Se me subió el muerto
English translation: the witch / hag was riding me
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| 21:55 Jul 8, 2013 |
| Spanish to English translations [PRO] Medical - Medical: Health Care / Cultural beliefs/Witchcraft | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Charles Davis Spain Local time: 05:17 | ||||||
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| Discussion entries: 6 | |
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Answers
16 mins confidence: 
The dead man/woman came for me/my soul Explanation: Difficult without more context but this may work... |
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21 mins confidence:
the dead person got on me Explanation: That, of course, is the literal translation. It refers to the syndrome called "sleep paralysis" I hope this works for you ;) Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis |
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49 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
peer agreement (net): +2the witch / hag was riding me Explanation: I don't think a literal translation is any use here. We have to try to find a cultural equivalent. One possibility is this, though it seems to be specifically African-American and/or Southern. "In Mexico, it is believed that this is caused by the spirit of a dead person. This ghost lies down upon the body of the sleeper, rendering him unable to move. People refer to this as "subirse el muerto" (dead person on you). In many parts of the Southern United States, the phenomenon is known as a hag, and the event is said to portend an approaching tragedy or accident. [...] Several studies show that African-Americans may be predisposed to isolated sleep paralysis—known in folklore as "the witch is riding you" or "the haint is riding you."" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis#References "I had gone to sleep and awakened just before daylight. Then, too, I couldn't move. I'd felt the need to call for help but I couldn't even open my mouth. [...] When I told Mama about it, she said that I had eaten too much hog meat and that “the witch was riding" me. “The witch" was the evil in the hog meat that had stopped my blood from running." Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, p. 86 http://books.google.es/books?id=bWwPIHNdEZoC&pg=PA86&lpg=PA8... "Throughout my life there are moments when I wake up from a nap or sleep I will not be able to move any part of my body, not even my eyes. My eyes are left open and the paralyzing effects set in. [...] Some say that the witch was riding me." http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/1580985 "What do you call when you wake up at night and you can't move open your eyes or say anything ? I come from an older family and always heard it referred to as "the hag is riding you."" http://www.ask.com/answers/23090861/what-do-you-call-when-yo... Other possibilities are "seeing the shadow people" or "seeing the hat man", but although these are often associated with sleep paralysis they're probably not specific enough for this context. |
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1 hr confidence:
1 hr confidence:
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