La Ciguapa

In the mountains and countryside of the Dominican Republic people speak of the Ciguapa, a small, elusive female creature with brown or coppery skin and a very long black mane that covers her naked body. Her most astonishing trait is her backward-facing feet, heels pointing forward, so her tracks deceive anyone who tries to follow them: it looks like she is leaving when she is really coming. She lives near rivers and mountains, roams by night and, according to belief, lures men who wander alone into the wilds only to make them vanish or drive them mad with love. She is said not to speak, uttering only a shrill cry, and can be hunted only on a full-moon night with the help of a five-nailed cinqueño dog. The Ciguapa blends Taíno, African and colonial roots, embodying the mystery of Dominican nature: beautiful, wild and impossible to catch. Her legend has inspired poems and stories by the island's writers.