Effigies of mythical figures (Basilisco Trauco Caleuche Ten-Ten Vilu Coi-Coi Vilu), restaurant garden, Caulin, Chiloe, Chile
El Trauco, a deformed and ugly troll, wears a conical cap and carries a stone axe and wooden club. He lives in the forest and has superhuman strength, being able to fell any tree in three strokes. Despite his ugly appearance, his breath is irrestible to women, so he is blamed for any unexplained pregnancies on the island. El Basilisco is a snake with a cockerel's head, which turns people to stone with its gaze. At night it enters houses, sucking the breath from sleeping inhabitants, so they waste away and shrivel up into skeletons. Burning down the house is the only way to be rid of it. The phantom ship, Caleuche, travelling above and below the waves, carries the souls of drowned sailors, so they can enjoy a happy after-life as they sail at night around Chiloe Island. The mythical battle between the Water Snake Goddess, Cai-Cai-Vilu, and the Land Snake Goddess, Ten-Ten-Vilu explains the origins of Chiloe Island, land surrounded by water as the Land Snake only partially won the Island's isolation from the mainland, with self-reliance on the sea and land, has produced a rich combination of myth and folklore that intrigues visitors. These effigies stand outside the Ostras Caulin Restaurant, reputedly the best in a hamlet famous for its oysters and seafood.
Size: 2330px × 3616px
Location: Chilote mythological effigies, Ostras Caulin Restaurante, Caulin, Chiloe Island, Chile
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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