Kali

Our story begins on the battlefield where the demon Raktabija and his minions were in the throws of war with the goddess Durga and her Matrikas. The goddesses were fighting with all their might but to no avail; for every swing of their swords brought about more demons. Each drop of blood of Rakatabija's that fell to the ground sprouted a new minion in it's place. Durga realized that her fellow goddesses and her were fighting a losing battle. The realization of this caused Durga to frown. She frowned so fiercely as she furrowed her brow and from her forehead leaped a woman.

 With skin black as night and her tongue lolling to one side she wasted no time joining the fight. She approached one of the minions and with deft movement she removed his head. She let the blood drain into a bowl being careful to not spill any on the battlefield. She lifted the bowl to her lips and drained it in a matter of seconds. With the taste of blood fresh on her pallet her voracious hunger became more apparent as forged her way into the battle. With every minion she took down she collected a new head for her necklace or a limb for her victory skirt. Raktabija saw the damage that Kali was inflicting to his minions and was about to retreat but he had made the decision too late. Kali flung herself at the demon latching on to him and began sucking the life out of him. Raktabija eventually fell, drained of every last drop of his blood, and Kali rose as the victor. Seeing the carnage she had wrought Kali began to dance over the bodies of the fallen including that of her fallen consort Shiva. This is why she is usually depicted with one foot on top of Shiva. 

Kali, while her looks can be deceiving,  is actually one of the most beloved gods in the Hindu pantheon. She is known as the goddess of time and change, and is also a mother goddess.

La Llorona

The story of La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) is a tragic tale. There was once a beautiful woman by the name of Maria who lived somewhere in Mexico. Maria was the mother of two children whom she loved very much but Maria was lonely. The children's father was no longer around to comfort and care for the family so Maria fell into a great depression. This depression was lifted when she met the man of her dreams one day at market. He courted Maria and made her feel special, she once again felt that she could carry on. However, when he discovered she had children he devastated her by telling her that he could not continue their courtship. 

Maria once again fell into a depression that was even worse than the last.  She tried and tried to get her lover to take her back but he refused. One night after being turned down by her lover she lured her children to a lake and one by one drowned them both. The next day she went back to her lover with the news that she had rid  herself of her children only to find that her lover had moved on and found another woman. Her greif was so overwhelming  that she walked directly to the lake where her children now rested and walked into it never to emerge. 

At the gates of heaven Maria was questioned as to the whereabouts of her children. Offering no response  she was condemned to walk the earth, forever looking for her missing children. It is said that on quiet nights you can hear her weeping near the many lakes and rivers of Mexico wailing "Ay, mis hijos". (Woe my children.)

In Mexican culture the story of La Llorona is used to deter children from bad behavior; Telling the children that if they do not behave La Llorona will come looking for them and take them away.