I apologize in advanced for my english, since my mother tongue is spanish.
Last summer I visited Chiloé, an archipelago far south in my country, Chile. These photos are from a place called Dock of the Souls, in Punta Pirulil. Chiloé is well known for its food, its people, but above all that, it is known for its legends.
Chiloé’s mythology is very rich and related to every aspect of the chilote’s life For example, they believe in a goddess of the sea, the Pincoya, who sometimes will dance in the beach. If she dances with her face to the sea, it means there will be plenty of fish, but if she dances with her back to the sea, it means there will be shortage of sea products. Obviously, not everyone in the islands believe these things, but if you talk to elder people, they usually tell you about their personal experiences with these myths.
I recommend reading about Chiloé’s mythology, it’s very interesting, but I wanted to tell you about a particular legend that takes place in the mountains of these photos, Punta Pirulil.
The Mapuche are one of the native cultures here in my country, and probably the biggest. The Mapuches from the south are called Williches. They believe that all human beings have an “Am” or soul that is granted to them when they are born by the “Pu-Am”, the universal soul, and it has to be returned when they die. When the “Am” leaves the body, it turns into a “Pillü”, a soul that doesn’t want to leave the earth. Being a Pillü is very dangerous, since you can be trapped by the “Kalku” (sorcerers) and by the “Wekufe” (malign spirits that roam the earth). To trascend from this world, Pillü must collect “llankas”, white stones common in the beaches in Chiloé. When they are ready, they must come to Punta Pirulil, to the Dock of the Souls (the photo above shows me sitting in the dock). There, they can call for the ferryman Tempilkawe, who will take them to the afterlife. However, the Tempilkawe decides if the Pillü is ready to go. If it’s not, it will be forced to stay wandering these mountains. The wind up there is very strong (as you can see in my hair) and they say this is because the wandering souls are there, whispering.
The Tempilkawe takes the fortunate souls to the island of Ngülchenmaywe, where they become Alwe. In this state, the soul can’t be trapped and it can come back to help its loved ones. However, when nobody remembers the dead person, the Alwe mixes with the Pu-Am, becoming one with the universal soul.
I hope you liked the legend. I though it was very interesting, and it was my favourite place of my trip to Chiloé.
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