Ten Ten-Vilu or Trentren-Vilu (from Mapudungun ''Trengtrengfilu'': ''Trengtreng'' a name, and ''filu'' "snake") is the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

god of Earth and Fertility (or goddess in some versions found in Chiloé); he has a generous spirit and is the protector of all life on Earth, and the

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

and according to some Mapuche myths (later also found in Chiloé). This snake was a central figure in the Origin Of The Chiloean Archipelago. In

Mapuche mythology The mythology and religion of the indigenous Mapuche people of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina is an extensive and ancient belief system. A series of unique legends and myths are common to the various groups that make up the Mapuc ...

, Ten Ten-Vilu is son of '' Antü'' (a

Pillan The Pillan (of Mapudungun origin; singular ''pillán'' and plural ''pillanes'' in Spanish) is a powerful and respected male spirit in Mapuche mythology. According to legend, the Pillan are good spirits, but they can also cause disasters, since th ...

spirit). '' 'Origin of Ten-Ten vilu' '': The legend tells that the son, or daughter (in other versions), of the spirit Pillan Antu, wanted anvisibly the power of his father, as punishment his father transformed him into a serpent, which would become the divinity of all that is the earth. Ten-ten vilu, along with Kai-Kai vilu were children of Antu and Pien-Pillan (Antu, father of Ten-ten, and Pien-Pillan father of Kai-Kai) powerful spirits plunder, but they ambitious of the power of their parents They tried to obtain their power, in punishment their parents transformed them into serpents, into Kai-Kai vilu "the serpent goddess of the sea" and Ten-ten vilu "the serpent goddess of the earth". '' 'The fight of Kai-Ki vilu versus Ten-Ten vilu' '': In such a way that later the humans did not capture what the spirits gave them, then the serpent (God / Goddess) of the sea and evil spirit were I come, eliminating them by raising the waters to drown and assassinate them, but Ten-Ten vilu raised the earth and began a titanic war, when both were left (in effect of the elevation of the sea and the mountains) the archipelago of Chiloe. That is why now when Kai-Kai Vilu is going to raise the water, Ten-Ten had us moving the ground under our feet (this last narrative explains why Earthquakes occur and, indeed, tsunamis).

References

* Alberto Trivero (1999), Trentrenfilú, (in Spanish). Proyecto de Documentación Ñuke Mapu. * Martinez Vilches, Oscar, ''Chiloe Misterioso'' (in Spanish). Pub. Ediciones de la Voz de Chiloe (circa 1998) Mapuche deities Chilote deities Legendary serpents Earth deities Fertility deities Volcano deities Snake deities {{SouthAm-myth-stub es:Trentren Vilu y Caicai Vilu

See also

References