Nguruvilu

Legend

Descriptions of the Nguruvilu vary. Some indigenous accounts portray it as a beast of monstrous size that devours people, causing natives to avoid bathing in lakes where it occurs. Others describe it as fox-headed with a serpent's body, while a different version likens it to a round, bloated ox hide, possibly the manta. An alternate account collected by an ethnologist depicts it not as monstrously large but as a river-dwelling creature with a cat-like head, a small slender body, and an extremely long tail like a fox's, tipped with a snagging claw.

This creature uses its tail to ensnare humans and animals, dragging them to the river bottom and drinking their blood. It is said to lurk in channels and still backwaters.

Anecdotes include a man crossing the Limay River in Argentina who scoffed at the monster, only to lose his entire pack of horses and nearly die. The creature was also thought to handle humans in water the way horses are reined in; if the horse died the human was spared, and vice versa. The evil spirit wekufe was believed capable of transforming into the fox-viper.

Religion

The Nguruvilu originates from the ethnic religion of the Mapuche. According to one informant, the creature did no harm as long as a certain form of worship was performed, which involved using straw to splatter chafi (wheat dough fermented in a leather bag) and planting spears. In one instance, a small white bull was slaughtered and pieces offered to appease it. It was taboo to call the creature by its name, so the circumlocution 'lord of the water' was used.

For a layperson, the only way to get rid of a Nguruvilu is through the offices of a machi (shaman) or a good kalku (sorcerer). The kalku, who may be male or female, is offered gifts for the service. The kalku wades into the river until reaching the whirlpool, then dives in and surfaces having captured the Nguruvilu through magical abilities. The kalku threatens the creature with a long, sharp knife, saying it will be mutilated if it harms anyone crossing the waterway again, then releases it.

This act must be witnessed by everyone from the area, after which a great celebration is held. The whirlpool shrinks and disappears, and the fords become shallower, making crossing safe. The creature is believed to move its business elsewhere.

Did You Know?

• Anthropologist Robert Lehmann-Nitsche believed the myth originated from observations of the marine otter (Lontra felina).
• Antonio Paleari's dictionary compares the Nguruvilu to the Aztec water deity Chalchiuhtlicue, noting the Nguruvilu dwells strictly in inland freshwater.
• The Nguruvilu is sometimes confused with El Cuero and the cuchivilo.