The fantastic world of Argentinian folklore and mythology Part Two
Guys if you are into short posts, please skip on.
This post is 8-10 minutes read but is a part of the culture of my country. Thanks for reading.
Before we dive in into the amazing world of the Argentinian folklore, let us understand the slight difference between mythology and folklore.
Image source: https://chancharrua.wordpress.com/historia-del-guarani-en-el-uruguay/
Mythology, in my understanding is the old parent of a nation’s religion. It paints for us the picture of a certain world, which has elements of religion, art, and practical and scientifically related roots.
Folklore is very similar, but, it is a nation’s collective creation. It’s an artistic, somewhat chorographical representation. It is unlike mythology, a creation of a nation with no books and paper.
The art and the language of people who couldn’t write.
Certainly folklore developed from mythology.
The main difference is that a myth – is a sacred belief of a nation- whether folklore is it art.
Argentine myths and legends
The Lobizón
Image source: http://www.destinoytarot.com/leyendas-argentinas-el-lobizon/
The Lobizón (also known in other South American regions as lobisón, lubisonte, Luis Rufino Bad and luisón) is a Guarani Mythologic creature.
The belief of the transformation of man in animal is very ancient. Herodoto recorded stories collected in their travel, on a people that in a certain time of the year is transformed into wolves. When Sebastián Gaboto takes contact with Guarani natives in the vicinity of the current Itatí, its chronicler notes the conversion of men in tiger.
The action of the Jesuits in the Guarani world, left deep traces in the developed culture after his departure. These missionaries, disguised many native beliefs with religious garb to facilitate the transfer of the new doctrine. Then, certain values or social rules were transmitted as taboos, telling fantastic stories. If 7 sons, born followed, without no girl in the middle, the latter would be cursed, transformed into a wolf or dog on Friday at midnight or in a full moon nights.
If the seventh son was a woman, this would be a witch. In these fabrications, who came to our days with few variants, God punished to the transgressors of the rule, condemning them to suffer horrendous punishments. Say our countrymen, that man Lobizón, the saturdays is usually emaciated and suffers severe stomach pains, has an odor unbearable. It is because the friday night he wandered through the garbage dumps, wallowed in old bones, ate rotten meat, collapse any child not baptized, and attacked any walker he found, throwing fire for the eyes and the mouth. Those who claim to have seen it in my province, say it is a big black dog without head, or if he has it, he has an tiny ear and the other is long until the floor, in addition to dragging chains.
Produces a lot of terror with their presence. Dogs sigh and then hide with just smell it. The locals take care that the Lobisón does not pass between the legs, because in that way, they transferred the curse. You should not attack it, because they do not die, and then the revenge is terrible. The only way to eliminate it is to use a bullet blessed, or make a notch in the form of a cross in the tipo of the bullet.
In small populations, when a person is socially rejected, some people will say he is a Lobizón. This is a cause of marginalization without turns or fallback in his public reputation. The countless stories about this be cursed, say for example that at the time of becoming Lobizón, man feels severe stomach pains, begins to wallow giving seven turns to the right and seven turns upside down. While going by turning on his body, he pray the catholic creed in the right form 7 times and in the return hey pray 7 creeds upside down.
Then he exits to attack, first to their enemies and then to anyone he found in his way. The reaction of the people has been so violent in the past, that came to lynch to innocent people (today this happens in my country when criminals are caught in flagrant) . To curb this paranoia, in our country we established the Presidential patronage of all seventh son.
The Pombero
Image source: http://www.ufologiaparanormal.com/
The Pombero is also known in Guarani as "Karai Pyhare" or Lord of The Night.
It is a Guarani Elf that has nothing to do with the Christian or Catholic idea of the devil. It is a frightening creature characteristic of the Guaraní area, from which it spread to all Argentina, led by the hand of the constant migration of people from Corrientes province and paraguayans, mainly. The belief is strongly rooted in Misiones, Corrientes, Entre Rios, south of Brazil and Paraguay.
It is said to be a robust dwarf, hairy, with arms so long that he drags they, hands very large, short legs ending with huge feet looking backward (to mislead those who try to tracks it), has no joints, lacks elbow and knee, which makes its movements are clumsy and grotesque, uses a large straw hat and walk without clothes, although its virile member is huge and is capped by the long beard that arrives to the ground.
The Pombero likes a lot of tobacco and honey. In addition can be friend or enemy of man, according to the conduct of him. Its primary function is to take care of the mount and the wild animals.
Gets angry a lot if some hunters kills more animals that they will consume. If that happens is transformed into any plant or animal and with guile induces the offenders to delve deep into the forest where they lost. The same thing happens with the fishermans, or the mans who are chaught felling trees that will not be used. Its presence may not always be advised, because it has the capacity of metamorphosis, makes surreptitiously monitor the behavior of men.
As is very lewd, ensnares women, especially women who have not been baptized in order to possess, and violates that wife who publicly questioned the virility of her husband. Some researchers have collected the belief that the Pombero can impregnate a woman, only putting a finger in her stomach.
This can happen if the solitary lady, not baptized, receives in the night the visit of the Pombero, and do not invites him tobacco, honey or cigarettes. Perhaps in this way innocent and naive, the guarintic culture try to explains the births outside wedlock, thing very repudiated in their social circles.
If the Pombero is the enemy, you can be exposed to countless dangers within the forest, because it always with deception will try to lose you in the thicket. Sometimes it causes strange accidents within the ranches, as for example the doors are closed suddenly, or falling kitchen utensils, mysteriously. Those who are hostile to the Pombero Elf, in the nighttime, often hear steps and voices in the surroundings of the ranch, as if someone walk in the courtyard at night.
On the other hand if is a friend, can be obtained great advantages, since he, invisibly guides the hunter to the place where they are larger and fat animals , good fishing or the best wild fruits which serve as food. To earn his friendship, it is necessary to leave every night for thirty days without interruption, behind the ranch, honey pots, tobacco or cigarettes, food that Pombero likes very much. Furthermore, you should never say its name aloud inside the house, because it angry.
The Pombero has nothing to do with the devil. This is the Christian conception of evil, therefore it should not be associated the guaranític elf with Satan. The lust, characteristic common to both entities, is present in all civilizations. Lucifer was not concerned about the ecological balance, because it fulfils the evil for evil in itself.
Between the Araucanians there is also a "Pombero" called Peukén that persecutes women. It is equally an elf small and lewd that belongs to the forested regions of the woodcutters of Chile.
As San Antonio (Sint Anthony) and El Negrito Pastorero (The Black Shepherd) of folklore of Brazil, the Pombero also intervenes in the search of the lost items, that is why you hear say: - Pomberito, Pomberito I do find, (here the name of the lost object) I offer you tobacco!- This promise must be fulfilled in order to avoid that the Pomberito gets angry, because his displeasure is of care. The guaraní name of Pomberito also is Cuarahí Yara or the Owner of the Sun.
The origin of the name, can be found in the south of Brazil, where it is called "Pombeiro" whom spy. Equally our aboriginal Pampas called "Bombero" to which marched in the advanced lines, recognizing the ground, before and during the malones (pillage attack to cities and small towns of white people, mainly during the early and mid XIX) . By its attitude of stalking, perhaps Pombero derive from these terms.
Two tipycal Argentine dances.
Zamba (from Tucumán, Salta, Jujuy, Santiago del Estero and Buenos Aires).
Image source: http://www.festich.com.ar/showfolklore.htm
The zamba is a dance, practiced mainly in the northwest of Argentina, but is also called zamba to music and singing of the dance. This dance was proposed as national dance of our country, in addition to Argentina is also practiced in the south of Bolivia. The zamba has its origin in Peru, which comes from the zamacueca, and it was not until around 1815 which met in Argentina, but also this dance bears the name "zamacueca", is more common to refer to it as zamba, name that derives from the term (Zamba) that was attributed to the womens descendants of indian or aboriginal men and black women or vice versa. Other sources state that the zamacueca income to Argentina by the province of Mendoza in the year 1825, to then spread towards the northwest of our country.
Loving and passionate, one of the dances of courtship more representative of the argentine folklore, the zamba was proposed as national dance.
How to dance Zamba
Image source: http://razafolklorica.com/como-se-baila-la-zamba/
Zamba para olvidar (Zamba to forget) danced in the Cosquín Fest
Video source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt-fSpNJG1Y6s3QNj2VhqBA
Zamba para olvidar or Zamba to forget performed by Abel Pintos and Pedro Aznar (modern Zamba) :
Video source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2iRZ8ptrFmaEFFvBI-V6yw
Malambo ( mainly from Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Córdoba and La Pampa).
The Malambo, essentially is, the dance in which a performer alone, made with feet, a series of small movements called removals.
The malambo consists not in a tapping of any class. The action of Stomp can be complementary to the game of arms and hands, for example: only a spanish dancer or a simple rhythmic knocking on the floor. None of this is the argentinian Malambo. It will be a tapping may receive this name it is required that produce figure changes in series.
The attention of the dancer and the viewers are concentrated in the feet. After this the counterpoint of zapateadores (tappers), a variant of this malambo is the one that presents three or more dancers in succession, in wich each one dances until that exhausts its repertoire and result is distinguished that presented the greatest number of removal or which made the most complex and original movements. This variant was known in the Plain of the Pampas and in the provinces of Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and neighboring areas.
A traditional counterpoint of Malambo in Cosquín Fest (Córdoba, Argentina)
Video source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqWksNlYCuEJKFSl2DzFKAQ
A Malambo with Lyrics [Malambo 25] (most of Malambos are instrumental only)
Video source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxHW4XVIYOGORUBr0Z3IvOA
A modern or touristic Malambo performed by Malevo group of dancers.
Malevo - Quarterfinals - America's Got Talent - August 23, 2016
Video source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQDuQ_8HY6Pu1R7OiT4CyFA