4 VERY POPULAR NICARAGUAN STORIES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Among the main popular Nicaraguan tales are the butterfly and the firefly, uncle coyote and uncle rabbit, the motifs of the wolf and the little wax-legged dove. They are made up of a series of stories rich in mythological culture and folk tales, where the protagonists can be fantastic animals, indigenous people or healers.

This characteristic is due to the fact that the imaginary of Nicaragua is magical, sorcerer and ancestral, which shapes the worldview and cultural references of its inhabitants. These stories have become a tradition that is passed from generation to generation, creating over time a common language full of cultural roots.

The Nicaraguan writer Rubén Darío wrote several short stories, among which the most notable are The Wolf Motives. Source: wikipedia.org

One of the main characteristics of Nicaraguan stories is that they are the result of the convergence of different cultures, since different races such as African, European and indigenous were united in this Central American country.

Each one gave oral and written tradition a piece of its episteme; consequently, these stories are a sample of cultural conjugation.

The 4 most popular Nicaraguan stories

-The butterfly and the firefly

The story of the butterfly and the firefly is a children's story written by Lorena Aráuz, in which the main theme is the friendship between these two insects.

The narrative begins with the butterfly and the firefly happily playing on the hill, until the firefly pushes the butterfly away. It falls and breaks both its wings. Due to this accident, the butterfly had to attend the emergency hospital, where it was diagnosed that it could never fly again.

The firefly became very sad and began to cry because of what she had done to her friend; Angela's parents - that's the name of the butterfly - complained to the firefly for what it had done and forbade her to see their daughter again.

The firefly, very sad for everything that had happened, decided to go home and relate everything that happened to her father. The father told her that she should forget about Angela and find another friend; However, the firefly assured that there was no one like her and that she wanted to apologize for everything that happened.

Her father gave her permission to visit Angela, so the two friends were able to meet up. The butterfly, who had a kind heart, decided to forgive the firefly because they both loved each other very much and did not want to lose their friendship.

This story addresses the importance of the value of friendship. In addition, he defends forgiveness and understanding between friends.

-The wax paw popcorn

This story of anonymous authorship tells about a little dove that lost its leg and was rewarded by an angel from heaven, who placed a wax one on it. However, when the pigeon rested its new leg on top of a hot stone, the pigeon melted its new leg.

Indignant, the dove asked the stone: "Are you so brave that you melt my paw?", To which the stone replied that the Sun was braver for warming her.

After this, the dove flies to the Sun to ask why it had warmed the stone and if that made it brave, to which the Sun replied that the cloud was braver for covering its rays.

Successively, the little dove asks the cloud, the wind, and the wall, who affirms that the mouse was braver because it made holes in it to create a home for itself.

Then, the little dove decided to look for the mouse, who told him that the cat was braver for scaring him; the cat sent it to the dog and the dog took it to man, who affirmed that the bravest was God, because He had created everything that existed, from the smallest creatures to the universe.

Upon hearing this, the little dove went in search of God to praise him, to which God responded by caressing it and giving it a new leg: this time not made of wax, but of flesh and blood.

This Nicaraguan tale, also of a children's nature, reflects the importance of religious piety and is an incentive to respect all the creatures of the world: from the smallest to the largest.

-The motives of the wolf

It is a story in verse written by the renowned writer Rubén Darío, which tells a fictional story between Saint Francis of Assisi and a ferocious and indomitable wolf.

Encounter with the wolf

In the poem, a village was ravaged by a wild wolf that fed on livestock and, on occasion, devoured shepherds. This wolf left countless damages in the community. Desperate, the inhabitants asked San Francisco for help, who moved, decided to talk to the wolf to soften his character.

Saint Francis looked for the terrible wolf in his burrow, spoke to him in a sweet voice and managed to appease him. The saint then asked the animal why it liked to live between death and horror, and why it felt satisfaction in shedding blood.

The wolf humbly replied that winter was very difficult and he was very hungry. When he couldn't find what to eat in the mountains, he decided to eat the cattle and a few shepherds. The wolf argued that he was acting out of hunger; however, he had visualized various men hunting and killing animals just for fun.

Francis replied that man was certainly full of sin from the moment of his birth, but that the soul of animals was pure. For this reason, Saint Francis decided to give the wolf a home and keep it fed; in this way he would tame the beast.

Domestication of the wolf

The wolf promised to leave the cattle alone and not to become an enemy of men again. After this, the animal remained calm for some time; he learned to hear mass and to be compassionate to the poor. In fact, sometimes he entered the houses of the inhabitants and they fed him.

One day the saint had to leave, which made the meek wolf retreat to the mountains and restart his hunting and bloodshed.

When San Francisco returned to town, the inhabitants claimed the saint for the wolf, to which he replied that he would go again to look for him in his burrow.

End of story

When he met the wolf, San Francisco asked him why he had returned to evil, to which the wolf replied that he was quiet in the town until he began to contemplate inside the houses that there was envy, anger, hatred, lust, lies and infamy; furthermore, war was waged between the brothers and the weak always lost.

In the same way, as soon as the saint left the town, the people began to beat the wolf for no apparent reason, so the beast felt betrayed. For this reason the wolf ordered the saint: "let me live in the mountains, in freedom and surly, it is better to be fierce than to look like those bad people."

Saint Francis of Assisi said nothing more. He set the wolf free in the forest and went back to the convent, crying with sadness and praying to God.

-Uncle Coyote and Uncle Rabbit

One of the most popular stories in the Nicaraguan narrative is that of Uncle Coyote and Uncle Conejo. The narration begins with the presentation of Aurelio Sierra, who is supposed to be the fictional narrator of the work and who will tell the story of these two animals.

On one occasion, Uncle Rabbit ran into Uncle Coyote, who told him that he was going to eat him. The rabbit begged him not to eat it, as he was invited to a wedding. If the coyote wished, he could accompany him, he only had to play the violin while he prepared the rockets; when he heard the first rocket, he should play louder.

The rabbit went to prepare the rockets while the coyote played the music. Hearing the first rocket, the coyote hit louder. However, the rabbit had tricked him and while he was playing music he had lit the fuse to the coyote, so he burned himself and ran away. The rabbit was victorious.

Shortly after, the two animals met again and the coyote threatened Uncle Conejo again; it occurred to him to offer him a prickly pear, since the coyote was hungry. The rabbit offered him a prickly pear, so the coyote began to drown. Again, Uncle Rabbit took the opportunity to flee.

The rabbit tricked the coyote several times until one day Uncle Rabbit asked him not to eat it because he was going to take a plane ride; if he wanted, he was invited too.

The coyote fell back into the deception of the rabbit, who had arranged with a buzzard so that it would make him fly.

While at the top, the buzzard made a sign to Uncle Rabbit and released the coyote, who began to fall. As he fell, he begged the stones: "Open up, little stone, I'll tear you apart." However, the stones ignored him.

References

1. Aráuz, L. (2015) The butterfly and the firefly. Retrieved on August 3, 2019 from Hoy: hoy.com.ni
2. Darío, R. (sf) The motives of the wolf. Retrieved on August 3, 2019 from Poemas del alma: poemas-del-alma.com
3. Ruiz, L. (2014) Tales and Legends. Retrieved on July 31, 2019 from Magazines of Nicaragua: magazinesnicaragua.net
4. SA (2018) Tales and myths of Nicaragua. Retrieved on July 31, 19 from Casa del Libro: casadelibronicaragua.com
5. SA (sf) Tales and legends of Nicaragua. Retrieved on July 31, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
6. SA (sf) Popular tales and legends of Nicaragua: the little wax-legged popcorn. Retrieved on August 3, 2019 from Alba Learning: albalearning.com
7. SA (sf) Real Ghost Stories from Nicaragua. Retrieved on July 31, 2019 from Your ghost stories: yourghoststories.com
8. SA (sf) Stories from Nicaragua. Retrieved on July 31, 2019 from Peace Corps: peacecorps.gov
9. SA (nd) Uncle Coyote and Uncle Rabbit. Retrieved on August 3, 2019 from Nicaraguan and Australian Narrative: narrativanicayaustraliana.weebly.com
10. Valdez, M (sf) Tales and myths of Nicaragua: Legends. Retrieved on July 31, 2019 from Good Reads: goodreads.com