El Silbón: The Deadly Whistler of the South American Grasslands| Monstrum

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The “Terror of the Plain,” this emaciated, whistling devil is cursed to wander the South American countryside carrying the bones of his victims. Intimately tied to the cattle ranching history of Latin America, the myth of El Silbón remains an active albeit terrifying part of folklore. Featuring film director Juan Fernández Gebauer, this episode looks at why a murderous ghost became a symbol of Llanos culture—despite the fear he still inspired today. #elsilbon #mythology #MonstrumPBS

Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Editor: Derek Borsheim
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.

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Bibliography

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Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Llanos." Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Jul. 2008, https://www.britannica.com/place/Llanos.

Loy, Jane M. “Horsemen of the Tropics: A Comparative View of the Llaneros in the History of Venezuela and Colombia.” Boletín americanista, no. 31, 1981.

Mahoney, James. Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish America In Comparative Perspective. E-book, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Moreno, S. Andrea, et al. “Importance of the Horse and Financial Impact of Equine Trypanosomiasis on Cattle Raising in Venezuela.” Tropical Animal Health and Production, vol. 45, no. 8, Springer Netherlands, 2013, pp. 1669–76.

Novak, Cael. Sobrenatural: 300 Historias de Terror, Misterio y Leyendas Urbanas. Cael Novak, 2019.

Priesto Osorno, Alexander. “Bestiario Latinoamericao: El Silbón.” Cronista en dos mundos: realidad y ficción, 2007, pp. 174-177
Robles de Mora, Lolita. “El Silbón.” Leyendas de Venezuela: leyendas, mitos y tradiciones. Ediciones Robledal, 2002, pp. 69-70.

Ruíz Hernández, Rafael. Folklore Básico de Venezuela. Fundación Editorial Salesiana, 2005.

White, C. Langdon. “Cattle Raising: A Way of Life in Venezuelan Llanos.” The Scientific Monthly, Sep. 1956, vol. 83, no. 3, pp. 122-129.

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