Background
Venezuela is the thirty-third largest country in the world, yet they only have one truly popular type of ghost. The Silbón is a fairly well known type of ghost, likely because of its similarities to the banshee of Ireland, but also because the silbón has its own fleshed out background story, a rare occurrence for ghosts. While most ghost do come with their own story, most are vague and simply offer the ghost motive. The silbón’s is much more intricate.
In the most often told variation of the story and mother and father raise their only son to be spoiled and selfish, refusing to eat any food which he does no deem adequate. To please his son the father goes hunting for deer, which the son has a fondness for eating. After a day of searching, however, the father returned empty handed. Upon seeing his father with no meat for dinner, the son rushed forward and killed his father with a hunting knife. In some variations the son tricks his mother into cooking and consuming the meat of his father. She only notices something is wrong when she asks why the meat is so tough. In other stories she simply rushes in to see her husband murdered. Either way she calls a relative over, a grand-father or uncle, who ties her son to a tree then whips his viciously before rubbing peppers into his wounds. The mother, during this time, also places a curse on her son, placing all her husband’s bones into a bag for her now undead son to carry for eternity.
History
The story goes that the silbón, or “Whistler” in English, is doomed to wander the earth forever, bones clanking on his back, whistling to warn others of his presence. Much like a Pontianak if the whistling is loud it means the silbón is far away, but light whistling means he is nearby. His whistle is seen as an omen of death, his bag filling up with more bones as he claims more victims. Every night he must stop at a different home and carefully count his bones before returning to his lonely walk. If the family in the house hears the bones and wake up, they will experience good luck, but should they remain asleep the whole time, they will fall on hard times. An interesting part of the lore involving the silbón is that there is only one. Other spirits have an uncountable number which inhabit the world, but the silbón is singular, having only itself since the legend only describes the occurrence happening once to one person.
Travel Information
Los Llanos is the closest one can place for the location of the silbón. Los Llanos is a vast range of plains in Venezuela’s northwest, where the legend began and when the ghost is believed to roam. It is one of the world richest tropical wetlands, with a wide range of animals and plants. The land has two seasons, wet and dry, with a selection of residential animals and creatures which are adapted to such weather. Many tours are available through the lands, most of which start in Merida, the town closest to Los Llanos that has signs of civilization beyond cattle herding, which is the main occupation in Los Llanos. Tours are available by bus, boat, horse and in some areas, even cable car, but most are a combination of several travel methods, and many are several days long. Camping equipment is typically not provided, so one must be sure to bring their own and any other necessities needed for exciting days in the plains.
Still, Merida is more than just adventure tours. This university town has plenty of exciting attractions all on its own for an extended stay beyond a visit to the Los Llanos plains. With dozens of highly rate hotels from romantic to family friendly, it’s not difficult to locate a place to stay, while other amusements are available as well, ranging from Guinness-Record holding ice cream shop called Heladería Coromoto which offers 860 flavours, to the longest and highest cable car ride around the Alps. The silbón is just one fascinating part of this remarkable land.
Temporary Citations:
http://blog.bikehike.com/the-spookiest-ghost-stories-of-central-and-south-america/
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/southamerica/venezuela/placesweprotect/llanos-de-venezuela.xml
http://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2014/06/el-silbon-whistler.html
http://thedemoniacal.blogspot.com/2011/08/el-silbon.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g316050-Merida_Andean_Region-Vacations.html
Venezuela is the thirty-third largest country in the world, yet they only have one truly popular type of ghost. The Silbón is a fairly well known type of ghost, likely because of its similarities to the banshee of Ireland, but also because the silbón has its own fleshed out background story, a rare occurrence for ghosts. While most ghost do come with their own story, most are vague and simply offer the ghost motive. The silbón’s is much more intricate.
In the most often told variation of the story and mother and father raise their only son to be spoiled and selfish, refusing to eat any food which he does no deem adequate. To please his son the father goes hunting for deer, which the son has a fondness for eating. After a day of searching, however, the father returned empty handed. Upon seeing his father with no meat for dinner, the son rushed forward and killed his father with a hunting knife. In some variations the son tricks his mother into cooking and consuming the meat of his father. She only notices something is wrong when she asks why the meat is so tough. In other stories she simply rushes in to see her husband murdered. Either way she calls a relative over, a grand-father or uncle, who ties her son to a tree then whips his viciously before rubbing peppers into his wounds. The mother, during this time, also places a curse on her son, placing all her husband’s bones into a bag for her now undead son to carry for eternity.
History
The story goes that the silbón, or “Whistler” in English, is doomed to wander the earth forever, bones clanking on his back, whistling to warn others of his presence. Much like a Pontianak if the whistling is loud it means the silbón is far away, but light whistling means he is nearby. His whistle is seen as an omen of death, his bag filling up with more bones as he claims more victims. Every night he must stop at a different home and carefully count his bones before returning to his lonely walk. If the family in the house hears the bones and wake up, they will experience good luck, but should they remain asleep the whole time, they will fall on hard times. An interesting part of the lore involving the silbón is that there is only one. Other spirits have an uncountable number which inhabit the world, but the silbón is singular, having only itself since the legend only describes the occurrence happening once to one person.
Travel Information
Los Llanos is the closest one can place for the location of the silbón. Los Llanos is a vast range of plains in Venezuela’s northwest, where the legend began and when the ghost is believed to roam. It is one of the world richest tropical wetlands, with a wide range of animals and plants. The land has two seasons, wet and dry, with a selection of residential animals and creatures which are adapted to such weather. Many tours are available through the lands, most of which start in Merida, the town closest to Los Llanos that has signs of civilization beyond cattle herding, which is the main occupation in Los Llanos. Tours are available by bus, boat, horse and in some areas, even cable car, but most are a combination of several travel methods, and many are several days long. Camping equipment is typically not provided, so one must be sure to bring their own and any other necessities needed for exciting days in the plains.
Still, Merida is more than just adventure tours. This university town has plenty of exciting attractions all on its own for an extended stay beyond a visit to the Los Llanos plains. With dozens of highly rate hotels from romantic to family friendly, it’s not difficult to locate a place to stay, while other amusements are available as well, ranging from Guinness-Record holding ice cream shop called Heladería Coromoto which offers 860 flavours, to the longest and highest cable car ride around the Alps. The silbón is just one fascinating part of this remarkable land.
Temporary Citations:
http://blog.bikehike.com/the-spookiest-ghost-stories-of-central-and-south-america/
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/southamerica/venezuela/placesweprotect/llanos-de-venezuela.xml
http://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2014/06/el-silbon-whistler.html
http://thedemoniacal.blogspot.com/2011/08/el-silbon.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g316050-Merida_Andean_Region-Vacations.html