Deep within the jungles and mountains of Colombia reigns a creature that embodies the danger of seduction and entrapment: the Patasola. As her name suggests, her most distinctive physical characteristic is that she possesses a single leg, which ends in an animal hoof (sometimes bovine, sometimes bear-like). Despite this limitation, she moves with supernatural agility, making prodigious leaps or using an improvised crutch made of branches.
The Patasola is a vampiric and shapeshifting entity. She appears before men who work in the wilderness—lumberjacks, miners, hunters, or farmers—in the form of a beautiful, voluptuous, and seductive woman. She emerges at the edge of the path or among the trees, weeping or asking for help, or simply alluring. The man, captivated by her beauty, follows her, moving away from his companions and deeper into the thicket. When there is no turning back, the woman transforms her face into a mask of horror: fiery eyes, feline fangs, and disheveled hair. She pounces on her victim to suck their blood or devour them.
The Patasola's origin varies, but the most common version is tragic and moralizing: she was an unfaithful woman who deceived her husband. Upon discovering her, the husband killed her lover and cut off her leg in a fit of rage. She fled into the jungle, where she died and transformed into this vengeful spirit who hates men. Although a monster, she also acts as a strange guardian of nature: she often attacks those who destroy the forest or hunt animals indiscriminately. She is a reminder that the jungle is feminine, beautiful, but relentless with those who try to dominate or disrespect it.
