The Madre de Agua
In Cuban folklore, every spring and river has a guardian: a huge serpent, the Mother of the Water. If she leaves, the water dries up.
What was reported
In the countryside of Cuba, the Madre de Agua, 'Mother of the Water', is a giant serpent, sometimes with a mane or horns, said to live in rivers, springs and wells. She's the guardian of the water, and as long as she stays, the source will never run dry.
Stories warn not to kill or disturb large snakes found near springs, because if the Madre de Agua is harmed or leaves, the water will vanish with her.
Explanations offered
The legend may draw on Cuba's real large snake, the Cuban boa, called the majá, and on Indigenous and African ideas of water spirits. Similar 'mothers of the water' are told of across Latin America. It's a way of teaching respect for precious water sources.
- When
- Told for generations
- Where
- Central Cuba
- Witnesses
- Cuban folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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