walking back to the house and when she arrived at the front door, the dog left. She says that the story may sound crazy but that she believes it is true.

To start, the word cadejo sounds like the Spanish word cadena, which means chain. The way that the cadejo is described, it seems like they are hanging behind you and possibly protecting you or haunting you. Regardless, then hang around you like a chain.

Also the cadejo consists of a black one and a white one. That is a typical dichotomy for good and evil, light and dark, etc.

The protection of women by the white ones comes as no surprise either. Females are usually the ones that need protection since the male usually is stronger and they carry a machete with them.

Furthermore the notion of going crazy arises a lot in Salvadorean folklore. It also shows up in the legend of la Siguanaba. It may be that there is an abundance of mentally ill or insane people in El Salvador and they people wanted to come up with a reason as to why they are that way.

See:

Reed Johnson (2007, October 7). EL SALVADOR; Latin revelation; El Pital, once a rebel lair in El Salvador’s highlands, is now an unexpected haven of natural beauty and outdoors pursuits :[HOME EDITION]. . Los Angeles Times,p. L.1.  Retrieved May 1, 2008, from Los Angeles Times database. (Document ID: 1358940731).