The cultures in South America are so rich and dense that one would need a large library to contain the many stories and legends of folklore. When raised in a Latin American family, you start hearing stories and lullabies even before you can talk. Also music and dances  are full of significance and tales. People have objects in their homes with various meanings, many superstitious. Really often in South America, mythology intersects with the many religions present in this massive continent. I have to say that many stories are quite scary, and not all have a happy ending, in fact many do end in sad ways. In the coming weeks I will be talking about some of the most famous stories that influence natives’ everyday lives. 

Today we will talk about the whistler, in Spanish El Sibón, usually heard from far away because he whistles while coming for you. This takes place in Venezuelan and Colombian Llanos region. El Sibón is the ghost of a young, black hearted man. The story says that this young man was a brat, his parents would fulfill his every wish. One day the son demandes for his father to go deer hunting, this was his favorite meat. When the father returns home from his hunting trip without the deer, his son kills him. Because of his horrendous act his mother curses his soul, and he is doomed to be lost forever in this region. This tall figure walks around holding a bag filled with his father’s bones. The sound of his whistle is misleading because when he sounds far away he is already near, this makes it really difficult to notice his presence. Many people don’t notice that he is near when it is already too late. Many inhabitants say that they have seen it especially in the summertime. It is mostly on humid and rainy days that the ghost wanders, hungry for punishment on womanizers, drunks, and sometimes innocents. Residents in this area take this legend very seriously and always keep an open eye, or ear.