Sub Sea Systems has contacts all over the world, and we are intrigued by the unique qualities of every different location and culture. From food and fashion to architecture and festivals — the diverse nature of our world is captivating. To celebrate Halloween we wanted to share some folklore from just a few of the countries where Sub Sea Systems has a presence.
So grab a blanket (make sure your feet are covered), and turn on the lights — for you are about to read about a few horrifying, legendary creatures — the kind that make you wonder what went “bump” in the night…
La Llorona (Mexico)
The legend says that La Llorona (the weeping woman) was one of the most beautiful women ever seen. She was named Maria. She was very prideful, and although she was a peasant, she intended to use her beauty to marry into wealth. A rich and wild ranchero saw her loveliness and tried to court her, but Maria knew that she had to seem unattainable to ensure that the ranchero would desire to marry her. She refused gifts and showed him no attention until he became determined to make her his bride.
Maria and the ranchero married and had two children. They seemed happy for a time, but the wealthy ranchero became restless and resented marrying below his station. He began to leave Maria and the children for months at a time and when he would return he would only speak to his children.
One day, Maria saw her husband coming into town driving a carriage seated next to a beautiful, well-dressed, younger woman. He stopped the carriage to speak with his children— did not even look in the direction of his wife— and then abruptly snapped the reigns to leave Maria in the dust.
Maria’s anger was immense, and in her jealousy she directed it toward her children. She grasped their little bodies and heaved them into the river. Once she realized what she had done it was too late. Her children were swept away.
Maria’s misery was boundless and her sorrow drove her to commit suicide.
After her body was buried people began to hear crying in the night. Then people began to see her ghostly figure — always searching for her children.
Now, all children are told to stay away from the river. La Llorona will seek them out, and seeing that they are not her children, she will become infuriated —dragging them into the river, never to be seen again.
The Bunyip (Australia)
The Bunyip is a ghastly creature that hides in the swamps, riverbeds and billabongs of Australia. Bunyip is an aboriginal word that means devil or evil spirit. The accounts of the Bunyip vary widely, but always in common is the creature’s appetite for human flesh, especially the sweet flesh of women and children. And the screaming roar that is so loud it creates a ‘sonic boom’.
Some accounts of Bunyips describe a beast with shaggy fur that stands 15 feet tall on land and swims like a frog in the water. Others say it has a head like a crocodile a face like a dog and flippers like a seal. There are so many different descriptions that it is unclear what the Bunyip looks like, but wandering the Australian waterways at night with a man-eating beast that could be lurking in the dark and makes a sound so loud that it causes a ‘sonic boom’ sounds like a scene from a nightmare.
Knockers (U.K.) AKA Tommyknockers (U.S.A)
A Knocker is a mischievous spirit of the underground that stands about 2 feet tall and resembles a human. It has long arms and a grizzled appearance. Knockers live in mines and dress similar to the miners who work there. They are said to carry pickaxes and shovels and be helpful to mineworkers — unless they don’t like you.
Knockers make knocking sounds to indicate where a lode might be, or to warn of a cave-in. Some say they are spirits of miners who died and remained in the caves to help other workers avoid the same fate.
Do not cross a Knocker though… they have also been known to knock and knock and knock on supporting timbers to cause cave-ins and crush everyone.
When miners began to come to America they brought the Knocker lore with them and the creatures became known as Tommyknockers. They play pranks on miners: throwing rocks at them, misplacing tools, blowing out lanterns and in some cases causing so much fear that mines had to be closed. Men always saved a little bit of their lunch and threw it into the mines as a peace offering for the Tommyknockers, hoping to bring good luck — and avoid the bad.
The legend has mostly died out, but recently on an episode of Ghost Adventures the team visited the Colorado gold mine and caught “knocking” on audio. There are still some believers out there. If you are ever in a mine and hear knocking you better hope the Tommyknockers like you.
Jikininki (Japan)
The Jikininki are human eating ghosts that wander the land at night digging up freshly buried corpses and consuming their flesh. They are thought to be humans who have been punished for living greedy, selfish lives.
Jikininki look like cadavers with rotted skin covered in gaping wounds. Their eyes glow red and their fingers end in long sharp claws. Their hair is mostly gone revealing a glistening, decayed scalp. You shouldn’t see one unless you are visiting a graveyard at night — when the Jikininki are feeding.
Jikininki only take their ‘true’ form at night. In the day it is said they live among us and lead normal lives — how well do you know your neighbors?
There are legends and creatures that terrify and torment humans all over the world. Each one has its own unique story — let’s just hope that’s all they are… stories.
Do you know any legends from around the world? Please share in the comments below!
Happy Halloween!
To learn more about these legends click the links below:
La Llorona
http://www.latam.discovery.com/shows/historias-de-ultratumba/la-llorona/
http://remezcla.com/lists/culture/13-terrifing-spooky-and-awesome-latin-american-horror-monsters-legends/
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/gh-lallorona.html
http://anitasnotebook.com/2014/03/scary-story-of-la-llorona-the-weeping-ghost-by-the-river.html
The Bunyip
https://weirdaustralia.com/2011/12/09/bunyips-serpents-other-creatures-lurking-beneath-our-waters/
http://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2016/04/the-bunyip.html
The Knockers (Tommyknockers)
http://www.darylburkhard.com/tommyknockers.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocker_(folklore)
http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/03/move-over-nessie-five-mythical-british-beasts
Jikininki
http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/Jikininki-Demon.html
http://anomalien.com/2015/07/jikininki-one-of-worst-mythological-demons/comment-page-1/
http://unexplainedmysteries.org/post/66123429089/jikininki-demon-one-of-worst-mythological-demons
In our previous Dog Blog we introduced our
original 2 office dogs 
