Where was the legend of the bat born?
The first question we should ask ourselves before discussing the legend of the bat is where it originated, as this can help us understand the story from a better perspective. The original legend comes from a region called the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca , although everyone simply calls it Oaxaca.
This state belongs to the thirty-one states that make up Mexico. Its capital and the most populous city is Oaxaca de Juárez, which in turn is divided into 570 municipalities, showing that 418 of these municipalities operate with self-government, that is, their laws and legislation are independent.
On the other hand, one of the reasons that makes this town so special is that it stands out for being the state with the largest indigenous population in all of Mexico. Which indicates that it is one of the states that has been able to maintain its culture, traditions and history much more preserved than other states closer to Mexico City. Within the state there are 16 ethnic groups that have dedicated themselves to spreading their knowledge and teachings throughout the town.
Among those stories, we have the legend of the bat, a fairly key myth that highlights the culture of the locals. Therefore, in this article you will learn about this incredible legend.
If you'd like to read more articles like this, you can find them in the different categories on our blog. In fact, we recommend reading the legend of the sun and the moon . You might also be interested in learning about Mexican legends and its cultural diversity.
the legend of the bat
The traditional legend of Oaxaca tells how, in the beginning, the bat was one of the most beautiful birds on Earth, nothing like its current appearance. The bat wasn't always beautiful; in fact, it was called biguidibela , a combination of the words biguidi , meaning butterfly, and bela , meaning flesh. The bat was then a type of naked butterfly, or flesh butterfly.
His appearance was what led the bat to make the decision to ask for the creator's help. He climbed to the top of the sky and asked the Almighty to grant him some beautiful feathers, since he was tired of seeing how other animals had them, but he was not.
The creator wanted to grant his wish, however, he realized that he had no feather available for him. So he advised her to go down to earth and ask each of her bird friends for a feather. With this, he would create not only the most beautiful plumage in the world, but also the most colorful, and everyone collaborated for his cause.
The bat loved that idea, so he went down and asked each bird to give him a feather. When he finished his tour, the biguidibela noticed that his plumage was full of colors and that it completely enveloped him, making him look like one of the most beautiful animals. Proud of his work and how beautiful it was, the bat decided to show everyone what he looked like. Each flap of his wings showed how happy he was, so contagious was that feeling, that he managed to create a rainbow in the sky.
More of the bat story
What no one expected was that the bat would become arrogant and offensive. He mistreated the other birds because he believed himself superior, and he spent his time humiliating those who had helped him. The creator, seeing his behavior, asked him to please come up to heaven to speak with him.
The biguidibela did it, it went up slowly showing its enviable plumage, what he didn't notice is that, little by little, its feathers were shedding. So when he arrived with the creator he had none left. The feathers had been recovered by the birds that had helped him and he was left naked before everyone's eyes.
The bat then decided to retreat to the caves, ashamed of having regained its former appearance, it hid in the dark so as not to have to remember that experience. The other birds felt sorry for him, but they learned an important lesson that day.
If you're interested in reading another article like this one, we invite you to read Myths and Legends of the World in our Myths and Legends category. You can also learn more about the legend of the mermaids , which is also fascinating.
Another legend for children
Although the original bat legend is very beautiful and suitable for everyone, there are other good variations to explain bats in a fanciful way. This story that we will tell you next, is a Colombian story narrated by the writer Luis Olarte, this story is perfect to tell to children of all ages.
The narration explains that there was a moment in history where the birds and the mice faced each other in an intense war, however, neither side really knew why they were fighting. The bats were only dedicated to observing how the massacre unfolded from the shadows, without intervening, since they had declared themselves neutral.
Despite their position, the bats quickly grew desperate and decided to help both sides. They divided into two delegations, one group of bats going to meet the mice and the other with the birds. When a group with the mice arrived, they began to exclaim their disgust at seeing the creatures, declaring themselves birds of the night and forbade him to speak.
The same situation happened with the birds, the bats were accused of being mice with wings and tried to destroy the delegation of bats who wanted to fix things. The bats learned their lesson. Other people's problems had to be solved only by the people who were there, so they decided to run away and hide in the caves to be able to live in peace.
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