Pages

Guide to Patagonia's Monsters & Mysterious beings

I have written a book on this intriguing subject which has just been published.
In this blog I will post excerpts and other interesting texts on this fascinating subject.

Austin Whittall


Wednesday, October 7, 2009

"Anchimallén" and Nahuel Huapi dwarves

 

Lake Nahuel Huapi is not only the home of Nahuelito, its forests also conceal a dwarf, Anchimallén".

Two different sources mention dwarves at this lake; one is Francisco Moreno, who in 1876 was threatened by Mapuche chief Saihueque with evil “Anchimalleguen or midget walichus [evil genies] that live in the caves of the Nahuel-Huapi […] the pygmies would throw stones at me to hurt me”.[1]

The other is the native legend of "Amun-Kar’s petrified chiefs" which was first recorded by Jesuit Father Mascardi in 1670.

It tells of a bloody battle that took place between a fiercely brave Mapuche tribe and an army of well armed dwarves.

They met on the slopes of an extinct volcano, Amun-kar, now named Mount Tronador (41°09’ S, 71°53’ W), where the brave Mapuche were defeated by the thousands of “spear bearing […] tiny mountain men not taller than an Anchimallén. Strange creatures […] repugnant dwarves […] tiny and miserable Anchimallén”.[2]

This Anchimallén (or Anchimalleguen) mentioned above is a mythical spiritual entity of the Mapuche, with magic powers that usually appears as a child-sized ghost that floats as a ball of light.

Originally regarded as a benign fairy, the Anchimalguén (“sun-maiden” in Mapuche language) morphed into the Anchimallén during the period of Hispanic conquest, a grotesque and bloody dwarf that fed on humans.[3]

The Amun-kar legend uses the term Anchimallén to stress the tinyness and evil nature of these bellicose “mountain” dwarves.

As the Mapuche use two different words to name their dwarves, it may be possible that Trauco and Anchimallén are different creatures.

See our posts on the other Patagonian dwarves (Yosi, Tachwül).

Bibliography.

[1] Moreno, F., (1876). Viaje a la Patagonia Septentrional. [Conference]. B. Aires, Anales de la Sociedad Científica Argentina I.
[2] Parodi, L., (2005). Leyendas indígenas de la Argentina. B. Aires: Andromeda. Pp. 105-109.
[3] Guevara, T., (1925). Historia de Chile: Chile prehispano. Santiago: Balcells. v2. Chap. 1.


Copyright 2009 by Austin Whittall ©

Patagonian Monsters

No comments:

Post a Comment

Hits since Sept. 2009:
Copyright © 2009-2018 by Austin Victor Whittall.
Todos los derechos reservados por Austin Whittall para esta edición en idioma español y / o inglés. No se permite la reproducción parcial o total, el almacenamiento, el alquiler, la transmisión o la transformación de este libro, en cualquier forma o por cualquier medio, sea electrónico o mecánico, mediante fotocopias, digitalización u otros métodos, sin el permiso previo y escrito del autor, excepto por un periodista, quien puede tomar cortos pasajes para ser usados en un comentario sobre esta obra para ser publicado en una revista o periódico. Su infracción está penada por las leyes 11.723 y 25.446.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other - except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before accessing this blog.

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

Patagonian Monsters - http://patagoniamonsters.blogspot.com/