Venezuela's Whistling Ghost: The Farther the Sound, the Closer He Is to You

On the great plains of central Venezuela, at night people often hear a whistling sound: a long, mournful tune, low at first then high, blown over and over, as if someone were walking in the distance, whistling to themselves as they walked.

Locals say it is the "Whistling Man," called "El Silbón" in Spanish, a ghost.

Legend has it that in life he was a young man with a bad temper, spoiled by his parents. One day he wanted to eat deer entrails and told his father to go hunt. His father brought back a deer, but the son complained that his father was too slow and refused to give it to him; in a rage he killed his father, pulled out his entrails, and brought them to his mother, telling her to cook them for him to eat. His mother discovered where the entrails came from, and weeping told his grandfather.

His grandfather caught this grandson. He whipped him, rubbed chili water into his wounds, and set two hunting dogs on him. Finally, his grandfather cursed him: from then on, you shall forever carry your father's bones, forever walk the plains, and never find rest.

So in the legend, El Silbón carries a large sack containing his father's bones. When he walks, the bones knock together, making a "clack, clack" sound. He walks and whistles at the same time. He wanders the plains, seeking drunk men, men who beat their wives, unfilial people, killing them one by one and putting their bones in the sack as well.

The most frightening thing is that his whistle has a characteristic: the farther away the sound seems, the closer he actually is to you; the closer the sound seems, the farther away he actually is. So hearing a loud whistle means you can breathe easy. But if the whistling sounds very faint, you must be careful, because he might be right behind you.

Elders say that if you hear whistling at night, it's best to hide inside the house and not respond. Some say that on a night in the plains, if you hear whistling that sounds a hundred meters away, never feel safe.

On Venezuela's plains, adults still use him to frighten children: be disobedient, and El Silbón will come at night.

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