Strange House Happenings - The Legend of the No Face Woman in White

A lone figure in a flowing white gown stands on a misty forest path, shrouded in mystery and surrounded by towering trees.

Legends. We all have heard of legends at one point in our life whether it be the Chupacabra or even the great haired Sasquatch himself. There are multiple movies and tv shows that showcase different legends. One such legend that comes to mind is the Woman in White. Other names this legend goes by is the Weeping Woman or the White Lady.

This legend entails of a female ghost or apparition in a white dress often seen in rural areas and is associated with tragedy. The most common variation of this legend is that of a woman who takes her own life after being betrayed by a husband or fiance.

Now you may be wondering, "Courtney, why all this talk about the Woman in White and legends?" That's a good question. One I'll gladly answer with some context. Living in an older home with such rich history and my childhood home having unexplained events, I have seen and heard my fair share of the unknown including of one of my family members recently seeing a woman in white with no face or ears.

Hearing this, it made me think of the famous Woman in White, remembering the Supernatural episode with the Woman in White but then I started thinking about the original lore behind the legend. Where did this all start? Where do the origins come from? No one really knows. So I did some digging.

One such thing I found was posted on a blog post by Krista Duranti on hubpages.com. She goes into brief detail of the many different cultures surrounding this legend. She stated that in some stories, the woman had unalived her children after being betrayed by her husband then took her own life. Some say that this caused the woman to become a harbinger of death, often to be seen by the side of the road, waiting to be picked up by unfaithful men.

Other sources state that this is no mere legend but originates from the story of a woman in Quezon City in the Philippines. According to Martini on ancient-origins.net, the Woman in White or they call her the Lady in White, she had died in a car accident on Balete Drive. Stories state that a taxi driver who had picked up long-haired woman one late night. She was completely silent and didn't say a word even with the driver tried to start up conversations with the woman. During the ride, the driver just happened to look behind him to see the woman's face covered full with blood and bruises. The driver stopped the taxi and fled in horror.

Hispanic culture paints a slightly different picture of the Woman in White, as a woman named Maria. In this rendition, Maria drowns her children to be with the man she loves but unfortunately is rejected, causing her to drown herself in the Mexico City lake. For this act, Maria was forever to wander the earth, in search of her children, never permitted into heaven. In Hispanic culture, this legend is called La Llorona named by constantly weeping some say they hear when they catch a glimpse of her.

With so many different versions, it's hard to tell where this legend began. Is it just a little ghost story you tell over a campfire? Is there any truth to this legend or did it just start out to scare others? I believe no one really knows. Either way, this legend has become very popular and has spread across the globe with many different variations.

One thing still has me wondering. With all these different tales of the Woman in White, what did my family member see and what does it mean?