Calchona. From [5]
Calchona is part of the Mapuche folklore.
She is a creature that looks like a large black sheep, or a woolly black dog, that roams around at night.[1]
The name Calchona derives from Mapuche language (Mapudungun) word “
kalch”, which means pubic hair, and refers quite graphically to the creature's long, curly fleece.[2]
Harmless, she, for it is female, a witch, is said to be the outcome of magic spells gone awry.
The popular tale is the following: she, the witch used some creams which she applied on her skin to mutate into a black sheep. She would then go out -no one knows why- every night. Her suspicious husband, spying on her, for he believed she might be a witch, saw her transform into a sheep. So he threw away her magic ointments. When she returned she could not undo the spell and was forced to remain a sheep forever. She roams the night and bleats asking for food.[3]
Read more here (in Spanish) from page 7 onwards:
Machucho
The Mapuche at Chiloé also mention the “
Machucho”, a nocturnal goat-like being that bleats like a goat and has a similar body build; like
Calchona, it is a creature of the night and considered
piguchén or degenerate.[4]
Both creatures, Calchona and Machucho are sheep/goat-like and resemble another similar creature,
Huallipen (see our post on it
Here).
Bibliography.
[1] Soldano, A., (2006).
Leyendas nativas argentinas de la Patagonia: Recopilaciones. B. Aires: Ed. Dunken. pp. 36.
[2] Alvarez, G., (1969). Op. Cit. Glossario. pp. 297.
[3] Vicuña Cifuentes, J., (1910).
Supersticiones. Estudios del Folklore recogidos de la tradición oral chilena. Santiago: Imprenta universitaria.pp. 7+
[4] Latcham, R., (1924). Op. Cit. pp. 386.
[5] Art copyright © by -º-PriMm0-º-.
Online.
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Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia2010 International Year of Biodiversity Copyright 2009-2010 by Austin Whittall ©
