Al-Maskoona (literally means “the haunted woman”), is our last but not least mysterious legend in this book. This spirit has female characteristics. She is described as a soul-terrifying person. According to the legend, she is the spirit of a woman who died during childbirth.
Al-Maskoona is described as a spirit that, like many other spirits, is said to roam in deserted places, especially near rivers or remote areas. People who claim to see her say that they hear her loud wailing at night next to rivers.
Her story carries deep sadness; she is a spirit that has not found peace. Her soul is hung up and lost between two worlds… she was searching for her child, who had not seen the light and was not destined to live. Stories suggest that Al-Maskoona was living a great love and was eagerly awaiting the birth of her first child. However, her fate was to die before that happened which ultimately made her soul live in eternal suffering, unable to rest in peace.
Women who hear Al-Maskoona calling at night are advised not to approach or respond to her voice. It is believed that responding may lead to loss or death. Some say that whoever hears her feels intense sadness that does not leave them for several days, as if that voice transmits part of its pain to others.
Stories differ about Al-Maskoona; some say that it only appears on specific nights of the year when the moon is full and everything is quiet. It is said that she emerges from the water like a shadow and that only her long feminine shape and her hair flying in the wind are visible. These moments freeze the blood in the veins of those who claim to see her causing them to flee the place.
Although Al-Maskoona is depicted as a horrific spirit, some see her as a symbol of lost motherhood and sadness that does not fade. She is an embodiment of the pain that results from loss and the longing that remains even after death. The legend teaches people the importance of caution in the face of the unknown and reminds them that not every soul finds peace after death.
