La Pincoya. A myth from Chiloe Island in Chile

Once upon a time there were two girls called Clara and Gracia who lived in the island of Chiloé, in the south of Chile. Their Dad was a fisherman and he was worried because there weren´t enough fish for him to catch. Every day, early in the morning, he would go fishing in his boat, but returned with his net almost empty.

One day, at dinner time, Clara and Gracia´s mum said If there is not enough fish for fishermen to catch is because Pincoya may be upset or sad.

Who is Pincoya? Asked Clara and Gracia.

Their dad explained them, Pincoya is the sea princess; she decides how many fish are available for the fishermen to catch. She likes to dance on the beach in the moonlight, if she dances facing the land there will be not much fish, but if she dances facing the sea, this means there will be lots of fish to catch. And be aware of where she steps, because on her footprints there will be clams to collect the next morning.

Clara and Gracia asked, what can we do to make Pincoya dance facing the sea and bring more fish?

Their mum replied, Pincoya loves music, so we  have to go to the sea and sing to make her happy again. 

The next morning, the girls and their parents got  on  dads  wooden  boat  and  sailed to sea. While they sailed and sang beautiful songs while Dad played his guitar. In the bottom of the sea, Pincoya listened to the music and smiled.

That night, Clara said ‘let’s go to the beach and see if we can see Pincoya dance”

The family put on their warm jackets and walked to the beach on their tip toes. The moon was shining bright in the sky and they decided to hide behind a giant rock.

They waited and waited, until suddenly they saw a beautiful woman coming out of the water. She had long hair and was wearing a dress made of seaweed.

Clara and Gracia could not believe what their eyes. ‘Pincoya’ whispered Clara. Shhh her parents said.

Pincoya started dancing, and she was facing the sea.

After some time, Pincoya splashed in the sea and disappeared. Clara and her family went back home, had hot chocolate and went to bed.

The next morning, Clara’s Dad went fishing very early and Clara woke up Gracia and her mum to go to the beach and see if there were any clams to collect. They were surprised to see that were Pincoya had danced there were lots of clams buried in the sand, and they filled a bucket with them. When they finished, they saw Dad coming back in his boat, with his nets full of shiny fish.

The whole family was happy to have delicious seafood to eat.

End of the story

The Pincoya Myth

Chiloé is an island in South Chile known for its rich mythology. Pincoya personifies the fertility of marine species. Through her ritual dance she provides the chilote (residents of Chiloé) with an abundance or deficiency of fish and seafood. If she performs her dance facing the sea, it means that these shores will have an abundance of fish. When she dances facing the mountains, her back to the sea, seafood will be scarce. Chilote mythology is appreciative of the Pincoya, believed to be good, beautiful and humanitarian. According to other legends, Pincoya is the daughter of Millalobo (king of sea, in chilote mythology) and the human Huenchula. Her sister is the Sirena chilota (a type of Mermaid) and her brother is Pincoy (who also is depicted as her husband in other stories). The three siblings lead and guide the drowned sailors onto a large phantom ship, the Caleuche. Accocrding to the myth, once on board, the dead can resume an existence as if they were alive again, (source: wikipedia)