"La Llorona"

"La Llorona" is Spanish for "The Weeping Woman". Originating in Mexico,[citation needed] La
Llorona is a popular legend in Spanish-speaking cultures in the colonies of the Americas,
with many versions extant. The basic story is that La Llorona was a beautiful woman by the
name of Maria who killed her children by drowning them in order to be with the man that
she loved, but was subsequently rejected by him. (He might have been the children's father
who had left their mother for another woman.) Then, after being rejected by her lover, she
killed herself. When Maria reached the gates of heaven, she was asked, "Where are your
children?" and she replied, "I don't know, my Lord." She was not permitted to enter heaven
until she found her children. She now wanders the Earth for all eternity, searching in vain
for her drowned offspring. Her constant weeping is the reason for her name, La Llorona. In
some cases, according to the tale, she will kidnap wandering children or children who
disobey their parents.