Teju Jagua
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Teju
Jagua (also spelled Teyú Yaguá) is the first son of Tau and Kerana and one of
the seven legendary monsters of Guaraní mythology. Because
of the curse placed upon Tau by Arasy for raping Kerana, Tau’s descendants
were forever cursed to a deformed and monstrous appearance. Thus,
the pair’s first son was a huge lizard with seven dog-heads and eyes that
shoot out fire. His seven dog-heads make any movement difficult. Some versions
of the story say Teju Jagua has only one giant dog-head. But all versions agree
that he has a limited ability to move around. His
appearance was the most horrid of all the seven brothers. However, his ferocity
was tempered by choice of Tupã. He was left calm and harmless. Still he was
feared for his fiery gaze. |
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He
feeds on fruit and his brother Yasy Yateré gave him honey, his favorite food.
He is considered the lord of the caves and protector of fruit. He is also
mentioned as a brilliant protector of buried treasure. Its skin became shiny after rolling around in the gold and precious stones of Itapé. |
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