Pincoy the mermaid, from Peru to Patagonia

 
Llast November I wrote an entry about Patagonian mermaids, which I translated today into Spanish to post in the "Spanish language" part of this blog. While doing so I decided to do some more research on this interesting being, and I came across the information that I share below:

According to Chilean folklorist Orestes Plath [1], the word used to name the Chiloé mermaid, Pincoya , is not a word of the Mapuche language. It is Quechua (the language of the Andean natives of Peru and Bolivia), and it means "princess or wife of the Inca Emperor".

That means that the mermaid myth is not local but of Inca origin. The word "Coya" means, in Quechua, "wife of the Inca emperor".[2]

That the mermaid is of Inca origin can be seen in the following remark: [3]

All that remains of the palace of the Incas in the present day is a wall eighty-four paces long and eight high, […] on the lower wall the figure of a mermaid, or syren is carved in relief on a square slab[3]

This relief can still be seen at the palace of Manco-Capac, Colcampata (Qollqanpata, Qolqanpata), and is known as the “Sirena” (mermaid). It has “a fish's tail, about a yard [91 cm] high […] it much resembles the mermaid-like figures on one of the Carthagininan mosaics in the British Museum” [4]

The mermaid can be seen in the following image:

Mermaid carved in stone at Cusco, Peru. Taken from [5] ('a carved mermaid')

Landlocked mermaids

In the southern Peruvian province of Lampa (Puno), far from the sea but close to Lake Titicaca there are several places named Sirenayoc. [7] This place name combines the words “sirena” [Spanish] and “yoc" [Quechua] = “who has its" or "who owns", that is, "where there are mermaids".

But these mermaids do not live in the sea nor in Lake Titicaca, they live in “the pure mountain springs” and “rivers where the water flows quickly”. [8]

Mermaids have permeated current popular culture in Peru and they shape has even been incorporated into their local guitars (charango):[9]

Charango (guitar) shaped like a mermaid. From: [9]

Nevertheless, and even though the Andean people had their own water spirits, the question remains unanswered: Why did thy choose to use a Spanish word (sirena) to name their Quechua water beings?. [8] Note that the word pincoya is not found in Peru, it is Chilean.

The fact is that mermaids were taken to Chile by the Inca conquerors who added that country to their empire in 1430 and held it until the Spanish conquest of America. With their armies, came farmers who also brought their beliefs with them. These were adopted by the conquered locals and soon became part of the native lore. This has also happened with several other myths (snakes, double headed condors and so on).

Pincoya became adapted to her new Chilean environment and from being a freshwater creature, became a sea dweller, and adopted the shape of sea creatures:

Her shape varies according to different locations, mostly she is described as having the lower part of her body fish-shaped. But, in Linao, she has feet shaped like the fins of a sea wolf.[10]

She nevertheless kept her taste for freshwater because she is also found on the marshes and bogs (mallin) of Chiloé.[10]

This is a very interesting subject and I will keep on researching (were there any mermaids among the coastal Peruvians? which is the oldest record in Chile regarding mermaids?).

Bibliography.

[1] Plath, Oreste, (1994). Geografía del mito y la leyenda chilenos. Grijalbo. pp. 322
[2] Anales de la Universidad de Chile. (1950). Imprenta del Siglo. pp. 46
[3] Markham, Clements. (1856). Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incas. The New Monthly Magazine. London. Vol. 106. pp. 443
[4] Bollaert, William. (1865 – 6). Contributions to an introduction to the Anthropology of the New World. Memoirs read before the Anthropological Society of London. Vol. 2, pp. 143
[5] Photograph by MONINCC Qollqanpata. 21.09.2009.
[6] Renato Cárdenas Alvarez. (1997) El Libro de la Mitología de Chiloé. Anaquel Austral. Ed. Virginia Vidal. Santiago : Editorial Poetas Antiimperialistas de América. 15.09.2005.
[7] Gisbert Teresa, (1980). Iconografía y mitos indígenas en el arte. pp. 32
[8] Turino, Thomas. (1983). The Charango and the "Sirena": Music, Magic, and the Power of Love. Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana Vol. 4, No. 1 (Spring - Summer, 1983), pp. 81-119 1. Spanish version: El Charango y la Sirena: Música, magia y el poder del amor
[9] Photograph from: Charangoperu.com
[10] Contreras O., Constantino. (1966). Estudio lingüístico-folklórico de Chiloé: mitos y actividades laborales rudimentarias.Boletín de filología (1966). Univ. de Chile, Santiago. Vol. 18. pp. 133+

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Patagonian Monsters - Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia

2010 International Year of Biodiversity Copyright 2009-2010 by Austin Whittall © 

Lake Rosario - Lake of the week

 

Lake Rosario, also known as the Laguna del Toro Negro (Lake of the black bull) it is just south of the Argentine town of Esquel in the province of Chubut (43°16’ S, 71°20’ W).

Set on the edge of the steppe its shores are surrounded by ñire forests and with the mighty Andes are its backstage. See it in the lower central part of the map above.

It is quite shallow (55 m – 187 ft.) and small (14.5 km² – 5.6 sq. mi.); it flows into the Pacific Ocean through Chile through the Futaleufú river.

Map of Esquel area. See Footnote[*].

The local natives tell an ancient tale about a fierce black bull that lived by the lake that killed the son of an Indian chief who had tried to hunt it. The grieving chief in turn killed the bull, which, even dead, can often be heard howling and “seen swimming in the lake”.[1]

The lake is also said to have a Cuero (see our post on Cuero)and a mermaid “sirena” - (see our post on Mermaids).

Bibliography.

[1] Fernández, C., (1995). Cuentan Los Mapuches. B. Aires: Ediciones Nuevo Siglo. pp. 70.

For a lovely photograph of Lake Rosario, go Here.

[*]Footnote.
Map adapted from: Nuevo Atlas de la Argentina © Cases i Associats S.A. 1995. Published by Clarin. Edición especial para la Secretaría de Turismo de la Nación 1996. ISBN 987 9153 00 6.

Legal stuff:
Regarding Copyright of third parties, please see my FAIR USE NOTICE (items 13.a and 13.b) at our Terms and Conditions page. Thank you.

Copyright 2009 by Austin Whittall ©

Patagonian Monsters

Patagonia's "mermaids"

 

A few days ago I posted some stamp images (Chiloé mythology) one of which depicted “Pincoya”, the mermaid of Chiloé Island. In today's post, I will describe her, and other mermaids that, according to the natives' myths, lived in her lakes and by her shores.

Pincoya.

Father Diego de Rosales’ wrote in the late 1600s that the Chilean town of Serena (not in Patagonia) was named so because a mermaid (“Sirena” in Spanish) had been seen there.

He also reported another kind of mermaid, Pincoya that had been seen several times in the sea by Chiloé in 1632:

a beast that came close to the shore, which surging out of the water displayed a head, face and woman’s breasts, with long fair and loose hair or mane. It carried a child in its arms. When it submerged they noticed that it had a tail and back of a fish, covered with thick scales like small shells.[1]

However Pincoya and Sirena were different kinds of mermaids. Vicuña Cifuentes noted that “Sirena is a sea and lake/pond creature, where she has been seen combing her golden and abundant hair with a golden comb”. Pincoya on the other hand lived exclusively in the sea.

Pincoya, who was also fair haired, had a husband (or brother according to other sources), Pincoy and together they promoted the abundance of sea fish and shellfish where they lived.

Both husband and wife were good natured and only got angry with those fishermen who overfished–role of protector/owners of the waters.[2]

She was daughter of Millalonco and sister of the Mapuche mermaid Sumpall (more on her below).

Millalonco was the outcome of the mating between a sea lion and a woman at the dawn of time and he inherited his father’s aquatic realm and became overlord of the sea and certain lakes, a veritable Mapuche Poseidon; he was also known as “Epuange”, because he was a two faced monster. Wise and generous, this water demon (“coheucufú”) was loved by the natives.

Patagonian mermaids.

John Byron, grandfather to the famed poet, was midshipman on the ill fated HMS “Wager” which was shipwrecked on Wager Island in 1741.

He had a very strange experience there, seeing something amazing in the sea, perhaps the male Pincoy:

One night we were alarmed with a strange cry, which resembled that of a man drowning. Many of us ran […] towards the place from whence the noise proceeded, which was not far off shore; where we could perceive, but not distinctly (for it was then moonlight) an appearance like that of a man swimming half out of the water. The noise that this creature uttered was so unlike that of any other man they had heard before, that it made a great impression upon the men.[4]

“Sumpall”, another Mapuche Mermaid.

Although Sumpall was described by the natives as a water dwarf, in her femenine version, she was also represented as a beautiful mermaid half human, half fish.

Sumpall is the Mapuche equivalent of the Chilote's Pincoya; she even had long flowing fair hair like Pincoya. Furthermore she was said to be her younger sister.

Sumpall's character was volatile for she could be benevolent or wicked; she sometimes kidnapped evil people and, as a guardian of nature, hurt those who damaged rivers or lakes.

Her fair hair perhaps reflects the gradual acculturation of the Mapuche under Spanish rule, as it is an exclusively European feature. She was also known as the “lake’s maiden” (Coñi Lafquen).

New Today. 07.10.2010. more information on the possible Peruvian origin of Pincoya. Also, a possible link to a cryptid Chilean Sea Cow, or manatee.

Bibliography.

[1] De Rosales, D., (1877). Historia general de el Reyno de Chile. Valparaiso: El Mercurio. v. i, ii. v. 1. pp. 308- 309.
[2] Vicuña Cifuentes, J., (1915). Op. Cit. pp. 83 and 87. Citing: Cavada, F., (1914). Chiloé y los Chilotes. Santiago: Imprenta Universitaria. pp. 101-102.
[3] Byron J., (1996). Naufragio en las costas patagónicas. B. Aires: Ediciones del Sol. pp. 63.
[4] Alvarez, G., (1969). Donde estuvo el paraiso, del Tronador a Copahue. B. Aires: Ed. Pehuen. pp. 299.

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Patagonian Monsters - Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia

2010 International Year of Biodiversity Copyright 2009-2010 by Austin Whittall © 

Stamps and mythical creatures

 

As a child my mother taught me to love stamps. I remember my first album which my mother and I began (I was only five years old then) in Australia (we lived there for a year around 1964). Time has gone by and although I still love stamps, I haven't got the time to collect them. Nevertheless, I still enjoy their concise and neat format, the way that they can convey an idea, or illustrate a subject.

So today, I will continue what I posted previously on cryptid stamps (Nahuelito), and include some more examples of mythical beings.

Unfortunately stamp issues in Patagonia, that is, in Chile and Argentina are limited and there are very few stamps dealing with our subject of cryptozoology or mythical beings.

Here is what I have found. Enjoy.

Northern European mythical beings.

The UK. The Royal Mail recently (June 16, 2009) issued a series of stamps on mermaids, giants, dragons and more. Very interesting. Below [1] is a link in case you want to check them out. The following image is of a mermaid:

Mermaids, United Kingdom stamp. Royal Mail. From [1]

Faroe Islands. Have their issue on selkie and a giagantic snake that fought with Thor, midgard. Below are two of these stamps. More at [2].

A captured Selkie, Faroe Islands stamp. From [2]

Thor, Ran and the Midgard serpent Faroe Islands stamp. From [3]

Scandinavia. More stamps with mythical creatures of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greenland or Iceland can be found at www.topoftheworld.nu [4].

Patagonian stamps

Some Patagonian stamps now. The following set is from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and depict an extinct warrah. This was an amazing creature and even though it is not a cryptid, it is a mystery in itself and next week I will post an entry on it.

Falkland (Malvinas) Islands wolf warrah, Falkland / Malvinas Islands stamp.

Chiloé mermaid and female troll (Pincoya and Fiura).

And having seen the Northern European mermaids, here we have a genuine Patagonian mermaid, "Pincoya" from a 1997 series on Chilean mythology at Chiloé Island.

Pincoya Mermaid at Chiloé stamp. Correos de Chile. From [5].

Fiura Troll at Chiloé stamp. Correos de Chile. From [6].

I will post about both Pincoya and Fiura next week.

Bibliography.

[1] Royal Mail.
[2] Monstropedia. Selkie.
[3] Thor, Ran and the Midgard serpent .
[4] Top of the World stamps. Nordic Stamp Issue 2006.
[5] Correos de Chile. 1997 - Mitología de Chiloé. La Pincoya.
[6] Ibid. Fiura.



Copyright 2009 by Austin Whittall ©

Patagonian Monsters

Lake Caviahue – lake of the week

 

Small “Dark people similar to African blacks”[1] have been mentioned mentioned in northwestern Neuquén, at Lake Caviahue (37°52’ S, 71°02’ W), this week's Lake of the week.

This small horse-shoe shaped lake, with a surface area of only 10 km² (4 sq. mi.) is set at the foot of 2.900 m (9,500 ft.) high Copahue volcano. It was a sacred place for the Mapuche natives.

Here, according to Argentine folklorist Gregorio Alvarez, a native named Tranavil once saw “black men bathing; they came out to the sandy shore and lay there for a while to rest”.[2]

These “Negros del Agua” (water blacks) are described as being slightly smaller than men; their aquatic nature is confirmed by their webbed hands and feet. They are evil, and swim in groups looking for canoes to overturn and drown their occupants.

We have mentioned in a previous post that the Patagonians feared “dark” man-like creatures. However those were “wild men”, man-sized beings. These, at Caviahue, are smaller dwarfish creatures.

Other strange creatures live in the lake:

animals that should not have been there, like threatening bulls and horses […] and a female entity associated to these waters named “la sirena” [the mermaid] who is mentioned many times in the stories of the elderly locals.[2]

As you can see,even though it is a very tiny lake, it has the full repertoire of Patagonian monsters from bulls and calimayos to dwarves and mermaids.

Below a stamp that I designed for our lake of the week.

Stamp with "Calimayo" image at Lake Caviahue. Copyright © 2009 by Austin Whittall

Caviahue is also well known for its ski resort and is only 17 km (11 mi.) from Copahue’s thermal spas.

Click on the following links for official tourist info: on Caviahue and both Copahue and Caviahue.

Bibliography.

[1] Fernández, C. and López, H. El valle secreto de los Mapuches. Año Cero 126. 07.11.2000. Ed. America Iberica. 11-2000. Online.
[2] Alvarez, G., (1968). El Tronco de Oro. Neuquen: Pehuén. pp. 116 -7.



Copyright 2009 by Austin Whittall ©

Patagonian Monsters