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.

Artist's representation of the Trauco

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.

Whomever the Trauco chooses 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. Some 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.

Edith Rebolledo Muller, MSc in Sociology, states the following "In fact, teen pregnancy has its explanation in this myth, as a way to justify this shame. Then it will be cleansed by marriage, as an institution that allows regulating and holding bodies into submission".

Media

The Trauco appears in The Luke Coles Book Series by Josh Walker where he functions as an antagonist in some of the subplots.

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.
    • Enedith Rebolledo Muller, Género y ruralidad. Testimonios de vida de mujeres rurales de Chiloé, Multidisciplinary Journal on Gender Studies, 2012, http://www.alsurdetodo.com/?p=481

    See also
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