Across different cultures, many supernatural spirits connected to women are prominent figures in folklore and mythology. These figures often represent vengeful spirits, protectors, or powerful entities whose stories reflect societal views on womanhood, motherhood, and justice.
Female Spirits and Ghosts
Many female spirits are depicted as vengeful, often because they were unhappy or victimized in life, particularly in scenarios related to childbirth, betrayal, or societal expectations:
La Llorona (The Weeping Woman)
A well-known figure in Mexican and Latin American folklore, the ghost of a woman named Maria who drowned her children in a fit of rage after being rejected by the man she loved. She is cursed to wander the Earth's waterways for eternity, weeping and searching for her lost children, sometimes kidnapping wandering children.
A well-known figure in Mexican and Latin American folklore, the ghost of a woman named Maria who drowned her children in a fit of rage after being rejected by the man she loved. She is cursed to wander the Earth's waterways for eternity, weeping and searching for her lost children, sometimes kidnapping wandering children.
And so the legend goes...
The Woman (María):
A beautiful woman, often indigenous, who marries a wealthy or higher-status man (sometimes a Spaniard) and has children.
The Betrayal:
Her husband leaves her, either for another woman, or due to societal pressures (like class/race).
The Tragic Act:
In madness or grief, she drowns her children in a river, often blaming them, or seeking to keep them from her husband.
The Curse:
She dies of heartbreak, or drowns herself, but her spirit is cursed to wander forever searching and weeping for her lost children.
The Ghostly Figure:
She appears as a sorrowful woman in a white gown, sometimes wet, haunting rivers and bodies of water. Her cries, "¡Ay, mis hijos!" -- (Oh, my children!) -- echoing in the night.
What do you do if you hear La Llorona?
As the legend goes...
- Once you enter your bedroom, bless it.
- Carry a crucifix with you at all times, give one to your children as well, she hates the sign of the cross
- After 9:00 you must lock your children in that little closet in the corner of your room, they will be safe for now
How to protect yourself from La Llorona...
Some traditions suggest praying or using protective charms when near bodies of water at night to avoid encountering La Llorona.
Is La Llorona immortal?
La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) is a spirit that haunts the folklore of Mexico and other Latin American countries. In some versions she's a ghost, while in others she's an immortal wanderer, not dead, but not really alive either.
Is La Llorona friendly?
La Llorona typically appears as a malevolent spirit, either a harbinger, or a direct cause of misfortune to the living. Sometimes she takes the form of a dangerous siren, tempting a solitary male late at night by confronting him as a pitiful woebegone figure hidden under a rebozo.
Kuntilanak / Pontianak
Originating from Southeast Asian (Malaysian and Indonesian) folklore, this spirit is believed to be the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth or pregnancy. She is typically depicted as a vengeful spirit who haunts pregnant women and can appear as a beautiful woman to lure victims before revealing her horrifying form.
Kuntilanak is typically visualized as a woman with long black hair and pale skin, often wearing a white dress that conceals her blood-stained form, and can be heard emitting a chilling laugh. The legend has been a recurring theme in Southeast Asian horror films and popular culture.
The Legend
Origin:The most common belief is that a Kuntilanak is the vengeful spirit of a woman who died during childbirth. Another variation suggests the spirit may be from a woman who died as a result of betrayal or violence.
Appearance:
She often appears as a beautiful woman with long black hair and a pale face. As she approaches, her form is revealed to be a horrifying ghost with a bloody dress, long claws, and red eyes.
Behavior:
Kuntilanak are said to be attracted to blood and are considered dangerous to pregnant women and newborns. They are known to lure men to their death.
Variations:
Some legends describe different types of Kuntilanak, such as the Red Kuntilanak (more terrifying) and the Queen Kuntilanak (the most powerful). There is also a male version known as Kuntilaki.
Cultural significance and folklore
Symbolism:
Beyond horror, Kuntilanak can represent female suffering, particularly when a woman has been wronged or died tragically. It can also symbolize a society's fear of unnatural death and the darker side of femininity, fertility, and childbirth.
Defeating the spirit:
According to folklore, one way to stop a Kuntilanak is to drive a nail into the hole on the back of her neck, which can turn her back into a human and a suitable wife.
Pop culture:
The Kuntilanak is a popular figure in Indonesian and Malaysian horror films, novels, and other media.
How to ward off a Kuntilanak
Traditional methods:
Some believe burning incense or reciting specific prayers can keep her away.
The nail legend:
The most well-known method is driving a nail into the hole on the back of her neck, which is said to turn her into an ordinary woman.
Banshee
In Irish folklore, a female spirit whose wail or scream (called keening) foretells a death in a household. She is often associated with the spirits of women who died in childbirth or those who had a particularly tragic end.
Characteristics of the Banshee
Omen of Death:
Her primary role is to foretell a death, not cause it, giving loved ones a chance to say goodbye.
Family-Specific:
Traditionally, banshees were attached to ancient Irish clans, appearing for members of those lineages.
Appearance:
Varies, but common forms include a beautiful young woman, a stately matron, or a withered hag, often with flowing hair, red eyes from weeping, and dressed in grey or white.
Sound:
A terrifying shriek, wail, or keening lament, often heard at night, and can be mistaken for an animal cry.
Origins:
May stem from older Celtic traditions, the spirits of the Tuatha Dé Danann, or even mortal women who were professional mourners (keeners).
Women in White
A common trope in Western ghost stories and TV shows like Supernatural, these are typically the souls of women who committed suicide out of heartbreak, or were mistreated by unfaithful men. They often haunt bodies of water or roads and may lure men to their deaths.
Common Characteristics
Tragic Death:
Usually died violently, or by suicide due to heartbreak, unrequited love, or betrayal by a husband/lover, often related to children.
Appearance:
Wears a white dress or burial shroud, sometimes seen near water or old buildings.
Behavior:
May mourn and search for lost children, or act as an omen, appearing before death or disaster.
Universal Legend:
Versions exist worldwide (e.g., Germany, Mexico, Ireland, Philippines, Russia)
Powerful Demons and Goddesses
Female entities also appear as powerful, sometimes malevolent, figures in various religious and mythological contexts.
In Hebrew mythology and early biblical traditions, Lilith is portrayed as Adam's first wife who demanded equality and left Eden when Adam refused. She became a winged demon who preys on mothers and children during childbirth and is often considered the first succubus.
What does the name "Lilith" mean?
Lilith, meaning "belonging to the night," comes from the Akkadian word lilîtu, the feminine form of a word meaning "demon" or "spirit." In Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, Lilith was the first wife of Adam, who was ultimately banished from the Garden of Eden for her disobedience.
What was Lilith's sin?
In Jewish legend, Lilith is Adam's first wife. She refused to have sex with him because she did not want to be beneath him. She left him and was cursed to give birth to one hundred demon children a day who were then killed. She was said to take her revenge for this curse by stealing or killing human children.
*Note, from me... so they placed this horrible curse on a woman, and then demonized her when it drove her insane? Just saying.
Were Eve and Lilith the same person?
According to midrashic literature, Adam's first wife was not Eve but a woman named Lilith, who was created in the first Genesis account. Only when Lilith rebelled and abandoned Adam did God create Eve, in the second account, as a replacement.
What did Lilith do to babies?
God sent three angels to Lilith to ask her to come back, but she refused to return. God told her that for each day she did not return, some of her children (little demons) would be killed. In return she declared she would kill newborn boys up to the 8th day of life and the 20th day for girls.
What does Lilith do to men?
Lilith was known to the Sumerians as “lilitu” a sort of wind demon. she was allegedly responsible for stealing semen from sleeping men.
*Note from me... they didn't use the term here, but Lilith could be called a succubus.
Agrat-bat-Mahlat
Another "queen of demons" in Hebrew mythology, described as a sorceress and consort of Samael, who is associated with lust and terrorizes those who wander alone at night.
In ancient texts...
In the rabbinic literature of Yalquṭ Ḥadash, on Tuesday and Friday nights, she is "the dancing roof-demon" who haunts the air with her chariot and her train of 18,000 messengers of destruction.
She is also "the mistress of the sorceresses" who communicated magic secrets to Amemar, a Jewish sage.
In the Zohar...
In Zoharistic Kabbalah, she is a queen of the demons and an angel of sacred prostitution, who mates with archangel Samael along with Lilith and Naamah, sometimes adding Eisheth as a fourth mate.
According to legend, Agrat and Lilith visited King Solomon disguised as prostitutes. The spirits Solomon communicated with Agrat placed inside of a genie lamp-like vessel and set inside of a cave on the cliffs of the Dead Sea. Later, after the spirits were cast into the lamp, Agrat bat Mahlat and her lamp were discovered by King David. Agrat then mated with him one night and bore him a demonic son, Asmodeus, who is identified with Hadad the Edomite.
Chamunda
A fearsome and monstrous form of the Hindu goddess Kali, symbolizing a destructive aspect of divine feminine energy used to defeat evil.
Chamunda, also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu mother goddess, Mahadevi and is one of the seven Matrikas. Chamunda. Goddess of war and epidemics, famines, and other disasters.
Are Chamunda & Kali the same?
Chamundi is a form of Durga that is the most powerful in defeating seemingly unconquerable evil. She has promised to return (to our realms) and defeat evil whenever her praises are sung and her mantras are chanted. Kali is the most unbridled and raw form of personified feminine power in Hinduism.
What is the power of Chamunda?
Goddess Chamunda is one of the fiercest and most revered forms of the Divine Mother in Hinduism. Known for her wrath and power to annihilate evil, she is a manifestation of Goddess Durga, embodying both destruction and protection.
Is Chamunda a tantric goddess?
A fierce aspect of Devi or the Great Goddess, Chamunda is an important deity within the tantric traditions of Shaktism. She is the consort of Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Shiva, and is one of the Saptamatrikas.
Who is the husband of Chamunda?
The Goddess Chamundi or Chamunda is a manifestation of the Goddess Parvati, whose husband is Shiva. The specific form that Shiva takes as the husband of Chamunda is Bhishana Bhairava, also called Bhuta Bhairava, the blood-red Bhairava, lord of ghosts and dark spirits.
What is the Chamunda mantra?
“Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Viche”... the mantra combines the three feminine forces of the universe to call upon the goddess to bless and protect her followers. It bestows health, wealth, and prosperity to practitioners.
What are the benefits of Chamunda?
Worship of the Chamunda Devi Yantra brings multiple blessings. Foremost is the removal of fear. Just as Devi destroyed demons, this yantra helps dissolve inner enemies such as anxiety, depression, and hesitation. Devotees describe feeling lighter, more confident, and spiritually secure.
Connection to Spiritual Practice
Historically, women have been strongly linked to spiritual and supernatural practices. In the Victorian era, for instance, women were often considered ideal mediums due to perceived attributes like sensitivity and empathy, allowing them a rare form of social power in an otherwise restrictive society. Today, research still shows that women are more likely than men to believe in a range of paranormal phenomena, possibly due to a greater reliance on intuitive thinking styles.
Sources and Recommended Reading:
La Lorona:
Encounters with the Weeping Woman
Encounters with the Weeping Woman
by Judith Shaw Beatty
The Black Scriptures of Lilith:
The Hidden Gospel of the First Witch
The Hidden Gospel of the First Witch
by Naime Verdant
The White Lady of Indonesia
by Hanyakra Kusuma
Bean Nighe
(Scottish Banshee)
(Scottish Banshee)
by Bagtown Clans
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