The Pesanta is a mythical creature found in Catalan folklore, commonly depicted as a large, dark, hairy dog (though some variations describe it as a cat) with metallic paws that it uses to strike anyone in its path. The creature’s paws are pierced, making it impossible for the Pesanta to grasp anything. In certain parts of Catalonia, the Pesanta is viewed as a witch or an animal-like entity with an ambiguous appearance. Its gender is also unknown.
Where Do Pesanta Live?
According to Catalan mythology, the Pesanta typically resides in abandoned churches or ruins and sneaks into people’s homes at night. It can enter through keyholes, under doors, and even across walls. Once inside, it perches on the chests of its victims, causing breathing difficulties and nightmares. Spotting the creature is challenging because it flees quickly, leaving only a shadow in its wake if someone awakens in its presence.
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Encounters
To avoid encountering the Pesanta, some recommended methods include placing millet at the threshold of the bedroom, keeping a broom next to the bed, or reciting certain words that will distract the creature. Pesanta is often associated with sleep paralysis, a phenomenon in which a person wakes up unable to move and experiences hallucinations.
Powers And Abilities
Powerful Bite: Pesanta possesses a potent bite that may be attributed to various factors such as sharp teeth or fangs, powerful jaw muscles, unique jaw structure such as that of insects or beaks, or some other unknown reason. The extent of their biting capabilities is determined by the strength of their jaws, the durability of their teeth or bite surface, and their overall shape.
Paralysis Inducement: Pesanta has the ability to render their target completely or partially immobile, leaving them unable to move or feel anything. This results in the victim being unable to make use of their motor functions and muscles, and they may either freeze in place or collapse to the ground.
Demonic Force Manipulation: Pesanta possesses the power to tap into and utilize potent demonic energy, which not only provides them with significant strength and control over various forms of demonic abilities, but also enables them to overpower weaker demons and rival even the most powerful demonic entities.
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Nightmare Embodiment: Pesanta are the embodiment of nightmares and can manipulate them to their advantage. While they may have limited power in the physical world, in the dream world, they possess nearly unlimited power, enabling them to transform any dream into a nightmare and torment their target with it.
Pesanta can increase their power by inducing nightmares, and some may even kill their victims to absorb their souls and become even more powerful. If a Pesanta’s physical body is destroyed, they can continue to exist in the dream world and may even possess the body of another person while they sleep, eventually gaining full control over them.
Night Empowerment: Pesanta exhibit enhanced physical abilities during the night, such as increased strength, speed, and durability, and may even unlock new abilities related to their unique powers. They may also derive sustenance from the night, and in some cases, this may slow down or halt their aging process.
Possession: Pesanta have the ability to possess and control the body of other beings, whether they are sentient or not, by taking over their motor functions and senses. It is not always necessary for the Pesanta to vacate their own body in order to achieve this. Even disembodied Pesanta, such as spirits, can use another entity’s body as their own.
A sufficiently powerful Pesanta may not be limited to inhabiting other entities, but can also possess inanimate objects, structures, or environments.
Supernatural Senses: Pesanta are able to possess an extremely enhanced sense of sight, taste, hearing, touch, and smell that is clearly and unnaturally superior to other beings in their universe. They possess the ability to see things with incredible clarity from thousands of miles away, and can track objects that move too fast for the natural eye to follow. Their hearing allows them to listen through dense walls with perfect clarity and detect even the smallest vibrations or noises from remote locations, including those in deep space. They can detect smells from vast distances, down to the level of individual molecules or atoms. Their sense of taste is so refined that they can distinguish the smallest details at a molecular level. In some instances, users may develop a sixth sense and other extrasensory perception abilities that enable them to perceive things beyond the realm of ordinary senses.
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Catalan Witches & Pesanta
According to Catalan tradition, there is a distinction between “bruixeria,” or witchcraft based on a direct agreement with the Devil, and “fetilleria,” or magic practiced through charms and fetishes, derived from an Old Portuguese word related to “fetish.” The former is considered inherently evil, while the latter may include the use of magic for healing purposes.
Catalan popular culture features numerous legends about witches, who are typically portrayed as women with supernatural powers obtained through a pact with the Devil, which they use for their own benefit and to cause harm. In some Catalan myths, an evil witch has the ability to transform or shapeshift into a Pesanta.
Reference:
Catalan Mythology: Catalan Mythology About Witches, Tubal, Ti De Nadal, Minair , Aloja, Dip, Catalan Myths And Legends, Patge Gr