El Cadejo
Also known as: The Cadejo, Spirit Dog
In Central America, a glowing-eyed dog follows you home at night, but its color decides your fate.
Pre-colonial era
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador
Large dog, roughly 3-4 feet at the shoulder
Protective (white) or malevolent (black)
Folklore
The Lore
El Cadejo is a supernatural dog from Central American folklore that appears in two forms. The white Cadejo protects travelers from harm, while the black Cadejo lures people toward danger or death. Sightings persist across Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, with witnesses describing a large dog with burning red or blue eyes. The two Cadejos are sometimes said to battle each other over a human soul.
Body Type
Folklore Origin
Media Appearances
- Leyendas de Guatemala by Miguel Angel Asturias
Similar Real Animals
You might also like
El Sisimite
HighIn the forests of Honduras, a backward-footed ape-man kidnaps anyone who makes eye contact.
Caipora
MediumBrazilian hunters know this forest spirit punishes anyone who takes more than they need.
Boto
MediumThe Amazon's pink river dolphin comes ashore at night disguised as a handsome stranger.
Chupacabra
MediumThe blood-draining predator that left livestock drained across Latin America.
Sigbin
MediumA blood-drinking creature from the Philippines that walks backward and hides in the shadows of its owner.
Black Shuck
HighA ghostly black dog with blazing red eyes has haunted the roads and churchyards of East Anglia for over a thousand years.
Beast of Bray Road
HighA shaggy, upright canine prowling a rural Wisconsin road since the 1980s.
Cu-Sith
HighA massive dark green hound the size of a bull roams the Scottish Highlands, and hearing its third bark means death.