Topic Research: Costa Rican Mythology
While I would like to focus on Costa Rican mythology and folktales, as I research, I am open to finding Central American resources in general. If I can't find enough information by focusing on Costa Rica alone, then I will have some other stories from the surrounding regions, but I also think it will help to create some geographical context for me as I read through the stories. I may find some overlapping characters or slight differences in myths between countries that may help me to find an interesting angle for my own stories.
La Llorona is an interesting choice because when researching it, it most often shows up as a Mexican myth. The more I researched into its ties to Costa Rican mythology, the more I found its differences from the Mexican story. It seems that La Llorona is one of the most well-known Hispanic/Latin American myths, but it has been modified depending on which community is telling the story. The mythological creature herself is the thread, but the story has been adapted as it traveled from place to place.
El Cadejos is similar in that the creature is what remains constant, but the story surrounding it varies. The Cadejos is a wolf-like creature who drags his chains behind him when he appears at night. Some stories refer to the wolf as a companion, while others refer to it as a curse. When telling my own stories, this could give me the freedom to use the creature as a starting point, but take the story to new places.
The story that I am most interested in is the legend of the Turrialba volcano. When I visited Costa Rica, I stayed in Turrialba, which is a lesser-known area of the country, but it is beautiful and has an amazing view of the massive Turrialba volcano. One resource I found described this myth as Costa Rica's Romeo and Juliet. It is a story of star-crossed lovers from opposing tribes who ran away to be together. As they were about to be caught, the earth took pity on the lovers and swallowed them up forming a volcano to keep them safe and together forever. This would be a great myth to include because it is specifically Costa Rican, and narratively, I think there is a lot that can be done with the story.
Comments
Post a Comment