Costa Rican creepy tales: Escazú witches 102921

- Image for illustration purposes only -

You Might
Also Like

Published on Friday, October 29, 2021

By Andrew McCarthy

Halloween. There is no better season of the year for scary legends such as the black dog Cadejos with two intense glowing and radiant red eyes or the Segua, who is seeking revenge on womanizers. No less mysterious is the Carreta sin Bueyes, the cart that at night is pulled by invisible oxen. Don't forget the Llorona who is always coming back to take more children.

We close this short series of Costa Rican urban folk tales, which are especially even more interesting on Halloween, with the mysterious legends of the witches who lived in the Escazú Canton, San José Province.

According to the book published by the Municipality of Escazú, about the canton origins, it was founded in 1848. Today it is one of the cities with the most urban development in San José, but at the beginning of its history, the mountains and valleys of Escazú were places inhabited by native populations.

The name of the canton, Escazú, refers to the indigenous word of the Huetares indigenous, "Itzkatzu," which means "rest" or "resting stone."

Escazú at the time of the Spanish colony was a place where indigenous peoples of Aserrí and Pacaca met to make their trades. On the long road that joined both populations, there was a place where the people made a stop to rest, which they called Itzkatzu. Over time the place took the name of Escazú Valley.

But where do witches come into this story? The emblem of the canton is the first clue.

The shield was created in 1940 by a kid, Víctor Manuel Sandí -Trejos, who won a shield design contest at his school. More than 30 years later, this shield was made official in 1974, as the official emblem of the canton.

The motto of the shield says "Escazú, Ciudad de las Brujas" (Escazú is the city of witch's, in the English language). The shield displays the shape of a witch flying in the sky, a Catholic temple, three mountains that represent the hills of Escazú, a branch of coffee and another of corn, plus agricultural products of the region.

The canton of Escazú is well known as the city of witches, due to the large number of legends and myths told by its inhabitants.

But one of the most popular witch of Escazú is the "Good Witch Elvira." The legend of the witch was immortalized by the Costa Rican writer Carlos Salazar-Herrera in his tale "La Bruja" found in his collection of legends in his book "Cuentos de Angustias y Paisajes" (Tales on Landscapes and Sadness, in the English Language) first published in 1947.

It is believed that the witch was an indigenous woman who possessed high magical powers. It is said that she lived in the canton between 1820 and 1890.

In most of the legends surrounding this witch, the legend goes that she was a kind but very powerful woman. She managed to transform vegetables into gold, and she could cast spells and hurt people as well.

However, the most famous story of the witch describes her as a wise, kind woman with a lot of knowledge in spells and witchcraft. Very different from the image of evil witches that most of us have heard.

"There, in a white house with a blue door, in the company of five cats and the silence lives the witch Elvira," writes Salazar-Herrera.

Before being a witch, she was a beautiful young woman. She married when she was still a child with a young man from the same village.

One morning the young husband (whose name we do not know) left the house at dawn to go to work, and never returned home.

In her anguish to know the whereabouts of her husband, Elvira visited all the witches and sorcerers in the region, so she learned all the magic spells and witchcraft.

The legend says that when Elvira became a famous witch in the town, young women visited her to buy spells to make men fall in love with them.

One day, a young humble peasant girl came to the witch's house to ask for a magical potion for love. "The witch opened an old cedar wood chest, decorated with gold studs, where she had a talisman that would give happiness to whoever possessed it."

Before giving the magical talisman to the girl, the witch bathed the young woman with soaps and magic herbs, combed her hair and decorated it with a Guaria Morada orchid flower.

After having bathed, combed and dressed the now beautiful young woman, the witch asked her to leave the house. Before leaving the girl asked the witch to give her the magic talisman. "What talisman?. You are the talisman" responded the witch.

Without the talisman but even more beautiful after having bathed, the young woman left the witch's house.

According to the author, the witch Elvira was an elderly woman who was more a wise healer than an evil witch.

Happy Halloween!

-----------
Which good witch tale do you know? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com