Have you ever seen a ghost? A 2022 poll found that at least two-thirds of Americans claim they have. This curiosity about the supernatural is evident in American media, with docuseries like Netflix’s Files of the Unexplained racking up 4.4 million views in just one week. But this is not only an American thing; cultures all around the world share spooky stories, often featuring women as ghosts or other haunting creatures. In this article, we’ll look into two ghostly folk myths and what they reveal about fear, gender expectations, and attitudes toward women.
Who is the Churel?
In Pakistani folklore, the Churel is believed to be the powerful ghost of a woman who died in childbirth after being wronged by men. She returns seeking revenge, especially against those who mistreat women.
Hamza, an IT instructor based in Illinois, says the Churel is described as “a hideous being with long, unkempt hair, a pale face, and feet that point backward.” But she often disguises herself as a beautiful young woman to lure men into graveyards or other desolate areas. After captivating them with beauty, the Churel reveals her true form and “sometimes drain[s] their life force or driv[es] them mad.”
Hamza also shared an anecdote from his childhood, a time when he frequently heard of the Churel:
One night, he was confused by the sound of bracelets clinking together outside his room. That noise was reminiscent of traditional women’s jewelry. “It didn’t make sense to hear that in the middle of the night,” he says. His small village was quiet, with houses spread out on a distant hill. For him, that moment felt as though the story he heard so often was stepping into reality.
In Pakistani culture, the myth of the vengeful Churel reminds people to treat women with respect, or there could be consequences.
What is the myth of La Patasola?
In Colombia, psychologist Carolina grew up hearing about La Patasola, or “the single-legged woman.” The myth tells of a woman caught being unfaithful by her husband. In his rage, he killed her lover and cut off one of her legs as she tried to escape. Ever since, her blood-sucking ghost with a hoof for a foot is said to wander the countryside, searching for men to attack.
As a child, La Patasola terrified Carolina. “When we stayed at our finca (farmhouse) and adults would tell me and my cousins this story, we wouldn’t get a wink of sleep,” Carolina says. Sometimes they’d hear a woman’s voice talking or screaming, and they were convinced it was La Patasola. “Looking back, I think it was probably just the wind,” she adds, “but everything was so vivid back then.”
For Carolina, this spooky story represents a moral lesson. In Colombia, monogamous relationships are the norm, and being unfaithful is severely frowned upon, especially for women, who often face harsher judgment for it.
What do these ghostly myths reveal?
Despite the geographical distance between Pakistan and Colombia, the Churel and La Patasola share clear similarities:
Both stories reflect fears about women as victims and villains, and at the same time, they call out how men’s violent actions can result in serious consequences. Moreover, just like the Churel, La Patasola is said to turn into a beautiful woman to lure men, which illustrates the notion of female beauty as deceptive and manipulative.
These narratives may reveal the interplay between fright and control in communities that uphold traditional gender roles. As Putri (2020) points out, there’s “a fear of women being independent, having ambitions, being able to exhibit anger when wronged, and taking ownership of their desires.” This may suggest that the afterlife is seen as a place where women are free from gender expectations and submission, which men traditionally worry could lead to a deadly aftermath.
To learn more about the portrayal of women’s experiences and emotions in horror, check out our article on female rage in horror.
