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Overview

Vicuña Cifuentes quotes Richard Latcham’s distinction between black and white forms of La Fantasma. The black form first appears as a large, indistinct mass with two flashing eyes. It grows until it seems a giant, then falls on a person encountered at night, crushing the victim under its enormous weight and reducing the body to ashes.

The white form is described as less fearsome, but Latcham’s unnamed informant clarifies that this does not mean harmless: it kills without crushing. Sometimes La Fantasma takes the shape of a bulky animal. The account supplies no fixed animal species or single recognisable human identity. The compiler’s grammatical objection to the feminine name is his editorial response; the local name is preserved here.

Flashing eyes in an indistinct dark massGrowth to giant sizeCrushing attack in the black formWhite form also lethalOccasional animal form
01

Origins & earliest records

Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Mitos y supersticiones recogidos de la tradición oral chilena, Santiago: Imprenta Universitaria, 1915. The appendix combines local reports, named correspondents and quotations from other writers; their different routes of transmission remain specified.

02

Records & interpretation

Appendix A, XLII, La Fantasma, complete pp. 327–328; quotes Latcham, Sobre algunos mitos zoológicos chilenos. Original Latcham publication uninspected, quoted informant unnamed and precise locality absent.

In the literature

“un enorme bulto con dos ojos centelleantes.”
Richard Latcham, quoted by Julio Vicuña Cifuentes · Mitos y supersticiones: recogidos de la tradición oral chilena
Appendix A XLII La Fantasma, complete printed pp.327–328; quoted printed p.328 · Not applicable: inspected original Spanish

Vicuña discusses the feminine popular name and quotes Richard Latcham’s account of black and white Fantasma. The black form is usually an indefinite bulk with two sparkling eyes, grows giant and drops on a night traveller, crushing the victim to ashes; the white form is said by Latcham’s unnamed informant to kill without crushing. An occasional bulky animal form is also reported.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Mitos y supersticiones recogidos de la tradición oral chilena

    Julio Vicuña Cifuentes · 1915

    Appendix A, XLII, La Fantasma, complete pp. 327–328; quotes Latcham, Sobre algunos mitos zoológicos chilenos. Original Latcham publication uninspected, quoted informant unnamed and precise locality absent.

  2. 02

    Mitos y supersticiones: recogidos de la tradición oral chilena — Appendix A XLII La Fantasma, complete printed pp.327–328

    Richard Latcham, quoted by Julio Vicuña Cifuentes · 1915

    Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Santiago de Chile: Imprenta Universitaria1915; original title page previously checked, selected complete sections below visually read in National Library MC0008702 PDF. No claim of whole-volume review.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

Primary source witness

Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Santiago de Chile: Imprenta Universitaria1915; original title page previously checked, selected complete sections below visually read in National Library MC0008702 PDF. No claim of whole-volume review.

  1. Vicuña discusses the feminine popular name and quotes Richard Latcham’s account of black and white Fantasma. The black form is usually an indefinite bulk with two sparkling eyes, grows giant and drops on a night traveller, crushing the victim to ashes; the white form is said by Latcham’s unnamed informant to kill without crushing. An occasional bulky animal form is also reported.

    Appendix A XLII La Fantasma, complete printed pp.327–328

Actual Latcham publication Sobre algunos mitos zoológicos chilenos is not independently inspected here: this is the complete quotation as reproduced by Vicuña, not a newly verified original Latcham edition or interview. No general zoological species or specific locality supplied.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary textVicuña Cifuentes 1915: complete selected appendix accountResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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