La Lechuza

La Lechuza (Spanish: "the barn-owl") is a legendary creature from Mexico, said to resemble a roughly 5-6 foot owl of a variety of colors. Occasionally it's described as resembling a crow or having the face of an old woman. It's often reported making sounds like a human whistling or a crying infant. There are a wide variety of conflicting legends associated with this one creature.

Its diet usually consists of humans, especially children or drunkards, but it's eaten dogs as well. Some stories suggest that it exhibits a form of psychic vampirism, often prowling around houses with domestic fights awaiting someone to come out.

Legends

There are several variations of the origin of La Lechuza. Some say the Lechuza is a woman by day and turns into a huge owl by night. Others suggest La Lechuza snatches kids because her son was killed for a crime he did not commit, or because her child was killed by a drunkard. In other legends, La Lechuza is a witch's familiar, attacking people and destroying property on her command. Still others say the bird is a minion of Satan himself.

Interactions

One should never whistle back at La Lechuza or risk being carried away. Touching any part of it (including its feathers) causes instant death, as does shooting at it.

Repellants

Hanging a rope with 7 knots in it outside your front door or on your porch shows the creature respect it and it will leave you alone. An attack can be repelled with a combination of salt and chile powder thrown into its face. Alternatively, you can recite the Magnificat both forwards and backwards.

See also

• Bruja
• Alien - many alien abduction stories feature owls replacing greys in the victims' memories