South American Bestiary - Part 2 of 4

A tumi sacrificial knife. Attribution: Sean Pathasema/Birmingham Museum of Art

How do you do folks? I thought I would gather and show some of the creatures found on South American folklores. The whole list has 105 creatures, so I'm dividing it in four parts. Please note that such myths have several iterations which may not be here. I also plan to later make D&D5E stats for a few of these creatures. First part here.

27) Curupira - “Curu” = boy and “pira”, body, meaning “with the body of a boy”. According to the legends, this creature has bright red hair, resembles a man or a dwarf, but its feet are turned backwards. Curupira lives in the forests of Brazil and uses its backward feet to create footprints that lead to its starting point, thus making hunters and travelers confused. Besides that, it can also create illusions and produce a sound that's like a high pitched whistle, in order to scare and drive its victim to madness. A Curupira will prey on poachers and hunters that take more than they need of the forest, and he also attacks people who hunt animals that were taking care of their offspring. In some versions, he has a wife called Yatacy or Tatámanha and they have children. May carry a wooden axe.

28) Cupendiepes - a tribe of man-bats which raid nearby villages at night, using spears and axes to kill people. The best way to fight them back is to find the cave in which they hide by day while they sleep, and block its entrance.

29) Curinqueãs - Tribe of black giants. Their lips and noses have golden piercings. They're few in number, but most amerindians seem to fear and respect them.

30) Decapitator god (we don't know his real name) - From the Moche civilization. Half-man, half-jaguar, often represented holding a vicious looking sacrificial knife (tumi) in one hand and the severed head of a sacrificial victim in the other. The god may also be depicted as a gigantic spider figure ready to suck the life-blood from his victims.

31) Devil's Garden - The ant Myrmelachista schumanni creates devil's gardens by systematically poisoning all plants in the vicinity except D. hirsuta, the tree in which it nests. The ant poisons the plants by injecting formic acid into the base of the leaf. By killing other plants, the ant promotes the growth and reproduction of D. hirsuta, which has hollow stems that provide nest sites for the ants; a single ant colony might have more than 3 million workers and 15,000 queens, and may persist for more than 800 years. Devil's gardens got their name because locals believed that an evil forest spirit Chullachak lived in them. He is said to persuade his victims to follow him deep into the jungle where even experienced trackers cannot find their way back. He does this by taking the form of a family member or a loved one long not seen, or disguising himself as a prey animal. His uncanny ability to replicate others makes him impossible to tell apart, except for his mismatched feet.

32) Dog - Dogs were sometimes believed to be able of moving between life and death and also see the souls of the dead. In addition, the Inca believed that unhappy dead souls could visit people in the form of black dogs.The Aymara people of Bolivia were reported to believe that dogs were associated with death and incest. They believed that those who die must cross an ocean to the afterlife in the ear of, or on the nose of, a black dog.

33) Eintykára - These are stingless bees whose honey can produce hallucinations, because of a fungus living in the plants visited by the bees. But the real fantastic ability they have is to unite and shapeshift into a man, of milky white skin and hair as golden as honey. The legend says that one hive actually married a woman and had children with her. The whole village came to admire him, for he was intelligent, worked hard and, when going into the forest, he would turn back into the swarm and gather nectar. His body then produced wax and honey, which he would distribute among the villagers.

34) Ehéie - A beautiful woman with poisonous snakes in her womb which bite the penis of whoever has sexual relations with her. It seems the snakes also suck the blood, so the Ehéie is a vampire.

35) Ewaipanoma - South american blemmyes. They're described as a "nation", which most likely means that they're a distinct tribe. Their eyes are on their shoulders and their mouth are on their chests. A long train of hair grows backward between their shoulders. Blemmyes also appear on the Piri Reis map as bearded and red-haired.

36) Furufuhue - There is a myth which explains the bitter Patagonian winds as being created by an enormous and mysterious creature resembling a cross between an eagle and a fish. This bird is the size of a Mapuche hut and its body is covered with shiny scales instead of feathers. Furufuhue is seldom seen, but its song is heard at a great distance “even in the whole world”.

37) Goshg-e - A quadruped monster which kidnaps children at night and devours stray hunters. It was arrow-proof due to its armadillo-like shell. It seems the myth was made up based on the shells of glyptodons.

38) Huaca - The Incas believed that gods, spirits, and long-dead ancestors could be manifested on earth in the form of natural features such as mountain peaks (apu), rivers, springs, caves, rocky outcrops, and even peculiar shaped stones. These places were sometimes modified to accentuate unusual features and were treated as shrines with special power to influence reality. They were known as huacas (wak'a) and, in the case of stones, were taken for safe-keeping in palaces and tombs, on occasion, even transported on military expeditions. People left offerings at huacas, especially sea shells, textiles, coca, precious goods, clay figurines, and sacrifices were made, most commonly of llamas and guinea pigs. The Quechua people traditionally believed every object has a physical presence and two camaquen (spirits), one to create it and another to animate it. They would invoke its spirits for the object to function. The incas also believed that the tenth inca ruler, Túpac Yupanqui, could talk with the huacas and thus know past and future events.

39) Huancahui - Called the "laughing falcon" because his cry sounds somewhat like someone laughing.  He possesses magical powers and is even able to catch fierce snakes, upon which he is said to feed. According to this Iquitos legend, if an Amazonian shaman is able to learn the song or icaro of the Huancahui, he can also dominate snakes just like the Huancahui does. However, if he fails to chant the song perfectly, he will be besieged by snakes and die. Properly sung by the shaman, his icaro will stunt a snake and defeat it, leaving it impotent and unable to bite.

  

40) Huayramama (“Mother of the Wind”) - One of the three ancient snake mothers of the Peruvian Amazon. She is believed to be an enormous boa with an old woman’s face and very long hair that tangles in the clouds – in comparison, her counterparts the Sachamama and the Yakumama are the boa constrictor and the anaconda, respectively. The guardian of the air and the daughter of the red huayracaspi or “wind tree”, she is herself the mother of all the good and evil winds. Huayramama also grants power to deserving healers and shamans, giving them control over the weather.

41) Iara - A beautiful mermaid with green hair decorated by red flowers, copper-colored skin and brown eyes. Some say she is half-dolphin or half-manatee instead of half-fish. She would sit on a rock by the river combing her hair or dozing under the sun. When she felt a man around she would start to sing gently to lure him. Once under the spell of the Iara a man would leave anything to live with her underwater forever, which was not necessarily a bad thing, as she was pretty and would cater for all needs of her lover for the rest of his life.

42) Icamiabas - The woman warriors found by Orellana near the river which he then named "Amazon". It is said that numerous tribes paid tributes of bird feathers to them. The Icamiabas were worth ten men in battle, using bows and arrows. If their indian thralls tried to run away from the battle, they would kill the deserter with clubs. Tall and of fair skin, very long hair which was braided around the head. Naked save for their genitals. The Icamiabas lived in seventy walled towns built with stone. Their queen was called Coñori, their lands were rich with gold and silver, as well as five temples, called caranaí, dedicated to the sun, whose internal surfaces were gold-plated. Men could come inside said cities, but they should leave before it was dark. The green amulets called Muiraquitãs were said to be gifts of the Icamiabas to all those Indians who annually visited their camp at the river Nhamundá. Once a year, during a ceremony dedicated to the moon, the Icamiaba received the Guacaris warriors with whom they mated. At midnight, they dived into the river and brought up a greenish clay in their hands, which they molded into various forms: frogs, turtles or other animals, and presented these to their loved ones. Some versions say that this ritual would take place in an enchanted lake named Jaci uaruá ("mirror moon" in Old Tupi: îasy arugûá). Retrieved from the bottom of the river and shaped by the women, the still soft clay hardened in contact with the elements. These objects were then strung on the strands of hair of their brides and used as amulets by their male warriors. To date, this amulet is considered a sacred object, believed to bring happiness and luck and also to cure almost all diseases.

43) Ihuaivilu - When a group of calcus (shamans) choose a cave for their reunions, they perform a large ritual to summon a Ihuaivilu to guard it. This monster is a dragon with a snake-like neck. It flies by using strong winds and has a fire breath which can put aflame whole fields or groves. It roars like thunder and its passage throught the air leaves a green trail.

44) Inkarri - It's said that the last Inca king was supposedly beheaded. But his head, buried somewhere, is either regenerating his body or waiting to be reunited with it. When this is done, he shall rise and rebuild the Inca Empire. Other versions say that it is the body which is regrowing a head, because the original head was taken to Spain. Further tales say that his return heralds Judgement Day.

45) Inulpamahuida ("mountain climber") - A tree without roots. But it has many clawed branches which it uses to climb the mountains.

46) Ipupiara - An aquatic man-eating mermen. It had hair all over its body and whiskers, so think of it as half man, half sea lion. 3.30 meters long. It kills people by hugging them until they suffocate. Female ipupiaras had long hair and were "fair to look at".

47) Irapuru - A magic red bird, symbol of happiness. It was a young indian cursed by a chief due to being in love with the latter's daughter. It begun a beautiful song. The chief heard it and went inside the woods to capture the bird, becoming lost forever in the process. The Irapuru still sings to this day, hoping that the girl he loves will recognize him. Whoever finds this bird may have a wish come true.

48) Jasy Jatere - One of the seven cursed children of Tau and Kerana. He is usually described as being a small man or perhaps a child, with light blonde hair and sometimes blue eyes. He is fair in appearance, sometimes described as even beautiful or enchanting, and carries with him a magical wand or staff, sometimes described as a golden cane, although what clothing he wears, if any at all, does not seem to be an important part of the legend. Like most of his brothers he dwells in the wild, he is considered to be the protector of the yerba mate plant. Sometimes he is also viewed as a protector of hidden treasures. It is said that Jasy Jatere's power stems from the magical staff that he carries, and if one is able to take it from him, he breaks down and cries like a little child. In this state, one may ask him for the treasures that he is protecting in return for the staff, not unlike a captured leprechaun who must reward his captor with a pot of gold.

49) Kaalimatu - A small waspman who served as a messenger for Made-from-Bone, a trickster deity. He helped the latter to defeat Sickness itself by plugging up its blowgun.

50) Kanaíma - An evil spirit which possesses people and makes them go into a murderous rage. Said people might or might not turn into animals as well. Assassins and people seeking revenge sometimes called upon this spirit through drugs and magic rituals. The usual method of killing the target is with stealth and a poisoned arrow. So it's like a berserker ninja shapeshifter. Further lore talks about a certain tree whose sap, once rubbed in one's skin, makes one go mad and turn himself into an animal, usually a tiger** or a snake. Throwing this sap at people seems to cause the same effect. Some tribes believe that either the spirit, or the person possessed by it, can use an invisible poisoned arrow, practically a magic projectile of some sort, and that said arrow leaves a blue spot somewhere in the target's body. Even if the kanaíma manages to kill his target, he has to visit the corpse three days later and lick off a bit of its blood. This can be thought of as an offering to the kanaíma spirit so that it leaves his body. If he can't do so, he can't return to his tribe, remaining an outlaw that must be killed in sight even by his family. He also further sinks into madness until death, for the spirit isn't pleased. There is a large-leaf plant, the caladium, which serves as a sort of magical proximity detector of kanaíma spirits. When one of the latter comes close, the plant emits a long low whistle and somehow shakes the target's hammock to wake him up.

51) Kawtcho - Nocturnal spirit described as resembling a very tall man, with hard and straight hair covering its head, "a gigantic brawny body and sharp claws," and a smell so putrid that it could awaken dogs. It was said to "walk under the ground" during the day, coming out at night to prowl the beaches, attacking people from behind to tear out their eyes and kill them. Out of fear of attracting the kawtcho, the Alakaluf refrained from lighting fires in the open during the night.

52) Kiantô - A giant snake colored as the rainbow. It rules a "realm of the waters" with its own people and animals.

53) Kori - It has the appearance of a giant anteater, except far larger, and it lives underwater in the rivers. It uses its large claws to dig under riverbanks, causing their collapse, and that is why this is such a common occurrence in the rainforest. A kori can also cause strong gales to destroy constructions, and can turn soil into water to drown people.

Part three here.