Tunda

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The Tunda (La Tunda) is a myth of the Colombian pacific region, and particularly popular in the afro-American community, about a vampire-like monster woman that lures people into the forests and keeps them there. Sometimes it appears in the form of a loved one, as the likeness of a child's mother, who would lure him into the forest and feed its victim with shrimps she has farted upon (camarones peídos) to keep her victims docile in some kind of trance. This is call entundamiento and a person in this state is entundado(a) ^[1].

They say her changeling-like abilities are not perfect, as this doppelgänger of sorts would always have a wooden leg in the shape of a molinillo, or wooden kitchen utensil used to stir hot drinks such as chocolate or aguapanela. The monster, however, is very cunning when trying to hide this defect from its would-be victims ^[2]. .

In other versions, it appears to male loggers or hunters working deep into the jungle as a beautiful woman that tries to lure a man away so it can reveal its hideous, monstrous nature and suck his blood or downright devour him as a wild animal.

[edit] Similarities to other legends or monsters

The Tunda bears a marked resemblance to another Colombian female shape-shifting monster known as the Patasola who shares a deformity of the foot that gives her away as a supernatural creature and not a real woman. She too lures men to their deaths.

This feature of deformed feet also shows up stories about the Deer Woman, another shape-shifter of North American natives mythology. Deer woman is also a seducer of men, luring them to their deaths unless they are fortunate to notice in time that she has hooves instead of human feet.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ González Cortés, Flover. 2001. Fantasmagorías. Mitos y leyendas del Pacífico colombiano
^ Puertas Arias, Esperanza. 2000. Del Pacífico colombiano, La Tunda: Mito y realidad. Sus funciones sociales