Trauco

File:Trauco.jpg

Artist's representation of the Trauco

In the traditional Chilota mythology of Chiloé, the Trauco is a humanoid creature of small stature - similar to a dwarf or goblin - who lives in the deep forests. It has an ugly face, and legs without feet.

Legend

The Trauco is a mythical entity who inhabits the woods of Chiloé, an island in the south of Chile. It has a powerful magnetism that attracts young and middle-aged women. According to myth, the Trauco's wife is the wicked and ugly Fiura. The trauco carries a small stone-headed hatchet that he uses to strike trees in the forest to symbolize his sexual potency.

Whoever the Trauco chooses who will go to him, even if she is sleeping, and fall enraptured at his feet. No woman can resist his magical attraction; all have sexual intercourse with him. Men of Chiloé fear the Trauco, as his gaze can be deadly.

When a single woman is pregnant and no one steps forward as the father, people assume that the Trauco is the father. Because the Trauco is irresistible, the woman is considered blameless. The Trauco is sometimes invoked to explain sudden or unwanted pregnancies, especially in unmarried women.

References

• John E. Roth. American elves: an encyclopedia of little people from the lore of 380 ethnic groups of the Western Hemisphere. McFarland, 1997. ISBN 0-89950-944-4, ISBN 978-0-89950-944-0.
• George M. Eberhart. Mysterious creatures: a guide to cryptozoology, Volumen 2. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, ABC-CLIO, 2002. ISBN 1-57607-283-5, ISBN 978-1-57607-283-7.

See also

• Pombero
• Incubus
• Mythology of Chiloé
• List of fictional humanoid species
• Mapuche mythology
• Chilean mythology
• Chiloé