– Name of myth: El Trauco.
– Description: an ugly looking dwarf, no more than 80 centimeters tall. He lives in the woods. He has a strong body, yet his feet have no heels or toes, forcing him to walk slowly with the help of a small wooden cane or pahueldun and a stone axe called a toki.
– Region: province of Chiloe (Region of los Lagos), which is made up by the Greater Island of Chiloe and 40 islands and islets.
– Powers: legend says he has a penetrating stare that causes deformities or death to whomever he glares at. He’s an admitted enemy of men and children, but not women, he likes them above all else, especially young virgins.
– The myth in chilote society: in Chiloe, when a young woman gets pregnant and no one knows who the father is, to save face, the girl says it’s the Trauco.
– Moral or lesson: women mustn’t be fooled or seduced by a single glance or a nice gesture.
Chiloe
Muere Alejo Carpentier