La Cegua

La Cegua (from Nahuatl, cihuatl, woman), also known as Segua or Tzegua, is a character from Central American legends, a spectral being who materializes at night on lonely roads, asking for help to take her to a nearby town. the ghost usually appears to womanizing men in the form of a very beautiful woman, which later transforms into a monster with the head of a horse. The myth of the Cegua has Mesoamerican origin and is related to the myth of the Siguanaba, with some variants, and in part, with that of the Llorona. The term "cegua" used to refer to this monster is more widespread in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and has inspired literary works, theater, film, music, comics and other cultural events.

Origins
Originally, the term cihuacóatl designated a Nahua goddess who represented the fertile Mother Earth, which was known by many names. Possibly, his cult originated in the Huasteca (coast of the Gulf of Mexico). In general, the Huastecs were a people rich in folklore and mythical imagination to create goddesses of fertility and lust, with a high prevalence of phallic cults and deities connected to sexual life.

In Mesoamerican mythology, the goddess Cihuacoatl always gave twins. Many of the deities of the vegetation, wealth-givers, passed from the Huastecs to other peoples. Cihuacóatl is also related to the genesis of another Mesoamerican legend: La Llorona. The word cegua also seems to be a contraction of ceguanaba.

The term cegua to designate this spectral being is of predominant use in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, while in other countries of Central America it is known by other names (X'tabay, Macihuatli in Mexico, Siguanaba in Guatemala and El Salvador, Dirty in Honduras), with slight variations in the legend. It is worth noting that in Aguascalientes (Mexico), the local version of La Llorona describes this last spectrum as a woman with a skull of a horse, equal to Cegua, although it is not called that.

Legend
According to the legend, the Cegua is a monstrous being that appears at night on solitary paths to mens who travel alone, usually on horseback (or by car or motorcycle, in more modern stories), in the form of a beautiful girl. She is described as a very pretty girl, white (or brunette, depending on the version), with an oval face, large black eyes, long black curly hair and a beautiful mouth, with red lips like blood, with a divine voice that lulls like Mermaid singing, and body with pronounced curves, slender and tempting. She is dressed in full black or white and sometimes with a flowing pink dress, and in other versions, with a luxurious period dress. In the Nicaraguan version, moreover, she could wear a delicate veil over her face. When he saw her, she would convince the man to put her on his horse. The man, turning his head to lasciviously contemplate the young woman, finds that he has actually raised a horse to a spectrum that, where he had the head of a woman, now presents a horse skull covered with rotten flesh, flashing eyes, a cavernous muzzle replete with huge broken teeth and stinking and rotten breath. The monster, then, clings tightly to the rider. The horse, who seems to realize what he has on him, starts running in wild gallop without anyone being able to contain it. It is affirmed that those who, when mounting the maid, have had bad intentions, all die, and they are found lying with their eyes open and jumped; the others are useless for life. There are also a couple of stories where the Cegua is presented not as a woman, but as a child that cries on the side of the road or near a river, and when the rider picks it up and brings it up to calm the horse, the horrible transformation.

Costa Rica Version
The Costa Rican version of the legend tells that the origin of the ghost would be in a beautiful woman from the city of Cartago, who nevertheless did not keep any consideration to her parents because she was very proud, whom she often humiliated and disobeyed, since it was said To be very unhappy to be poor.

One day, this beautiful young woman received an invitation from a wealthy and handsome Spanish boy to attend a dance, which her mother objected to, as the young man was recognized for his attributes of conqueror and not very formal with the girls. When her mother refused, the young woman broke out in anger and blasphemed against her and filled her humble home with expletives; her mother watched her and cried in silence, at the attitude of her daughter, but it was not enough for the girl to insult, but at one point she raised her hand to slap her face, but she had not yet fully raised her hand, nothing came out a black hand, with large nails and held the hand of the ungrateful daughter, throwing a curse.

This is how since then the Cegua suddenly appears on the road asking some horseman to take him on his horse, arguing that he goes to the nearest town and there is no man who can resist such a beautiful body and sweet plea, but once He climbs on the horse's haunches, his face changes into that of a horrible beast similar to a horse neighing.

In the province of Guanacaste, also in Costa Rica, the Cegua, in addition to appearing to men on the roads, could also appear in the dances and parties of the towns, where flirts with every man who approaches him. The one who manages to conquer it, accompanies her to the wasteland of the Guanacaste pampas, and under a leafy Guanacaste tree, surrender to her love affairs, until well into the night, when the man finally tries to kiss her, the metamorphosis occurs. The way to escape or escape from it is to put or show them mustard seeds, the Cegua likes mustard seeds very much; when the smell arrives, the Cegua stops chasing its victim and pretends to eat the seeds, but as his hands became horse's hooves, he vomits his soul when he can not do it; so the victim is saved.

Nicaragua Version
In Nicaragua, meanwhile, it is common to mention in stories not one, but several ceguas, that they could even cooperate with each other to catch a victim. According to tradition, the terrible Cegua that frightens men would be really a betrayed witch, who is in search of revenge against nightmarish womanizers. It is said that in order for this character to acquire his grotesque appearance, he first has to enter a cornfield in the darkness of night, where he makes a pact with the Lord of Darkness. Then she would perform a ritual where she would vomit her soul in a guacal or vacija, to lose her soul and with it to be able to begin her transformation, with which she would acquire the powers of the Siguanaba. Thus, through the demonic powers attached to the siguanaba, he can turn his face into that of a skeletal mare; His hair turns like the hair of corn and his teeth like rotten ear corn. Besides that, the rest of her body is transformed: her legs become as long and robust as the hind legs of a horse, her feet get bigger and the same happens with her arms, giving her a great physical strength and speed, which will ensure you do not let your victim escape.

When the night owl is not cautious, the Cegua would first ambush him, playing with him, and then torment him but not kill him immediately. The specter seizes the man and bites his cheek leaving him the mark of hummingbird and infidel. It is said that everyone who sees her ends up insane, because by letting them go, when they are found by someone, you can see on her face the terror of having seen her, her eyes wide with a strong fever and other symptoms, such as diarrhea. This is expressed by the popular Nicaraguan saying "walk played by Cegua". Later, the victim almost crazy, before dying, the only thing he says is: I saw her, I saw her!

To elude this monster, tradition indicates that the only way to protect yourself is by carrying mustard seeds and a hat; then he would have to show this one with the cup face up, an act that would impress her a lot. Followed by that you would have to remove the mustard seeds and throw them against it; This is because it is said that the mustard seed is sacred (according to the Gospel of Matthew 13: 31-32). With this action, the Cegua would try to collect the seeds, which would be impossible to be transformed, because every time you finish collecting the grains these will fall from your hands again and she will again try to pick them up, if she does not do this ritual she would die of shame for having vomited his soul. So, in any case she would never stop doing it and when she arrived at dawn she would die irremediably, to be reborn again only until the following night. It is said that this tradition has allowed walkers to escape very easily from it while trying to pick up the mustard grains. In other versions, being a spectrum that appears only to males who travel alone, the best way to avoid it would be accompanied or, if you must walk alone, carry a religious relic as the scapular of Carmen or the Detente.