Ciguapa

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A Ciguapa is a fictional creature originating from the Dominican Republic. They are legendary women that live in the high mountains in the Dominican Republic. Since they are nocturnal, they come out at night to look for food. An odd feature to these women is that their feet are backwards, so you can never quite tell where the footprints came from. In some cases, people believe that they bring death, and are warned not to look them in the eye^[1].

[edit] Overview

Ciguapa is a magical being, beautiful in appearance to some, yet horrendous to others. All say they are wild creatures. They are compared to a mermaid--beautiful and cruel, they are far from innocent. They are said to have smooth glossy hair the length of their bodies, since this is their only clothes. Deceitful and ready to capture the wayward traveler, she is said to be so beautiful that men follow her into the forest, even though following her tracks is very difficult as her footprints point in the opposite direction. This is found in ancient traditions to signify death, entry into the land of no return. Yet she is followed because of the promise that a beautiful woman is waiting. Even in the present time, people who live in the remote areas of the Dominican Republic say they have seen Ciguapa, and there are a lot of different stories about it.

They say that if you do come across a Ciguapa and look into its eyes, she will bewitch you and you forever will be under her power. The legend also says that ciguapas used to seduce men to have sex with them and then kill them. A Dominican movie called "El mito de la Ciguapa" (The Myth of the Ciguapa) is set to be produced by Xenda Films.