The Chonchon ( from ), also known as the Tue-Tué, is a mythical creature found in

Mapuche religion Mapuche religion is the traditional Native American religion of the Mapuche people. It is practiced primarily in south-central Chile and southwest Argentina. The tradition has no formal leadership or organizational structure and displays much i ...

, as well as in the folk mythologies of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

and southern

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Legend

According to Mapuche myth the flying head is the result of someone, usually a woman, entering into a contract with a sorcerer or ''brujo''; consqueently her head detaches by night and sprout wings, so that the chonchón takes off in flight. She makes nocturnal sound similar to bird calls. There is supposedly a secret subterranean location called the ''reni'', where she will fly to to join her

coven A coven () is a group or gathering of Witchcraft, witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English lan ...

to practice witchcraft or enjoy the festivities. There are said to be anecdotes of husbands who wake up in the night and find their wives' head missing. It is said that the

kalku Kalku or Calcu, in Mapuche mythology, is a sorcerer or witch who works with black magic and negative powers or forces. The essentially benevolent shamans are more often referred to as '' machi'', to avoid confusion with the malevolent kalku. I ...

(or ''calcu'', synonymous with ''machi'' witch) or evil ''machi'') who contract with an evil spirit (''

wekufe The wekufe, also known as huecufe, wekufü, watuku, huecufu, huecubo, huecubu, huecuvu, huecuve, huecovoe, giiecubu, güecubo, güecugu, uecuvu, güecufu; is an important type of harmful spirit or demon in Mapuche mythology. The word wekufe comes f ...

''), and has various servants to do his bidding, including the ''chon-chon'', which might be an evil bird, or the ''kalku'' head he manipulates. Thus the ''kalku'' wizard himself can tranform into the flying head. Only the most powerful kalkus are said to possess the knowledge to perform the transmutation. To become a chonchon, the kalku undergoes a voluntary transformation facilitated by an anointing with a magical cream on the throat. This cream allows for the removal of the head from the body, with the detached head becoming the chonchon. The chonchon takes the form of a human head adorned with feathers and talons. Its unusually large ears function as wings, enabling it to fly during moonless nights. It is believed that chonchons possess all the magical powers of a kalku and can only be seen by other sorcerers or individuals seeking such power. Sorcerers assume the form of the chonchon to engage in their malevolent activities, and this transformation grants them additional abilities, including the ability to drink the blood of the sick or sleeping. While the terrifying appearance of the chonchon remains invisible to the uninitiated, they can still hear its distinctive cry of "tue tue tue." This cry is considered a dire omen and often predicts the impending death of a loved one.

Explanatory notes

References

*Constantino Contreras 2000 (in Spanish). Unidad temática y variedad textual: un tópico social en tres relatos orales, Estudios Filológicos, N° 35

External links

Fantastic Fauna of Chile
Shapeshifting Legendary birds Mythological hematophages Latin American folklore Argentine folklore Chilean folklore Mapuche legendary creatures {{legendary-creature-stub

Legend

See also

Explanatory notes

References

External links