Once upon a time on a dreary night, Maria, a beautiful young woman drowned all her children in the lake to be with her lover. Her lover refused to accept her and Maria drowned herself. At the gates to heaven, she was denied entry till she found all of her children. From that day onwards, a weeping Maria rechristened as La Llorona, the weeping woman, walks the earth in the dark, searching for her children. Thinking they are her own, she can catch and kidnap any child playing outside after the dark or children who are mischievous and refuse to listen to their mommy.
This story, a well-known American legend is to caution kids about the perils of playing in the dark or not obeying their parents. The kids are told by their mothers that if they do not listen to them then La Llorona will kidnap them and never give them back. Though no such character really exists, the story does a good job in keeping the innocent and ignorant minds of children within the required limits. There might not be a real La Llorona but there are miscreants all around waiting to catch hold of children for ransom and abuse. The children, afraid of La Llorona, keep away from staying out in the dark for long and thereby stay safe.
Stories like this and others, though rationally absurd, help in spreading necessary caution. A child would understand La Llorona’s tales better than he or she would understand the concept of abduction for money. Similarly, in organizations too, apart from the regular training and orientation, some tales in the grapevine help foster culture. Culture comprises not only shared values and systems but shared tales and legends too which bind the people into one group.
Works cited:
Deborah Sole, D. G. (n.d.). Storytelling in Organizations: The power and traps of using stories to share knowledge in organizations. Harvard University: LILA Harvard University.
Mello, R. (2001). The Power of Storytelling: How Oral Narrative Influences Children's Relationships in Classrooms. International Journal of Education & the Arts .
Rita Higgins, P. L. (n.d.). Why Unity in Diversity? A Brief History of Culture and Self-Esteem.
Weiser, K. (2012, December). La Llorona - Weeping Woman of the Southwest. Retrieved April 29, 2013, from Legends of America: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/gh-lallorona.html
