At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Thursday 22 May 2014

THE SHEEP WITCH

La Calchona (courtesy Austin Whittall)
You may remember, Gentle Reader, that we have done a couple of features on the Wampus Cat of U.S. folklore.  A rather similar story surfaces among the Mapuche Indians of South America.  This concerns a witch called La Calchona.  If you encounter her, she looks like a black sheep or dog.  She is not dangerous, so don't be afraid; but her story, as I say, reminds one somewhat of the Wampus Cat.

She was a witch.  She obtained certain ointments with a view to turning herself into a sheep.  She would go out in the night to do this.  Her husband realized she was making nocturnal excursions and wondered why.  He determined to follow her.

On doing so, he saw her apply the ointment and become a sheep.  This, he felt, had to stop.  He returned home and destroyed the rest of the ointment.  La calchona had to remain in animal form forever.

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