Category Archives: Narrative

El Padre Sin Cabeza (The Headless Priest)

Age: 54

Text:

Informant: “Years ago, around 1150, they killed a bishop in Leon, Nicaragua. They stabbed and decapitated him. It’s said that a lot of people have seen a tall spirit with a cassock that priests use and doesn’t have a head. They see it walking near churches and cemeteries when people are walking by at night and no one else is around.”

Context:

The informant was taught this legend as a teen by their grandma while living in Nicaragua. It follows the story of a bishop who was stabbed and decapitated and goes around haunting churches and cemeteries.

Analysis:

El Padre Sin Cabeza is a legend as it’s a story set in the past that can’t be verified. There’s no proof that a priest was murdered in 1150 and now haunts churches and cemeteries. Yet, many people believe it to be true and older generations will swear that they have seen him. In Andrew Peck’s article, “Tall, Dark, and Loathsome…” he writes that “legends are less about individual texts and more about communication—they are discourses on belief.” This legend follows that mindset as people don’t seek evidence of it being true, but rather find community within sharing the belief.

Nicaraguan Duendes “Elves”

Age: 74

Text

Informant: “When me and my brother were younger, we sometimes went to a farm with our grandparents and dad. At night, we used to sit in the back of a pickup truck as adults drove, and when we were sitting there, we saw little kids following us. I told the adults that I saw little kids following us on the road, but they were running really fast. They were running at the speed of the truck. Only me and my brother saw them but none of the adults could see them. My grandparents and dad asked what the kids looked like so we described them as little kids with a red hat and backwards feet. The adults told me that they were elves. I tried reaching my hand out to grab the elves and the adults told me not to do that and I couldn’t reach my hand out to grab them because they were elves and they took children.”

Context:

The informant was born and raised in Nicaragua until they moved to the U.S. at 16 years old. When the informant was young, they rode on the bed of a pickup truck with their brother. One night, they saw elves following them and tried reaching out to grab them but failed. When they told their dad and grandpa, they were advised not to reach out for them because they could grab and steal them.

Analysis:

The story is unique in the sense that it’s not a common one told to children across an area. It is a personal experience, or a memorate. This reminds me of Lydia Hamessley’s “A Resisting Performance…” where she describes murder ballads being told in first-person perspective. I think folklore becomes more interesting when you’re hearing the stories directly from the source. It provides details that can get left out or aren’t shared when someone else is retelling the story.

Niles Canyon Ghost / White Witch

Age: Gabrielle Vella

Text:

Informant: “My legend is the Niles Canyon ghost, or, I’ve also heard White Witch. A ghost of this woman who some say that she died by a car crash in Niles Canyon or that she was a hitchhiker. Either way, she’s a ghost and haunts the area and it’s in Niles Canyon near Fremont, and I live in Union City, so I live in the area. I grew up going over there a lot. I’ve never seen her personally, but the people who have, say that she’s wearing 1920s style attire, usually a dress and it’s typically white. That’s usually what I hear. I know some other people say that she was going to prom or to a wedding or something. That’s not what I’ve heard most often. Most often I’ve heard that she was a woman who was hitchhiking and got into a car accident and so she haunts the area, but I think there’s a certain spot she doesn’t go passed. I think there a toll in the area, like a toll you have to pay and she doesn’t go past that.”

Context:

The informant is a 19-year-old college student, originally from Union City, CA. They first heard the legend from their grandma.

Analysis:

After researching this legend, I found that the Niles Canyon ghost is a story told about a woman who died in a car crash in Niles Canyon, alongside her boyfriend. The accident is said to have taken place on February 28th. The year is unknown. Every year, the ghost supposedly walks on the road and asks passing cars for a ride to San Francisco.

The story of the Niles Canyon ghost most closely resembles a legend in folklore. It has the component of a story told by a community that is often believed. In this case, people in neighboring cities, such as Fremont and Union City have heard the legend and belive it to be true. The story is set in the real world, Niles Canyon, CA. We know that the ghost is from a certain time period, the 1920s. All of these elements combined draw most similary to an urban legend.

El Cadejo

Age: 74

Text:

Informant: “When people walk alone in the mountains, farms, where no on else is around on the roads, or if you come home late after being out, if you saw a white dog, it was there to protect you. But, if you saw a black dog, the black dog would look for drunk people on the street and attack them. People who saw black dogs that looked like a spirit, they would run to someone’s house. If it was white, they felt it would protect them.”

Context:

This Nicaraguan legend was told to the informant as a child and teen by their mom and grandma, who lived in Nicaragua. The informant was born and raised in Nicaragua until they moved to the U.S. at 16 years old. People who lived in the mountains or farms and saw a white dog were told that it served as a protection. However, if they saw a black dog and they were drunk, they’d get attacked.

Analysis:

I’ve found that a lot of Nicaraguan legends have an underlying lesson that is meant to be shared to young ones. This particular legend served a functionalist approach because it was likely meant to discourage people from getting drunk. It could also have been told to prevent people from being out alone in the middle of the night. Adding the element of potentially seeing a white dog could give teens a little bit of hope that they were safe on their walk.

‘Star of India’ Ghost

Age: 20

Text:

Informant: “In 5th grade, everyone went to the Star of India which is this big ship for our maritime unit in 5th grade. Basically, the ship is docked in the harbor, I don’t think it actually sails anymore. While we were there, the guys that were running the whole thing were telling us ghost stories and there was one where a really young kid fell from one of the masts and so around that area, he haunts that place. We would go out in shifts throughout the night and just do random stuff, like make some food or the other people would go look at the stars. It was said that if you were out there at 2 A.M., you could hear the mast creak and that was supposed to be him haunting the ship.”

Context:

The Star of India is a historic ship located in the Maritime Museum of San Diego, CA. It’s open to the public to tour. The informant learned about the legend while attending their 5th grade field trip. It’s said that a few passenger’s died while on the ship and now allegedly haunt it. The story gets told to employees and passed on to visitors.

Analysis:

The Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing ship. It was built in 1863 and embarked on numerous voyages. In 1927, it was purchased by people in San Diego where it has since been restored and remains in the city. By definition, this haunted ship is considered a legend because the story is based on a location in the real world. Employees are taught to share the legend with each other and visitors, keeping the stories alive. It also has a supernatural element being that it involved multiple ghosts.