Maned Wolf (Aguará Guazú) Pullman Form Analysis
I’ve wanted to do this for a long time but thius time I actually did it lol.
This is… unorganized, all over the place, a bit personal and maybe biased. You tell me. I wrote this for personal purposes and now I’m deciding to post it. Criticize me all you want just be nice I’m too sensitive.
In this analysis I’m taking into account Native American (Guaraní) mythology, European mythology, Paraguayan superstitions, north Argentinian rural superstitions, and Argentinian political traditions.
If you don’t want to read through the whole thing, at the end there is a Resolution after the KEEP READING with all the points made that you can read without the details.
Disclaimer: I’m a non-native Argentinian.
El Lobizón:
Guaraní + European myth: Tau and Kerena’s seventh son would turn into “a being half human, half long-legged dog (Aguará Guazú) all full moon Tuesdays and Fridays, or in 13th days”.
Half Dog. Long, large, red-eyed, skinny and monstruous.”
Would eat chicken shit, unburied corpses and newborn children.
The seventh daughter would become a witch
To kill it, you must use a blade or a blessed bullet.
It doesn’t hurt or attack humans. They are not calm creatures, but not hostile or aggressive either.
PRESIDENT GODFATHER:
Since the XIX Century, in Argentina, the president of the nation would -become the godfather of all seventh children of any family in the country. The story said that, if the child’s godfather was the President, he wouldn’t become a Lobizón. It was a tradition of Russian origins (many rural families killed their seventh sons in fear of this happening, and this was the state’s way of solving the problem).
It became an official thing in 1907
President Perón made the procedure a legal and official in 1973, giving scholarships for primary and secondary studies to every seventh son in the nation. These people were really serious about this issue.
The Aguará Guazú is believed to have been one of the bases of these myths. It has been hunted because of the fear of the Lobizón, despite being a peaceful being. It’s also feared by rural people, as their howling are said to sound like spirits calling them from the forest, or that it announces wonderful events. They are considered magical.
IN SUMMARY: The maned wolf is strongly related to A) The Lobizón, and thus Magic, Transformation, and the Occult, and B) Politics. A Maned Wolf person might be interested in occult and religious practices, or, alternatively, philosophy and the abstract. It’s related to politics, as the Lobizón curse is believed to be “broken” if the President is the boy’s godfather. A Maned Wolf person could also be seen as an “Illustrated” person, in the sense that they might see things from a less mystical point of view when it comes to serious situations. For example, the non-existent, magical, superstitious “Curse” is broken when legal and political matters come into play. This duality between a secular, rational yet respectful problem solving method and a relation to magic and the occult might signify that the occult, metaphysic, philosophy, religious belief or however this trait is exhibited in this said Maned Wolf person, is left behind as a hobby or a sort of game when they’re not useful o solve a problem. No matter how spiritual, religious or philosophical a Maned Wolf person is, they are not going to waste their time in it if it can’t solve the problem at hand, or if it cause more harm than good. Like the Argentinean philosopher Darío Sztajnszrajber said, “Politics, not Metaphysics”.
Misunderstood:
Maned Wolf people are also heavily misunderstood. Both the Maned Wolf and the Lobizón are relatively peaceful creatures, not dangerous to humans, yet the Lobizón is considered a monster and a devil, and real life Maned Wolves are killed in fear of the Lobizón, which led the species to be endangered. A Maned Wolf person would not have bad intentions, but for one reason or another (the way they expressed their opinion, the people they’re expressing it to, simple prejudice, etc.) they would be misunderstood and rejected, avoided and ostracized because of it. It is possible than more conservative spaces would be the ones to reject Maned Wolf people the most, given their rejection of religion as a problem-solving tool, the fascination for the occult, in case it doesn’t manifest in Christian Religion, and their relationship to El Lobizón, the Presidential Godfather and Perón, the president that made it a legal thing, who was also a center-left wing president hated by the Catholic Church and the Army, two very dangerous institutions in South America, for taking power away from them.
The Name:
THE NAME USED IN SOUTH AMERICA IS “AGUARÁ GUAZÚ”, THE GUARANÍ NAME. In the First World it’s known as the Maned Wolf. Aguará Guazú people might show a different face of themselves to different people to appeal to their good side. Alternatively, if the daemian is South American and has strong ties to the continent and calls the Maned Wolf “Aguará Guazú”, it might represent that they care more about their Latine home than what First World Countries think or want.
Little Myths
It is said that the pulverized bones of a Mane Wolf can help relieve the pain of a woman giving birth
A paw bone of a Maned Wolf can help a fugitive escape the justice.
The pelt of a Maned Wolf can help alleviate the pain and illness.
IN SUMMARY: A Maned Wolf person has the best intentions, and seeks to help people and ease the pain. In the case of the fugitive, chances are this expressed a more Robin Hood like behavior in a Maned Wolf person, considering their relation with justice (see below). Chaotic Good. They will not support just any criminal, but a criminal who, they believe, did the right thing. To a maned wolf person, laws don’t matter. Morality and values do. They wouldn’t be against stealing or cheating if they think it will do more good than harm (for example, feeding their hungry family, or ruining a corrupt politician).
Legends:
A Guaraní legend tells the story about how the Maned Wolf, future father of dogs, and the Cat became friends in hopes of finding more food together, and later brought in the Iguana into their little group. One day, the Iguana was behaving inappropriately with the cat, they had a fight and though the Maned Wolf tried to separate them and maintain peace, the Iguana ended up killing the Cat. From that moment on, all the dogs, children of the Maned Wolf, would forever chase and hunt Iguanas in revenge for the murder of his dear friend the Cat.
This showcases the Justice-seeking, Chaotic Good and slightly vengeful nature of the Maned Wolf person. Despite preferring peace and harmony, they will not let injustice slide, and they are not afraid of violence when it comes to avenging a dear friend, or fighting for justice. This could range anywhere from being very protective of one’s loved ones, being very intolerant of committed injustices and unfairness, to straight up being down for Revolution at any moment.
Yet another Guaraní legend says that once, the Jaguar was trying to hunt a deer, but said deer was in company of his friend, the Maned Wolf, who was actually the Devil in disguise (it’s worth mentioning that in Latin America, the Devil is, many times, seen as a trickster spirit that can help people of so he wishes, and that can be tricked back if one has the ability to do so. He’s not the Catholic Incarnation of Evil). The jaguar, angry at his own luck, decided to play nice and join the Maned Wolf and the deer, so the three of them could find more food together. The first day, the Aguará Guazú went hunting first, and he came back with only one mouse. The Jaguar was very angry at him, and the Maned Wolf told him, if he wasn’t happy, to go look for food himself, although he wouldn’t find anything, because he had short legs. Furious, the Jaguar tried to bite him, but the Maned Wolf and his friend the Deer managed to run away, because they were good runners. They ran until they got to a river, and the Maned Wolf could swim through it, but the Deer was left behind. Right when the Jaguar was about to eat the Deer, the Maned Wolf revealed his powers as the Devil and turned the Deer into stone, so when the Jaguar’s jaws hit him, his fangs would shatter and break. The Maned Wolf laughed at the Jaguar, and this one, angry and exasperated, threw the rock all the way across the river to hit the Maned Wolf. It was then that the Maned Wolf turned his friend back into a deer, and they both laughed at they ran away from the furious Jaguar, trapped at the other side of the river.
This other legend further showcases the Maned Wolf’s relationship with magic and the occult, and another way it could be rejected by more conservative religious people, being related to the Devil, although he doesn’t have bad intentions in this legend. He only wants to find food with his friend, and even allows the Jaguar to join them at first.
In that vein, one could argue that a Maned Wolf values their friends a lot, as seen in the second myth, about the Cat and the Iguana. In both myths, there are a group of two, in which the Maned Wolf is always in the original couple, and then a third member joins them, only to end up hurting the Maned Wolf’s friend, while the Maned Wolf himself tries to protect them. Yet in both cases, the Maned Wolf is open and willing to welcome a new friend into his group. This doesn’t mean he’s quick to trust necessarily, but he’s willing to give people a chance, and if both stories are taken into account, he is not going to lose faith in humanity or stop trusting people because he was hurt by someone else in the past.
Maned Wolf people are very protective of their loved ones, as stated before. They can go as far as using violence if needed in order to protect those they care about, and they’re willing to lose less important relationships in order to defend the ones that matter the most to them. If a newly made friend starts talking shit behind their childhood friend’s back, you can be sure the Maned Wolf is not going to let it slide. They are loyal to the ones closest to them and prioritize certain relationships, and with all reason!
It also represents the Maned Wolf’s “Chaotic Good” behavior. He laughs through the whole ordeal, tricks the Jaguar, and defends his friend, a seemingly normal deer. What else is there to say?
A Maned Wolf person is not going to abuse their power, if they have any. In the story, the Maned Wolf could have easily killed the Jaguar if so he wishes, but instead, he simply used his powers to get his friend out of danger, without hurting anyone.
A Maned Wolf person is going to have the best intentions for themselves and the ones they care about, even if they are misunderstood and judged by others.
LONELY
Maned wolves are unique in their genus. They are not closely related to any other canids. You could say they are somewhat special.
Maned Wolves are an endangered species, mostly because of hunting related to superstition.
This could symbolize that a Maned Wolf person is/feels somewhat special or different from the rest of the people around them, even their closest family. Maybe their beliefs, ideology, opinions, or view of morality differ too much from most people’s to find someone to relate to. This might be seen as both a good and a bad thing. Good, because it expresses how unique and special these people are. Bad, because it leave them lonely with no one to trust or rely on, because there is no one to agree with. Once they find a person they can be themselves with, they are not going to let them go. They have earned a friend for life.
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