Ever since I learnt about the Greek and Roman myths at school, I have been drawn to the tales of ancient cultures and marvelled at the supernatural elements engrained within them. The many museums that I visited in Italy were filled with strange artefacts from the Etruscan and Roman world, but also from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and even the Mayans. Encased in their highly secured glass cabinets, these objects from a time gone by appeared so mysterious, so otherworldly. As a child, the world that would have existed at the time of these objects seemed so distant from our reality and almost magical. As I came to learn in later years, and as trivial as it is to point out, the people living in those times weren’t too different from us at all, but their belief systems and ways to explain their own reality were very far from our understanding of the world today. This notion grasped my curiosity and for years I have been consuming book upon book, podcast upon podcast and documentary upon documentary that had anything to do with the folklore of any civilisation or region of the world. Many stories tell of valiant heroes facing brutal monsters, others tell of beautiful love stories, some tell of gruesome and unforgiving gods. Overall, the myriad of myths and the pantheon of gods and creatures that inhabit them all try to do achieve two overarching goals: explaining the world and teaching a lesson. Even though our way to explain reality has evolved over the centuries, many of our best stories and several of our superstitions are still rooted deep within the myths and legends of our ancestors. Myths regarding forests are perhaps among the most intriguing type of lore. Trees and forests, especially dense forests, have often influenced the imagination of ancient storytellers and stories of enchanted woods often show up in legends. They appear immobile, yet they are alive and change almost constantly. They provided our ancestors with means to feed and shelter themselves. Yet, they are wild, mysterious and dark. What lurks behind their shadows? What path leads me deeper within the forest, and which one leads me out? Forests often were, and still are in many places, believed to be the home to all sorts of magical creatures. In the west, these namely include witches, fairies, ogres and gnomes (and many others).
The Amazon rainforest, apart from hosting about 20% of the world’s biodiversity and outright being one of the most beautiful ecosystems on Earth, it is also the source of more than a few enchanting myths. Chullachaqui One story that was told to me by my guide Julio as we trekked through the squelching ground of the palm swamps, is the myth of the Chullachaqui (also known as Curupira). Learning about this mythical creature while being deep within the forest was both exciting and disconcerting, and you’ll soon understand why. The Chullachaqui is a sort of shapeshifting forest guardian, seen both as a benevolent spirit and as a mischievous demon, who guards the nature of the rainforest against intruders. This creature is said to be able to transform into either a loved one or a friend and drive the unsuspecting victim down a false path and leaving them deep in the forest, lost and disoriented. The Chullachaqui can even take the form of your guide, said my guide Julio, so I better beware! The only way to discover if the person you are following is the Chullachaqui is to keep an eye on their legs. This forest spirit is said have a deformed right leg, which makes him limp and leave a trail of unmatching footprints along the path. If you unveil his deceit, the Chullachaqui will escape back into the jungle. Still, your best bet to avoid an encounter with the Chullachaqui is to respect the forest and take no more than you need from it as to not enrage this protective spirit. El Tunchi Another protector of the forest is known as the Tunchi or Tunche – a small and evil bird made out of the souls of those who died in the jungle. El Tunchi whistles a specific melody, and if anybody repeats the chime, it will appear and terrorise their unfortunate prey. This little bird spirit, however, will leave you alone if you respect nature and don’t harm the forest, but will most likely unleash its wrath upon anybody who disrespects the forest by harming plants and animals or littering. Bufeo Colorado This next myth is even depicted as a mural on one of the walls of the city of Nauta, located right where the Amazon River begins. Given the magical appearance of pink river dolphins, an endemic species to the black river waters of the Amazon rainforest, it is no wonder there are myths centred around them. The legend of the Bufeo Colorado tells the story of a shape-shifting pink dolphin who, at night, comes out of the water disguised as a handsome man. Using his charm, he lures lonely girls and takes them to the bottom of the river to make love with them and, occasionally, gets them pregnant. In many stories, the dolphin-man wears a large hat to hide the blowhole still present on the top of his head, so the only way to uncover his disguise is ask him to remove his hat. Baainu While the above myths are widely believed in many parts of the Amazon, even outside of Peru, some legends are confined to the peatlands of the Peruvian Amazon. Many communities believe that some ecosystems have “mothers” that protect over them. When I went to certain open environments which my PhD focuses on, they were said to be inhabited by the “Madre Anaconda”. While the anaconda is just a scary reptile, the Baainu is said to protect the peatlands and, very much like the Chullachaqui, lures people deep into the forest. A local who recounted his experience said that the Baainu will transform itself into a family member, convince you to follow a specific animal, or simply call your name. This creature will take you towards a beautiful house where the ground is solid. The Baainu also has two white monkeys sitting on either shoulder, but if the monkeys decide to jump on you, then you’ll be stuck in the swamp forever. Ultimately, the Baainu seeks to confuse their victim and in turn transform them into a Baainu. As stated before, myths and legends have two main purposes: to explain the world and teach us a lesson. The myths of the Amazon capture the notion that this ecosystem is rich and unique, and that all its inhabitants are in need of protection. Whether you believe these legends or not, one thing is clear: the Amazon is full of wonder and mystery, and you better respect it.
Stay tuned and stay wanderlust, Dael
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