The Colo Colo or Colocolo is an evil rat-like creature from
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 ...
mythology. The marsupial
monito del monte
The monito del monte or colocolo opossum, ''Dromiciops gliroides'', also called ''chumaihuén'' in Mapudungun, is a diminutive marsupial native only to southwestern South America (Argentina and Chile). It is the only extant species in the ancien ...
is sometimes called "colocolo" due to its similarity with the mythical beast.
Description
The appearance of the Colo Colo varies depending on the region where the myth is told. Sometimes it is described as a feathered rat, sometimes as a snake or lizard with a rat's head, and occasionally it is just depicted as a huge rat. The Colo Colo falls under the mythical category of "Pillians".
Legend
The Colo Colo hatches from an egg laid by a snake, and incubated by a rooster. After hatching, the Colo Colo will hide in a house, where it will feed on the
saliva of the residents. If the Colo Colo feeds from a person, that individual will feel exhausted; if the Colo Colo is not stopped, the victim may even die. It is also said that this creature can provoke several serious diseases.
The Colo Colo can be detected if someone of the house is feeling tired for no reason, or because of its cry, which is similar to an infant wailing. When it is suspected that a Colo Colo is in the house, a
Machi must be contacted to exorcise the premises. Sometimes the only remedy is burning the building in order to kill the Colo Colo.
See also
*
Machi (shaman)
A machi is a traditional healer and religious leader in the Mapuche culture of Chile and Argentina. Machis play significant roles in Mapuche religion. In contemporary Mapuche culture, women are more commonly machis than men but it is not a rule ...
*
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 ...
*
Mapuche religion
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 ...
References
*Ernesto Wilhelm de Moesbach. Voz de Arauco: explicación de los nombres indígenas de Chile. Imprenta San Francisco, 1944
Indigenous South American legendary creatures
Mapuche legendary creatures
Mythological rodents