Mama Arem

Mama Arem is a Paror myth used as a story to scare misbehaving children. She is described as a Paror woman with long hair plaited in locks, who wears a simple tunic and long skirt, and who steals children from crowded places when their parents or guardians are distracted. In many cases, the stolen children are said to reappear after a few hours, with little memory of where they have been except to say that they were with "Mama Arem". In rare cases, the disappearance is permanent. Older children may be able to give a description of her, but such accounts are inconsistent, particularly in regards to her age (she is sometimes said to be in her early 20s, and sometimes past middle age in these cases, parents often recalling seeing someone who roughly matched that description a little before the abduction, either begging or asking for help and sometimes showing aggression or weeping openly.
Mama Arem is said to leave a mark on the children she releases, in the shape of a kiss on the face or hands, resembling either a birthmark or a burn scar. According to the myth, children marked in this way tend to suffer a great deal of unhappiness throughout the rest of the lives (often cut short by suicide), including a profound sense of loss, and risk having Mama Arem haunt their dreams. It is said that Mama Arem gives her stolen children messages to convey to their parents, and that her continual influence is punishment for those who fail to do so. Although in some versions of the myth, returning children speak gibberish in an apparent attempt to relate a message, what these messages might be is seldom recorded. This may reflect a secondary lesson for children on the importance of paying attention to adults and remembering what they say.

Variations & Mutation

In some versions of the myth, a parent seeking their child is able to find, attack and even kill Mama Arem. It is said that when she dies, she robs her killer of something precious, and that her death is only temporary: she is said to reappear years later to target other children or grandchildren of the person who killed her. Written accounts of Mama Arem suggest that she is particularly interested in the children of mercenaries, political leaders and other powerful people, although it may be the case that having prominent figures suffer the loss of a child simply makes for a more engaging story. A few accounts claim that Mama Arem appears more Foru or Titubochian than Paror, while still others give her more exotic features such as long claw-like nails and unnaturally-blue eyes.

Date of First Recording

The earliest reports of Mama Arem date to the 810s I.A.