Welcome back everyone - South America is a place we've not really explored in this series
and I thought that was a shame so I'm gonna change that today.
My name is Danny Burke and this is the Top 10 Scary argentine urban legends.
These stories are gonna be creepy, they're gonna be scary, and you're gonna want more
- just remember to leave your suggestions for the next country in the comments section
below.
Alright then -
Starting off at number 10 now we have El Familiar.
We're starting off with a big one here becomes this creature is said to be the devil - as
in - the actual devil.
The legend began in the 19th century when people believed that the sugar cane industry
had made a deal with the devil.
They said the industry was protected from an economic downturn because they were making
a yearly human sacrifice to the devil.
Because of this, the devil could have found emerging from their sugar refineries and plantations.
Sometimes he would take the form of a giant snake called Vivoron who would eat one worker
every year as part of the sacrifice deal.
Other Times, the devil was said to take the form of an enormous, headless black dock.
Perhaps this form is the most terrifying to the unfortunate people who have seen the creature.
It darts through trees, its chain clanking around its neck.
Of course, it gets its one human sacrifice a year - but if it sees you, it might want
a quick snack anyway …
Next up at number 9, we have The Recoleta Cemetery.
The story goes a little bit like this.
One day, in Buenos Aires, a young man met a beautiful girl near a cemetery and took
her out on a date.
During the night, the girl felt cold, the guy gave her his jacket but she ended up spilling
some drink on it.
She apologized and said she would have it clean by the next day.
In the morning, the man went over the next day and knocked on her door.
A woman came to the door, but it was not the girl - it was her mother.
She told him the girl he was looking for had actually passed away a long time ago and she
was buried in the nearby cemetery.
Naturally, he didn't believe her - he remembered it all - especially her taking the jacket.
So, he went to the cemetery and there, he found his drink strained jacket draped over
the crypt with the girl's name on it.
The crypt is still there today.
They call her the lady in white - real name Luz Maria Garcia Velloso.
She was 15 when she died from leukemia in 1925.
Ever since then, a number of men have come forward and sworn that they too have met the
white lady - even taken her on dates - and she always slips away into the gravestones
before they know whats going on.
Next, up at number 8, we have the Pombero.
This is a legendary creature that comes from Guarani Mythology.
Its original name translates to -The Man of the Night-.
He is said to be a nocturnal creature and physical descriptions of him vary.
He is often described as being short and ugly, with hairy hands and feet.
He generally lives in rural areas or the forest, too scared to come into direct with humans
- although they are said to sometimes inhabit an abandoned house.
Due to its familiarity with the forest, the Pombero is said to be able to imitate the
sounds of various forest creatures.
Specifically, the Pombero can imitate birdsong, especially nocturnal ones - as such, they
are often seen as a protector of the birds.
Those who have seen the Pombero say that before he appears, you can hear his whistle.
Many become so scared of the Pomberos that they fear to whistle again for fear of invoking
his anger.
Mostly though, he saves his powers and mischief for farmers.
The pombero has been known to set cattle to lose, steal eggs, chickens and honey, frighten
horses and scatter rice or corn.
Perhaps the strangest aspect I found was that the Pombero is said to be able to impregnate
a woman with a single touch - some say if a baby is born hairy and ugly, the Pombero
came for a visit.
That's straight up creepy - but perhaps in a different way.
Moving on to number 7 now we have La Luz Mala.
This name translates to -The Bad Light- and that's a pretty good description I think.
In Argentina and Uruguay, people have reported seeing a wisp of light in the countryside.
It's not human and it seems more supernatural than anything.
It appears to float over an area.
You may approach the light - but beware - it said to be made from toxic gases that come
from decaying human bones.
You see, the light usually appears over areas where people are buried.
Because of the gases and its association with death, many people choose to never approach
the light.
Some do though and they often report finding native American pottery and human remains.
They say the light makes a screaming noise that sounds as if it's in pain or fearful.
Is that just the light?
Or the sound of the spirit the body belonged to, unable to find its way through the dark
and into the afterlife?
It has been said that if the light falls at the foot of a hill then treasure can be found.
However, by this point, most people are already running in the other direction.
Some have referred to the wisp as the lantern of the devil, and I'm sure now we can all
see why …
Next up at number 6, we have the Wekufe.
This legend comes from the Mapuche people of Argentina and Chile.
According to them, the Wekufe is a harmful spirit or demon.
When they were introduced to Christianity, the Wekufe were said to inhabit people as
well as being free form spirits.
They can alternate between both forms of often an animal form too.
Their aim to enslave the souls of the dead and they take great pleasure in spreading
diseases and killing people.
They were said to come from the west and had no soul.
They were said to enter our world as a consequence of battles with the Pillan spirits which resulted
in the destruction of the perfect harmony of the world.
They have the power to capture and enslave the spirits of the recently dead if it is
reluctant to leave the body and transform into a greater spirit.
If they do manage to trap a spirit in this way, they can use them to hurt other people.
In this way, the Wekufe have feared entities - not only can they enslave your soul and
rob you of an afterlife, they can use you to hurts others, perhaps even your own family
and friends - many feel this truly is a fate worse than death!
Next up at number 5 now we have La Viudita.
This is a common tale across Latin America including Argentina.
La Viudita is known as the black widow.
She is said to be a beautiful woman, veiled and dressed in black from head to toe, who
walks in the streets after midnight.
She tries to get drunk men to her house.
If she succeeds - it is then and only then that she will take off her veil to reveal
that her face is nothing more than the grotesque skull.
The sight is said to be so horrific that the men are quite literally scared to death as
the woman lets out a shriek of hair-raising laughter.
For those that survive, they awake at dawn - usually lying in a puddle or covered by
thistles - and swearing to never a party until late again.
Moving on to number 4 now we have San La Muerte.
This is well known skeletal creature in the Northeast of Argentina.
His name translates to, quite simply, Saint Death.
He carries a scythe and wears a hooded robe.
As you might expect from his name, he has the ability to bring death to anyone and to
also protect people from harm if they worship him.
Naturally, many people want him on their side so they offer prayers and rituals to Saint
Death in the hope that he fulfills their requests.
Offerings can include drinks, candles or in some cases - even human blood.
He is said to protect worshipers from witchcraft and has the ability to remove the evil eye
from someone.
Some say he can shorten prison terms of inmates or even keep them from being sent there at
all.
Belief in this being has its roots in both Native American and Catholic tradition.
However, the Catholic church has refused to endorse it as they say it is contrary to the
belief of Jesus defeating death.
For many people though, that doesn't matter.
Saint Death is a mysterious and powerful being, and they'd rather be with him than against
him …
Next up at number 3, we have El Chupacabra.
This is said to be a hideous creature that attacks animals - especially farmers livestock.
It doesn't eat them though, it sucks them dry of their blood.
Its name literally translates to goat sucker because of this.
As with many legendary creatures we talk about in this series, physical descriptions have
varied.
Its most commonly described though as a heavy creature, reptilian in appearance and about
the size of a small bear.
Its scaly skin is greenish gray and it has a row of sharp spines reaching from its neck
to the base of its tail.
It's not just isolated to Argentina though, its a common sighting in many places.
Eyewitness sightings have been reported as far south as Chile and as far north as Maine
in the USA.
They've even been spotted in Russia and the Philippines.
The first reported attack came in Puerto Rico in 1995 when 8 sheep were discovered dead.
Each one had 3 puncture wounds in the chest area and were completely drained of blood.
A few months later, in August, an eyewitness reported seeing the creature of the Peurto
Rican town of Canovanas where roughly 150 farm animals and pets were killed.
Many people say that only the Chupacabra is capable of such an attack.
Moving on to number 2 we have The Lost Station.
Line A is the oldest subway line in Argentinas capital of Buenos Aires.
It's no surprise then that there are thousands of creepy stories surrounding it.
For example, it's been said that officials had to change the route of the line due to
an encounter with a mysterious graveyard.
They also say its possible to see the ghost of a bride at a certain time between certain
stations.
Then, there is the lost station.
The train line passes between the stations of Pasco Sur and Alberti Norte.
They were closed decades ago as it was deemed not efficient to have so many subway stops
within walking distance.
Nowadays, these stations can still be seen along the line, and there are many witnesses
who claim with absolute certainty that they have seen one of the stations fully lit with
people dressed in period clothing standing there, waiting for a train that will never
arrive.
This is the Lost Station - it terrifies some and attracts others to it.
If the latter sounds like you, just remember to not get lost down there …
And finally, at number 1 we have Rufina Cambaceres.
There are a few different versions of this legend but this is perhaps the most famous.
She was a girl whose father died.
Her widowed mother then had a secret romance with the ex-president of Argentina.
He used to visit the mother quite regularly.
Rufina was unaware of their relationship and ended up falling in love with the man.
In May 1902, during Rufinas birthday celebrations at the Colon Theatre - a friend told her the
truth about what had been going on.
She was so shocked, hurt and confused by the news that Rufinus heart became paralyzed.
She was buried in the same grave plot as her Father.
On the night of her funeral, the cemetery caretakers heard some noises in Rufinas grave.
When they went to look at it, they noticed the coffin had been moved from its original
place.
They told Rufinas family and when they arrived - they were shocked to their core by what
they say.
They found that Rufinas body had been turned the other way round and her body and face
were covered with marks, as-as the cover of the coffin.
While in the coffin, she had revived with an apoplectic attack and woke up before dying
again from the shock of it all.
Because of her traumatic death, many say her spirit became restless.
She is said to wander the cemetery at night, crying out for her love that never was, still
dressed in the clothes she wore for her birthday …
Well I said wed try and do some more South American ones and I'm glad we did.
Some of the stories are quite similar across different South American countries though
so let me know if you wanna shake it up with somewhere else in the world next.
I've heard people suggest Jamaica which Id love to do!
Let me know your thoughts, thanks for watching as always guys, my name is Danny Burke and
Ill see you all in the next video.