The legends of Uruguay show diversity and a rich history that constantly seeks to be rebuilt.
From extinct aborigines to natural and supernatural phenomena, five of them have an importance as deep as current in their culture. Legends are narratives that keep ancestral culture alive in every country or region.
They manage to mix, with different nuances, imaginative elements with real events that entire peoples experienced and that constantly seek to be reworked.
Yerba Mate
One of the oldest Uruguayan legends, it tells of the origin of Mate as an ancestral drink.
The Goddesses of the moon and clouds came down one day to visit earth only to meet a jaguar that set out to attack them.
In their defense, an old gaucho managed to save them from the fierce attack. As a reward, the Goddesses gave him a drink made from a plant, mate tea leaves, with which he could prepare a "friendship drink" or the mate tea we know today.
The Pass of the Cross
It tells of a kind but sinful man in his past, who used to frequent the Yí River.
The man possessed an old talisman given by an Indian sorcerer, which made his dark past erase and he became a man of reference and respect for his people.
Being envied and believing that he was hiding wealth, he was murdered by a group of men who left his body in the open.
When not being buried, his soul wandered in the form of bluish light and terrified the gauchos who passed through the area.
Because of the fear in the inhabitants of the area, all began to nail crosses in his name.
After a time, a tree so large was born that it took the shape of a cross and became a reference point of passage, in an area that was now holy and not feared.
The Charrúas: The Tribe of Honor
It tells the story of a tribe present over 4 thousand years ago in Uruguayan lands.
The Charrúas were expelled from Guaraní lands to Uruguay and were a nomadic and hunting tribe, whose name was a reference of fierce honor.
The arrival of Europeans in the colonization to Uruguayan coasts was blocked by attacks from these tribes, who fought against the Spanish, Portuguese and British. They were the victim of a brutal genocide by the Uruguayan government in 1833.
The Churrinche
In a fierce combat between indigenous tribes, many members of one of the tribes in combat, managed to take refuge in the waters of a nearby river. The chief of that tribe could not reach it due to his injuries and fell to the ground.
Not wanting to be hit by the enemies, he took his heart out of his chest and transformed it into a fiery red bird.
In the form of a bird, his heart flew to take refuge in the native forests, singing a melody more like a chirp, hence his current name.
Bad Light
History of the gaucho era, it is a fluorescent light that rises from the ground at night.
Those who see the light at night and look under it will find indigenous artifacts and valuable metal objects.
This discovery brings lethal consequences, when a lethal gas emanates from under the light that seeks to assassinate every miser who obtains the precious treasures.
The light is said to emanate from lost souls who were not Christianly baptized.
References
- Martin, P. and Read, M. (1962). Pachamama Tales: Folklore from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Libraries Unlimited.
- McDermott, A. (2015). The Last of the Charrua: The Honored Warrior Tribe of Uruguay. Available at ancient-origins.net
- Puentes, S. (2010). The river of birds. Available at pendingdemigration.ucm.es
- Silva, F. (1936). Legend: Uruguayan Traditions and Customs. Available at autoresdeluruguay.uy
- Taveras, J. (2015). 13 Terrifying, Spooky, and Awesome Latin American Horror Monsters & Legends. Available at remix.com