i live in San Antonio Texas. When I was little, we used to tell eachother stories of La Chusa. I've heard lots of stories. One was about her whistle. If u here the whistling call of La Chusa and return the call, she would kill you. Some people said it had the face of an old woman. But that sounds like a donkey lady rip off. My Grandmother though, told me that, a long time ago, she saw La Chusa. She said that it was night time and she went out to the back yard (for what reason, i can't remember) and that next door, she saw a strande figure. It looked like a giant egg. But then it started to move. She said it started to walk kinda like the way a penguin walks. She got scared and went back inside. When she was going inside she said that she could hear it fly away. Now I wouldn't take my grandmother to be the type that makes up tall tales. Does anybody have any info on this subject.

Do you know what La Chusa is SUPPOSED to be? I live in Texas now but spent my first 11 years of life in Southern Cali and our urban legend was Bloody Mary, outside my house complex, there was a creek with overgrown trees and bushes and brush with a cage in it, and my friends and I were afraid it was the cage where bloody mary kept the kids (even though I'm sure it was just a cage for like raccoons or possums or whatever) so LaChusa is probably the same tall tale. But even if your Grandma isn't the type to tell them, how old was she? She probably honestly believed it was LaChusa when it was really a big bird or whatever lol...Do you know anything else about this legend aside from it supposed to kill you if you return the call?

Ok, I found one site...Here and it talks about a different version of how she kills you.

It makes it hard to find anything else about the myth since it was also a case that went to trial...Thing vs La Chusa

cool link I've never heard that version before. Yeah we did the Bloody Mary thing too. well i didn't because i'm a total wimp. did u guys ever do that thing with the bathroom. Your supposed to like turn the lights off and on three times, flush the toilet three times, and call her name to the mirror three times. She's supposed to appear but I also heard that she can hurt you. that's why i never did it. But yeah I don't know too much about the subject. i think there is an owl that carries that name. Once when i was little, one of our san antonio news shows did a story on a giant bird. They called it "Sesame street in the sky" or something. Stupid title. but I didn't get to see it.

La Chusa meens wot?

Lol, never heard about flushing the toilet, but i was like 8 when candyman came out and since i wasnt' allowed to watch it, my best friedn who was like 2 years older than me made me go into the bathroom and say his name 5 times in teh dark, then she jumped at me lol, i wanted to die.

Our thing with bloody mary was also to go in the bathroom and call her name 3 times in a "spooky slow voice" lol...ah...childhood such fond memories of fright and terror lol

You know what? I have no idea what La Chusa actually means! My spanish is terrible. lol I'll call my grandmother later on and ask her. I might have even spelled it wrong.

Always called it La Lechusa here.

Bunch of different stories depends who you ask.

Mostly, I think it's the big white owl that's really a 'witch' and steals kids and men.

It's similar to an indian legend, can't remember the name of those shapeshifters atm tho.

La Lechusa, not La Llorena.

Reminds me of a story from my grandfather who rode with Pancho Villa before he became a preacher. He said Pancho one night went to take a leak, they were all drinking around the fire. He went into the woods a bit and saw a lady go behind a tree. He went to the tree and she was back a little farther. He went to that next tree and caught her, he said she turned around and had no face. So he kinda freaked and went back to the camp and told them. Grandfather said it was a couple hours before Pancho even rememberd he had to take a leak and just went by his horse instead of going back to the woods heh. Grandad said he believed him because the look on his face, said he turned white and had hairs standing up... said he knew Pancho saw *something* and took him at his word for what he saw. He was all old and stuff when I knew him, preacher, real honest stand up guy... I believe his retelling. Can't remember what he called that woman... all the old ladies were saying something like they knew what the entity in the story was. Wish I could remember what they called it.

Are you sure it wasn't La Llorona? that pretty much sounds like her. Her story is different depending on where and who you hear it from but its always the same formula. One is that her husband was cheating on her so she took their kids and drowned them in the river. then killed herself. that's the story I hear the most. But usually if someone sees her, it's by a river. My father-in-law set he heard her crying in a ghostly way but he was too scared too investigate. He trying looking from where he was but couldn't see anything. That's cool though. I also had a relative who rode with Panch Villa. He was either an uncle or grandfather. I can't remember what my grandmother said. But he died long before I was born of course. But yeah, La Lechusa sounds right. Thx.

i've heard of lachusa. my friends colby and rob have claimed to have seen it a night after we talked about it with some guy from down the road. ive never seen it. but i heard that it usually appears to those who have done something seriously wrong or something like that.

yeah my father in law told me that too. i think I'm going to ask the elders (my grandparents and in-laws) for more info and legends about La lechusa. (or however you say it.) i'll see what i can find on the net. If you've got any cool stories please share them. I don't know how much I want to believe in LaChusa but like i posted earlier, my grandmother is what makes me question it.

thanks for posting demolition. i forgot about this thread. lol

edit: i'm such a dork! I can't spell today!

Okay I found an artical. It mentions places in texas like Pleasanton and Crystal City (all really close to me!) lol but here you go.

lechuza linkage!

One of the stories, sounds a little dumb, but it's still a bit interesting. anybody here ever hear or tell these stories at sleepovers or camping trips?

I don't know what this thread is doing in this forum. i think i was still very new when i started it. It should be in the cryptozoology section. If any of the mods want to move it for me i'll give you a cookie! (well at least a picture of a cookie.)

Everything is bigger in Texas.

anytime, feenix. yeah, ive discussed this sorta thing at campouts. i think ive seen a lachusa before. ill never go back and check. but i think i might have. "cookies are friggin awesome!"

The word lechuza simply means "owl."

I've never heard of la lechuza being particularly huge or menacing, though (ala Mothman). My grandfather used to tell me several old legends concerning la lechuza. He said that superstitious people believed that whenever someone heard an owl hooting just outside their window it was a warning that someone in the family was going to die soon.

He also said many believed if they saw an owl perched on a tree looking into their house it was a sign that an evil person had put a curse upon their home.

I'm sure there are many old superstitions passed on by word of mouth that have been forgotten. Fortunately, it's all bs.

Or is it?! lol

Lechuzas are witches who shape shift into large half woman, half owl creatures. When I was a child I saw a currandero (witch healer) cast a ritual and drop a lechuza from a tree and stab it in the heart with a silver knife. My mother forced me to turn away at that point so I missed the "shape shifting back to human form". The lechuza that was killed by the currandero was allegedly causing trouble in the neighborhood. If you go to teresafbarker.com you can read about lechuzas. She calls them by their other name, Tecolotes. If you click on the site map on the homepage, you will find tecolotes under supernatural. Teresa Barker had some bad experiences with lechuzas herself. The kind of lechuzas that were bothering her were not shape shifters, they were sent by witches to do the harm. I personally know a Bruja (witch) who keeps owls in cages in her backyard. You can guess what she does with them."

this reminds me of a story my mom told me. she knew a woman who lived in a poor village in mexico. back then..... there was no electricity and used outdoor bathrooms. houses were either built by wood, or stone. windows didn't have any glass, just a curtain. and doors were poorly hinged and the hook locks were used. ( my grandparents in mexico used to live like this. i hated it. i used to hate going to sleep cuz i was always so paranoid about intuders)

anyways....this is how the woman lived. her husband wasn't home that night so it was just her and her baby daughter. they were both alseep on the bed which was against a wall. the lady was near the edge while the baby was asleep between the mother and wall. the lady would wake up fro m time to time during the night check on her baby then go back to sleep. well the baby's cry woke her and she saw something run fast out the door. she couldn't tell what it was cuz it was pitch black. she found the baby on the floor next to the bed, face up. the baby was unharmed. how the hell did he baby get on the floor!?! who knows what it could've been.... but the lady thinks it was a witch. i dunno if it was la chusa or what tho...

Witches are good they are not evil!!
I think La Lechusa is a Harpy!

I really do believe in this one. Some of my cousins friends came over and most of their family had heard of this legend before. They told my cousin and me about their experiences. The first person told us that they were at a birthday party somewhere in Texas close to Lindale I think, but they whistled three time really loud and long when all of the sudden a whistle came back to them in three different directions. They started to get scared as the creatures came towards them as they ran for the house. They were standing in a big corn field, so it was hard to see anything. As they got to the house they heard scrapping against the roof of the house and wings beating against it as well. The boy who's party it was had recieved a dog for his birthday and they left it outside. As the dog continued to bark there was a sudden silence and the dog was never seen again. These two people are very reliable people. The other person told us that she whistled and it answered back, but everytime she was outside after dark by herself she felt like something was watching her from the trees. So my cousin and her friends decided to try it at exactly 12 o'clock or it wont work. They whislted, but they only did it twice and it was very quiet. So we didn't get to experience the legend. It is said that they can hear the whistle if loud enough from about 3 or more miles away.

i don't know if this is fake or not but your suppossed to go into a dark room with a mirror. turn the lights off and say "bloody mary" 5 times and then the lights will turn on and you will see BLOODY MARY.
i'm not sure if this is fake or not

^ I've tried it many a time and it has never worked for me

There are many variants to this story as well. This is off topic though

Does anyone know how to catch and or kill a la chusa? If so please get back to me, thanks.

Well i know how to call a La Lechusa, you have to whistle at midnight 12:00 a.m and supposedly she should come to kill you.

ooooo cooool

Yep. Lechuza is a kind of owl. (ugly though). I remember when I would be at my beach house, I would hear them at night and my aunt always told me they attack people by taking the victims' eyes out haha of course she was kidding, but it was scary when I was little. I loved it.

What's up peeps...Nego here...cool to be in this forum.... My grandfather once told me a story about his brother in law catching a Lechusa.... which was supposed to be a witch either transformed into a ball of light or a large owl... My grandfather said he knocked it out of the air when it tried to scratch him.....it fell into a brushy draw...when he went into the draw..there was a young nude girl....lying there...he pulled out his machete to strike her but she pleaded for her life..... he felt sorry for her and let her go... she promised him money but obviously he never saw her again...and he was very sick a couple of days afterward..... this all occured in west Texas in the late 40's... although I have heard stories around in old S.A. myself.....

What do witches have to do with La Lechusa?. I really dont understand why witches-who practice wicca would shapeshift in to large birds and attack people i really doubt that witches can shapeshift in to owls or birds that is more of a demonic related story. As far as i know Witches are the followers of Wicca and there is no point to accuse witches of being La Lechusas.

meep? I'm lost here

Here in Mexico Lechuza means Owl, so maybe it was just an ordinary owl.

From what im told by a friend of mines mother is, The La Chusa is an owl, the owl has the face of a person who has cursed you. No idea the details of the curse, no idea if its one of those long term or short term. Im also from san antonio tx. God i miss home and my food there.

Gah! Evil necroposter!

that is mothman and welcome to UM. necroposter are welcome

Yes, we welcome necroposters....

[attachmentid=27983]

Aw, c'mon..not ALL necroposters are evil....just unimaginative ....welcome to UM!!!

Thats what I was thinking as I was reading the original discription at around the beginning of the thread.
I'll admit I dont much about Mexican Indian legends but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Aztecs had a legend about a bird like creature that was known in Europe as the Harpy.
If I'm wrong or have the wrong Tribe let me know.

I've never heard the Spanish name but there have been many sightings of huge, black birds, larger than condors, in many parts of the US besides Texas.

LOl! You make that yourself?

Haha! Now we're all necroposting...

No, that fabulous work of art was done by angrycrustacean! He deserves all the credit! He's a bit more violent than I.

Wow...lol...funny, but I also had relatives that rode with Pancho Villa. I actually didn't know until about 10 years ago and saw a picture in a restaurant in Castroville (I live in San Antonio) and saw a picture with Pancho Villa and his men...right next to him was a guy that looked exactly like my mother's nephew (wasn't him, but rather his grandfather), and she told me about how our family had a few members that faught with him.

But back to the subject....I've heard stories of La Lechusa...my mother said she heard it and then went out and saw it. From what I can tell it is an owl...white faced ones...not sure of the actual name. They are common in the country here in TX...we had a whole family living in our garages in Sabinal...nasty creatures really....throwing up their sacks full of fur and bones....lol.

BTW....cool to see another person from San Antonio on here

been on alot of boards, what is your definition of a necroposter? LOL

rising of the dead (topic)

Someone who posts 5+ months late.

gotcha tyty. LOL i originally found this topic ina yahoo search while looking up the la chusa

coz this is "world greatest forum"

That sounds a lot like an old Creek tell of an evil medicine man called a "staginey" who is in a form of a white owl and can shapeshift. I have heard that if you go out in the woods to where you can't see or hear any civilization, to taunt him and he will come for you.

Don’t know about the spelling of it but I Attached a wav file of staginey being pronounced.

If I died and came-back, I would NOT want my face on a white owl....next thing you know kids would be shoving "tootsie-pops" in my mouth and asking me "how many licks"....like I don't have anything better to do.

That might not be so bad if you think about it. Tootsie Pops have to taste better than field mice.

Hmmmmmm....to the center...of a field-mouse....*licks* ah-one....*licks* ah-two-hoooo...*licks and crunches* ah-three............ ................*looks for the trash can*