Welcome to my new ongoing series known as Obscure Encounters. Here I highlight alleged encounters with creatures of myth and beings of extra-terrestrial or the paranormal. Each short post will highlight a single encounter I have researched into or discovered and that is not as well-known or known at all as much as the iconic and recorded encounters that can be found, such as some of the encounters and events detailed in my ongoing Paranormal Alphabet series. I have hope that these posts can give some insight into some of the more obscured events in the realms of the unexplained and I will also try to feature on lesser known subjects of the unexplained, but will now and again also feature obscure encounters of more popular beings, such as the Sasquatch for example.
Featured image: By Rene Mayorga from Flickr. License.
The Duende, also called Tata Duende, is a type of mythical creature that many local inhabitants of Belize believe live in their dense forests and is a prominent feature of their folklore. They are like a race of short people who are described as wearing big red hats, having backwards feet, no thumbs and like many other small hominids are often described as mischievous. Duende means “elf” in Spanish and the word Tata is a word from the Mayans which means “Grandfather” or simply “old”. But these creatures are not as jolly or friendly as you may imagine the stereotypical Christmas Elf’s to be. They can be described a guardian of the wildlife and so displeasing or disrespecting them would be unwise and even dangerous, considering they are not fond of humans as it stands. They are also believed to be a type of spirit, rather than physical beings, which can explain why they are so elusive if they actually exist, as well as being very small.
Many stories also use the bogeyman motif, claiming that the Duende had a keen interest of luring children into the forests, never to be seen again, or that they hide in the bedroom walls of children, which was a way of making children behave and complete chores and respect their environment, lest they be taken by a Duende. It is said the Duendes also have shapeshifting ability, to turn into an animal or even someone you know.
Many sceptics believe that sightings of the Tata Duende are in-fact mistaken identity of Spider Monkeys, native to the area.
The Sighting
Through a bunch of digging I managed to come across a few encounters across comments on a number of blogs. I have chosen to feature the following…
One individual account coming from the mid-1980s, I will give the pseudonym “Rol” said that they had rented a hut within Belize near to the Guatemala border, giving an account on behalf of their friend, they said he woke up in the night to see a being hovering in the air and that it was hovering over Rol while they slept. The being was described as small and gave off a red aura, it had a big nose and feathers sprouting from its head and had pointy teeth and was wearing a strange grass shirt. Rol’s friend upon jumping up out of bed, caused the creature to fly away out of the window. Upon telling of the encounter to a local man, they were told it was the Duende. Rol has continued to question why the creature was observing them while they slept.
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