The Nguruvilu: fox snake monsters from indigenous Mapuche mythology [world mythology post 663]

(Image source: Taran Fiddler)

In the indigenous religion of the Chilean Mapuche people, the Nguruvilu (also Ngurvilu) is a peculiar creature. It is a mammalian beast resembling a fox (though it apparently has feline traits as well), with an elongated, snake-like body. Its long tail culminates in a claw with razor-sharp talons. Being aquatic in nature, they tend to live in rivers or lagoons. Nguruvilu have a supernatural control over water.

These creatures are malicious and prey on people attempting to cross rivers, though they are known to eat animals as well. The Nguruvilu live underwater, and when they spot suitable prey, they magically lower the water level near the riverbanks to lull their victims into a false sense of security that the river is shallow and easy to cross. If this is not enough to drown people, they also have the ability to create whirlpools. The deaths of drowned people are often attributed to Nguruvilu.

(Image source: Andrea Perez Bolde A.)

Though it is possible to cross a Nguruvilu-inhabited river by boat, the only known way to truly get rid of these creatures is to call upon a Machi, a type Mapuche shaman. The position of Machi is a religious and spiritual authority among the indigenous people.

Technically, there is another way: if no Machi is available, you can enlist the aid of a Kalku, a kind of witch or sorcerer. These people are usually, but not exclusively, malicious, but their spiritual power is sufficient to banish Nguruvilu. In fact, some Kalkus were once Machi who broke religious taboos.

Sources:
Guevara, T., 1899, Historia de la Civilizacion de Araucanía, Los mitos i las ideas relijiosas de los Indios, Anales de la Universidad de Chile, Vol. 103, p. 1025-1040.
Dixon-Kennedy, M., 1998, Native American Myth & Legend: An A-Z of People and Places, Brockhampton Press, p. 173, 288 pp.
Cruz, E. A., 2010, The Grand Araucanan Wars (1541-1883) in the Kingdom of Chile, Xlibris Corporation, 688 pp.