The Legends and Peruvian myths Are captivating stories that seek to explain the origin of the Earth, its elements and human behavior.
These stories have been transmitted from generation to generation and belong to the oral tradition of Peru . These stories reflect the cultural aspects of the peoples who have passed through the country and are a true example of Peruvian folklore.
Normally, these stories end with a moral or teaching, which seeks to indoctrinate the listener.
Below you will be able to know in more detail some of the most popular ones. You may also want to see the 20 most outstanding Venezuelan legends and myths .
The 20 best known legends of Peru
1- The Tunchi
The Tunchi is one of the spirits that protect the Amazon rainforest. According to some more specific versions of the legend, this is the spirit of the people who died in the woods.
The Tunchi whistles a certain melody and expects the humans to respond with the same song. If they respond, the Tunchi will appear and terrify the person who has whistled the response. However, if this person has respected nature throughout his life, the spirit will not be especially evil.
2- The legend of the evil bird
Long ago, the inhabitants of Peru believed in the existence of an evil bird announcing the death of a person.
This bird was fearsome in appearance, with black feathers and penetrating eyes that saw fear. According to legend, if the bird perched on the roof of a house and sang, the person who lived there would soon die.
3- The appearance of humans on Earth
This legend is set in the Valley of Jauja, Peru. Formerly, this area was a large lake with a rock in the middle, resting on a monster called Amaru .
Tulunmaya, the rainbow god, created another monster to keep Amaru company. However, these monsters did not like the other's presence, so they constantly fought.
The god Tikse got tired of fighting between the monsters and killed them. These fell to the lake and their large bodies caused the water to overflow and empty, giving rise to the valley that exists today.
After the death of the monsters, the first humans left their hiding place, since they no longer felt threatened by the presence of Amaru. In this way, humans came to earth.
4- The cow of fire
This is a legend of La Calzada, department of San Martín, Peru. According to the locals, a long time ago, in the hills of La Calzada, appeared a beast similar to a cow with clusters, which spat fire. This one was named Vaca-Huillca, that means"sacred cow".
When the inhabitants of the place realized that the cow could destroy the whole town, they decided to call a magician to expel it. In fact, the magician managed to keep the beast out of the village and it is believed that the cow now lives in the lagoon of Cochaconga.
5- The lupuna
The lupuna is a typical Amazon tree. This is an imposing tree, whose trunk can measure about ten meters wide. The native Peruvians consider that this tree shelters a protective spirit of the forest.
6-The Chullachaqui
The Chullanchaqui is a small creature that, like the lupuna tree, is in charge of protecting the forests. This creature has a unique appearance: it is very small, its left foot is minimal and its right leg is a wooden leg.
It is said that this being calls people who wander through the forest, so that these follow and then get lost in the maze of trees.
7- Lake Titicaca
According to some Peruvian legends, all living beings originated in Lake Titicaca. The inhabitants of Collao know it as Mamacota, mother-water, because it provides them with food.
8- The flame warning
One day, a man took his llama to graze in the best place. However, the flame refused to eat.
When the man questioned her for her behavior, the flame replied that she was sad because, in five days, the sea would rise and destroy the living beings. Alarmed, the man asked if there was nothing they could do. In response, the flame ordered him to collect food for five days and to go to Villa-Coto Mountain.
When they reached the top, they saw that there were animals of all species. After five days, the sea rose destroying humans, except the man who heard his flame.
9- The sirens
During the twentieth century, it was common practice for men to work in the woods by cutting trees or looking for gold. During this time, men had no contact with any woman and they missed female contact.
That is why many imagined seeing beautiful women on the banks of the rivers, but in reality they were pink dolphins. Many men were drowned trying to catch these"sirens."
10- Pachamama
"Pacha"is a term that, vaguely, means"things". This aboriginal word was used to refer to the"world"; In this sense, Pachamama means"Mother-Earth", the mother of mountains, rocks and plains, which was the object of worship of the native Peruvians.
11- Pachacamac
Pachacamac refers to the great spirit of the Earth and not to the Earth itself. Pachacamac is the spirit that gives life to all beings, plants, animals and humans.
12- The vision of Yupanqui
Before taking the position of his father as sovereign, the Inca Yupanqui Went to visit him On the way, he came to a fountain and saw a piece of glass fall into it. In the glass, he saw a man dressed as chief of the Incas, from whose head came three rays of the sun.
Frightened, Yupanqui tried to flee, however, a voice told him not to fear, because the vision he had presented was the Sun. The voice told Yupanqui that he would conquer many territories and that he should always remember his father, the Sun, and make sacrifices in his honor.
When Yupanqui became King, he had them build a statue of the Sun just as it had been presented to him in that fountain and built temples to worship him.
13- Coniyara Viracocha
One day, Coniyara, the spirit of nature, met a beautiful woman named Cavillaca with whom she had a child through a fruit of the lucma tree.
When the child grew up, Cavillaca had the huacas and the gods come together to determine who the child's father was and Coniyara attended the meeting dressed as a vagabond. Knowing that the child would recognize his father, Cavillaca set him free to approach his father.
However, when the child stopped in front of Coniyara, Cavillaca would not accept that such a despicable creature was the father of his son, so he fled with the child to the sea and turned into stone.
Coniyara chased her and interrogated the animals she encountered on her way to the whereabouts of Cavillaca.
The condor told him that he had seen Cavillaca nearby, so he was blessed. To the fox who claimed never to have seen the woman, Coniyara cursed him, telling him that he would be loathed by all and that he could not leave until night. The macaws that gave him bad news were condemned to scream very loudly, making themselves visible before their enemies.
Finally, Coniyara arrived at the sea where Cavillaca was and saw that this and his son were now of stone.
14- Huacachina
Today, in Ica, there is a lagoon called Huacachina, according to legend, in this region lived a prince and a princess. One day, the prince died and the princess wept and cried, so much so that her tears created the Huacachina lagoon.
15- Pishtaco
Pishtaco is a killer who attacks the people who roam at night and extracts the fat. He is described as a pale man with a hat and a sack in which he carries a powder to paralyze his victims.
16- Layqa
Layqa is a sorceress who loves people with food. Cast spells to create chaos among family members.
17- Convicted
The condemned are spirits of people who have suffered a tragic death after having led a life of sin. Once deceased, the souls were condemned by the gods to wander in the Andes mountains .
18- Machukuna
Machukuna is an anthropomorphic being composed only of a skeleton. This creature wanders the mountains in search of his flesh and works in the field as punishment for the sins committed in life.
19- Suq'a
This creature resembles the Machukuna because it has also lost its human form. However, it differs from this because it does not want to recover its humanity or amend the mistakes of the past, but it seeks human victims.
20- The condor
In a village in the Andes lived a shepherd with his beautiful daughter. The young woman caught the attention of a man who began to visit her every day.
In one of their encounters, the man became a condor and took the girl to her nest. They quickly fell in love and had a child. However, the girl missed her father. Then he told a bird to go and get it for release.
The next day, her father went to rescue her and they left together. When the condor returned, he found the nest empty. Since then, the condor flies over the Andes in search of the lost girl.
References
- Van der Heijden, Elise. Myths and legends guarded by Peru's Amazon Rainforest. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from journalperu.com.
- From Peruvian Myths, Legends, and Stories. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from thewildmag.wordpress.com.
- Cusco - The Sacred City. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from adventure-life.com.
- Magleby, Kirk. Four Peruvian Versions of the White God Legend. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from lds.org.
- Chapter VII: The Mythology of Peru. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from sacred-texts.com.
- The Legends of Peru: Ica and Huacachina. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from kakikuy.org.
- Peruvian Folk Tales. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from latinfolktales.wordpress.com.
- The Myth of the Condor (2016). Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from atinfolktales.wordpress.com.
- Spooky folklore monsters and myths of Highland on Peru. Retrieved on March 22, 2017, from fertur-travel.com.