Carbuncle (Spanish: ''Carbunclo'', ''Carbunco'' or ''Carbúnculo'') is a legendary species of small animal in South American folklore, specifically in the mining folklore of northern Chile. The animal is said to contain riches of some sort; in some versions it is a precious stone that gives fortune and good luck to its owner. The description of the animal vary. The chaplain and explorer

Martín del Barco Centenera Martín del Barco Centenera (1535 – c. 1602) was a Spanish cleric, explorer and author. A street in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is named after him. Life Born 1535 at Logrosán, in the Diocese of Plasencia in Extremadura region (Spain); ...

describes it in '' La Argentina'' (1602) as "a smallish animal, with a shining mirror on its head, like a glowing coal". As explained in the '' Book of Imaginary Beings'' Barco Centenera "underwent many hardships hunting the reaches of Paraguayan rivers and jungles for the elusive creature; he never found it." In the same book, the mirror in the carbuncle's head is said to be akin to two lights observed by Spanish explorers in the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pass ...

. Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés identified these lights with the gemstones hidden in the brains of dragons. The association is likely derived from the 7th-century '' Etymologiae'' of

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville ( la, Isidorus Hispalensis; c. 560 – 4 April 636) was a Spanish scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of 19th-century historian Montalembert, as "the last scholar of ...

. In Chile some say it moves like a

firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

in the night. In

Tarapacá San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, also known simply as Tarapacá, is a town in the region of the same name in Chile. History The town has likely been inhabited since the 12th century, when it formed part of the Inca trail. When Spanish explorer Diego d ...

, it is said to look like a bivalve with a strong white-blue shine from within the shell which can be observed from a great distance. This "bivalve" is said to have the form of a maize ear, with more than four feet. The "bivalve" Carbunclo is said to have a very good sense of hearing, which it uses to hide from people by closing its shell to be mistaken for a stone. The shining in the interior of the carbuncle is thought by some miners to come from the gold it has inside. During the great drought of 1924–25 there were reported sightings of carbunclos on moonless nights. Around 1925 a family of carbunclos was seen descending from the mountain of Tulahuén towards Río Grande (

Coquimbo Region The Coquimbo Region ( es, Región de Coquimbo, ) is one of Chile's 16 regions (first order administrative divisions). It is bordered by Atacama to the north, Valparaíso to the south, Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

). Also in northern Chile, a man named Gaspar Huerta is said to have encountered a carbunclo while digging an acequia, but reportedly he could not see what its shape was because he killed it on the spot to recover its riches.

Chilote mythology

In the

Chilote mythology The Chilote mythology or Chilota mythology is formed by the myths, legends and beliefs of the people who live in the Chiloé Archipelago, in the south of Chile. This mythology reflects the importance of the sea in the life of Chilotes. Chilote myt ...

of southern Chile the carbunclo is said to be the "guardian of the metals". Descriptions of it vary, from a luminescent small dog, a luminescent bivalve, a cat with a luminescent chin, or a greenish-red fiery light reminiscent of fireflies. The carbunclo is said to manifest itself at night around the Southern Hemisphere winter solstice (late June). According to the myth, someone who sees the carbunclo may find treasures via the following careful steps: First, a lasso or similar objects is to be thrown towards the carbunclo as to trap it. The carbunclo will respond by vanishing along with the object. Then the treasure hunter who threw the object has to return to the site in the morning before dawn and search for the object, which will be completely buried except for a small part that sticks above the ground, often at the feet of a thorny

calafate ''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America ...

. It is there that the treasure hunter must dig for the treasure. The treasure has to be unearthed, however, in the coming night with a new shovel and in the company of an old widow holding a

black cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

. With each additional

vara Vara or VARA may refer to: Geography *Vara (river), in Liguria, Italy *Vara Parish, former municipality in Tartu County, Estonia * Vara, Estonia, village in Peipsiääre Parish, Tartu County, Estonia *Vara Municipality, municipality in western Swe ...

(distance of approximately one meter) dug in depth, the black cat has to be thrown into the hole. It will subsequently disappear, but will reappear in the hands of the widow just before the next vara is dug up. The cat is then thrown again and the whole procedure is repeated until the treasure is encountered. If the treasure hunter shows any sign of fear the treasure will turn into rock, and if the cat not is not thrown with each vara, the treasure hunter will die as a result of the noxious gases that the treasure releases.

Etymology and mineralogy

The English word carbuncle and the Spanish word carbunclo comes from the Latin ''carbunculus'', meaning "little coal". Carbunclo is used to refer to ruby because this

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

's shine is said to resemble the glow of hot coal. However, it is garnet and not ruby that is said to have been the mineralogical identity of the so-called "carbuncle of the ancients". According to the '' Book of Imaginary Beings'' 16th-century Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

s began to apply the name to a mysterious small animal they saw in South America.

Notes

References

{{reflist Spanish-language South American legendary creatures Mining in Chile Mining folklore Legendary invertebrates Mythological felines Mythological dogs Chilote legendary creatures Gemstones in popular culture Garnet gemstones Dragons Chilean legends Legendary treasures Cat folklore