Paraguay is one of the South American countries with a great global reputation, not only for its extensive fauna and exotic flora, but also for being one of the regions that has a wide range of musical exponents, invaluable cultural wealth, ancient and traditional, natural and unique, which even serves as a symbol of identification of that country, framed within the Legends of Paraguay.
Legends of Paraguay
The legends of Paraguay are great stories that are part of Paraguayan mythology, or as some also know them, Guarani mythology, due to its roots and ancestral origins. These legends of Paraguay, have a marked difference with respect to other myths of other peoples and regions, and that is that in general, they are not stories with the intervention of mystical or omnipotent beings.
On the contrary, they consist of a series of chronicles carried out by typical, common and current characters, with whom people can even identify themselves and therefore the feats described in them, manage to touch the heart of those who read them.
But, despite this difference, they also have a point in common with the myths and legends of other regions, and that is that they all emerged during the times of Spanish colonization in South American lands, where Spanish culture merged with the native indigenous.
Therefore, we can say that Paraguay has a wealth of legends and myths that enrich the country's folklore. These are lived experiences, beliefs, and traditions that form part of the art and imagination of the region's inhabitants. To learn about other legends and myths from other countries, we invite you to read Myths of Honduras.
The main theme of the legends of Paraguay, manifests the literary beauty of its peoples, whose creation responds to the fact of being able to provide arguments that serve as an explanation for facts that are difficult to understand.
As has already been said, the legends of Paraguay, for the most part, are based on the indigenous culture of the Guaraní tribe, containing incredible stories, rare and ugly animals, and people on whom species of spells and curses weigh.
Despite the surprising ingredient with which these stories tell to capture the viewer's attention, they are stories that adapt to everyday life and are therefore accepted by the reading public. These legends that appear simply as Guarani myths, are part of the culture of the nation.
They reflect the union of Americans and Europeans during the exploration of indigenous territories. Among the most popular Paraguayan legends are: the legend of Yerba Mate, the legend of the Karau , Ñandutí, Tupi and Guaraní , the legend of the Virgin of Caacupé , and others.
The myth of Jasy Jateré
Among the main legends of Paraguay, the story of Jasy Jateré stands out. It is a kind of fable that describes a creature, very similar to a gnome, that lived wandering freely through the forest. Jasy Jateré is an indigenous name, and in Spanish, the term means "fragment of the moon."
There are those who claim to have seen this creature, prowling and touring the fields and crops, stalking the crops in rural areas, taking advantage of the moments when the owners are taking a siesta.
The physical description of this elf is very similar to that of other elves, but with blue eyes and yellow hair, and also, it is said that he walks from here to there without any clothes. One of the elements that stands out among his characteristics is that he is always seen carrying a small golden rod or cane.
This Legend of Paraguay prays, who uses said rod to attract his possible victims to him and make them lose their will over themselves. When the pixie realizes that the captured person is in good health, he takes him to his fraternal Ao, devouring him immediately.
One of Jasy Jateré's qualities is his ability to imitate birdsong, which is why some believe he is known as the Guarani Cupid . There are various stories about this Paraguayan legend that say Jasy Jateré loves to play with children.
It is alleged that on his tours, he first walks through the houses of the town, observing if a child is taking a siesta, and then invites him to eat some fruit with honey. It is said that he spends a long time playing with the children, until he sees that the sun begins to hide, indicating that it is time to return to his home, the forest, without harming the child.
They share so many sweets and fruits that by the time they get home, the children are no longer hungry. Tradition says that this is why Paraguayan mothers don't let their children go outside during siesta time, because they might encounter the Jasy Jateré.
The myth of Luison
According to Paraguayan legends , the Luisón is considered the god of death, deeply rooted in Guarani tradition . This title was attributed to him because, in various accounts of his history, he appears as a prowler of cemeteries.
The story narrates and describes a Luisón who steals on the outskirts of cemeteries, preferring the human remains of people lying in their graves, and whose lifeless bodies are devoured by this mythological creature.
Another of the interesting aspects that turn around this character is that he has specific days where he transforms from a human being to a mysterious dog, with large fangs, dark fur and distilling nauseating odors.
These days are Tuesday and Friday of each week. The rest of the days, that is, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, he becomes a person again, but the image he adopts is that of a scruffy, dirty and afflicted man.
In other accounts, the myth of Luisón carries a curse linked to couples who have several children, and it is said that when they reach the seventh, the families risk that it is the reincarnation of Luisón . It should be noted that this Paraguayan legend also has a version recorded in the native Guarani language.
Legends Short from Paraguay
As we have said before, Paraguay has a wide range of myths and legends that make its folklore one of the richest among the countries of South America. Legends have existed since the creation of primitive civilizations, with the purpose of being able to explain the occurrence of some phenomenon, situation or facts, about which there are no rational answers.
These Paraguayan legends arise from the fusion of Creole and Guarani traditions, beliefs, and customs . Their oral transmission through the region's legends and myths is one of the best ways to keep them alive, passing them down from generation to generation.
It is worth mentioning that although the myths and legends were born at first as a form of oral expression, now they are a fundamental part of the national identity of Paraguay. And just as there are legends whose stories are long, there are also short ones like these cases that we present to you in this section.
Here you can see three popular and well-known stories within the Guarani culture, but if you are interested in learning more about the traditions and folklore of other regions, you can read Ecuadorian Legends
The Legend of Yerba Mate
The Legend of Yerba Mate is one of Paraguay's most well-known myths. It begins with the story of a beautiful young woman named Ka'a, who lived near the Misiones rainforest.
They say this young woman was very noble and beautiful, and that she devoted herself to caring for her elderly father with great affection, for he was old, blind, and very tired. They say that Ka'a 's father was an Indian who refused to remain with the nomadic tribe to which he belonged because of his blindness.
That old Indian commented that he no longer had the necessary strength to change houses or walk the roads, but that his wish was that his daughter, who was young, would not suffer from loneliness and that she could share with other people her age.
However, Ka'a refused to leave her father, reaffirming that she would always be by his side, accompanying him. "I will be your daughter and son too, and I will learn to fish and hunt like a man." The young woman kept her promise, and day after day, she was attentive and loving toward her father.
Ka'a learned the skills of fishing, hunting, and gathering fruit in the jungle where she lived with her father. However, her father refused to let his daughter be alone, and grateful for all she did for him, he prayed to his god Tupã to reward the young woman for her many acts of kindness.
They say that one day, a man who looked like a pilgrim appeared at the door of the house, and it turned out to be Tupã himself. The young woman, noticing his presence, welcomed him warmly and even went hunting so she could later cook him a delicious agouti. After dinner, she prepared a comfortable bed for him.
The next day, the pilgrim prepared to continue his journey, but not before offering to reward Ka'a for all her kindness. He told the young woman that he would make a new plant grow, and it would bear her name: "From now on, you will be known as the immortal Ka'ajarýi , which means the fairy of the forests."
Finishing pronouncing those words, the god gave birth to the yerba mate plant, with beautiful flowers and aroma, but also containing refreshing and therapeutic virtues, which became very popular and known by all who consume it.
The legend of Karau
According to the legends of Paraguay Karãu , this tells the story of a young man whose mother was very ill one night, so he went out into the street to find her some medicine. But, while he was on his way to buy the medicine, he came across some of his friends celebrating at a party.
The young man gave in to temptation, and stayed at that party, completely forgetting why he had gone out. He stayed dancing all night in the company of one of the prettiest girls who were at that meeting. Every once in a while he repeated that he was only going to stay for a moment, but time passed him by.
Thus the hour of midnight was approaching, and when the celebration and the celebration began to increase, a friend of his approached him asking him to stop dancing, because he brought him very bad news, since it was that his mother had died.
The young man did not give any importance to the news that his friend was giving him, and on the contrary, he asked the people at the party to continue playing the music, and he continued dancing, claiming to the friend that if his mother had died , because he was still alive and that there would be time to cry afterwards.
Late in the morning, that young man asked the girl with whom he was dancing where her house was to accompany her, to which she replied, that her house was very far, but that he could go and visit her, the days when he must miss to his dead mother.
The young man upon hearing those words realized how badly he had done, and repented, leaving that place terrified, crying, bitter and disconsolate, repeating that his mother had already died.
From that day on, the young man wandered aimlessly, roaming the marshes and always dressed in mourning. Because he was a bad son, the god Tupã punished him by turning him into a black bird, condemning him to wander weeping on the banks of rivers and streams, with a sad and mournful song.
ñanduti
This Paraguayan legend tells the story of a beautiful woman named Samimbi , whose love was contested by two brave Guarani warriors. One of these men was named Yasyñemoñare , the son of the moon; and the other young man was named Ñanduguazú , who is the protagonist of our legend, Ñandúti.
It is said that the young Yasyñemoñare was one night begging the god Tupã to help him win the love of Samimbí. When he looked up at the horizon, he noticed a kind of silver lace atop a huge tree.
That lace was very beautiful, and what's more, in the glow of the moonlight, it looked even more beautiful. That sight dazzled Yasyñemoñare , who, moved by it, decided to climb the tree to reach the lace and give it to his beloved Samimbí.
Ñanduguazú was also passing by, and at that very moment, he witnessed the scene where his enemy was about to obtain the beautiful lace, which he too had seen, and which filled him with a furious jealousy. To prevent him from getting it, without thinking, he shot an arrow, causing Yasyñemoñare to fall from the tree and die instantly.
Ignoring the fact that he had killed a man, Ñanduguazú quickly climbed to the top of the tree to take the lace, but when he tried to do so, it broke instantly, leaving only between his fingers part of the weave of what was nothing other than a spider web.
For several months, remorse tormented Ñanduguazú because of the atrocity he had committed, until one day he confessed to his mother how terrible his deed had been. At that moment, his mother asked Ñanduguazú to take her to the tree, and he did. Upon arriving at the site, they both gazed with great astonishment at another lacework identical to the first, located in the same spot at the top of the tree.
Since Yasyñemoñare's death , Ñanduguazú had been deeply grieved, wandering aimlessly throughout the jungle in search of comfort. To offer him some solace, his mother wanted to give him a web just like the one hanging on the tree, so she began to watch the spiders weaving their webs.
It was then that the woman took her knitting needles and began to imitate the way those spiders made circles and straight lines, using strands of her now white hair instead of yarn, ultimately reproducing that delicate and unique weaving. And to conclude, we invite you to read about other indigenous legends, such as the Mayan Legends section.
