South American culture is populated by legends and myths. in the desert of Atacama, we find the legend of The Alicante. Chile it is a mining country, and since the beginning of its history, many people have been seduced by the search for gold. The myth tells that a bird made of gold and diamonds guided the miners to the precious minerals, this is The Alicante.
Who is The Alicante?
It is a creature from Chilean urban mythology that lives specifically in the driest and most arid desert area on the planet, in the region of Atacama. The popular imagination represents him with a huge bird, although in some versions it is described as medium-sized. It is blindingly beautiful due to its splendid golden hue.
This mythological creature is shaped like a swan, with golden wings, long legs, and huge claws. In some legends it is said to be made of gold encrusted with jewels.
It is considered to be of good fortune. According to the most common versions of the legend, those who manage to see it are guaranteed economic prosperity for many years; in other versions they say that if they manage to touch it they will have wealth for the rest of their lives. It lives near the mines located in the mountains, since there are deposits of precious metals and minerals. This is the reason for its appearance, which gives the impression of being made of gold.
The Alicante, is particularly sought after by miners, according to legends, if they manage to follow it, it will guide them to enormous deposits of precious metals or jewels. But since he appears at night, it is very difficult for them to follow his trail. According to popular mythology, The Alicante, it is the same creature that decides who can see it and who cannot, depending on the interest with which it is sought.
He rejects the greedy and helps those who seek wealth for noble reasons, allowing them to look at it. Spanish-speaking America is very rich in its legends, if you want to learn a little more about them read this article, Colombian myths.
What does the legend say?
In the northern hills of Chile, where the largest deposits of minerals and precious metals are supposed to be, is where the imaginary of the miners locates El Alicante. These minerals are the food of this mythological bird. Seeing this creature is considered good luck and attracts good fortune. If you find him and manage to follow him to his lair, you can get large amounts of silver, precious metals and gold.
According to legend, one is not always lucky, since The Alicante, manages to see the intentions of his pursuers, if those who follow him are people full of greed, the flying creature will take them to the depths of the mines, to remote places, full of dangers, and unknown paths, they will not find refuge nor will they be able to return , they will be hopelessly lost and will perish, no one will see them again.
It is also said that The Alicante, with its brilliance dazzles and blinds those who look at it. It is supposed that because it is gold, its plumage is very shiny, making it difficult to stare at it and hold it for a long time. Their diet is based on gold and silver, which makes them look like these precious metals.
They say, in the legend, that if The Alicante it feeds it will not be able to fly, due to the weight of the metals it consumes as food, this does not affect the bird much, since when it walks it leaves no trace and thus they cannot follow it. It is considered that this bird, according to mythology, can be the salvation of lost miners.
Other versions speak of his eyes that have an impressive sparkle. They are like halos of light that prevent them from looking at them straight on, another peculiarity of this creature is that when faced with a feeling that it is in danger, it manages to change the tone of its wings, making them so dark that they do not even reflect any shadow, and so on. manages to go unnoticed. Knowing the mythology of a country is important to know its people, if you like these topics read the following article, ecuadorian legends.
The Virgin and the Bird
The popular beliefs of the north of Chiledictate that people who go astray should pray to the Virgin of Punta Negra, so that he sends the flying creature and makes clear the way to return and thus return to his home.
some stories
Every miner of chile, has dreamed of seeing and following this large bird with a golden yellow complexion, and thus fulfill the great dream of reaching the largest virgin ore deposit following The Alicante. This has given rise to a number of stories, such as the one narrated below.
A long time ago in the city of Copiapó, there was a very rich family, owners of copper and mineral mines. The eldest son was never satisfied with what he had, saying that his brothers would keep the entire inheritance. One day coming home from school he saw a servant drawing a bird that had nothing in common, it was big with fire on its wings and broad features that he had never seen before.
Asking what they drew, they told him the legend of The Alicante. The young man made the decision to go look for the bird. He put on a safety suit from his father's mine, went to the nearest one, and pretended to be a miner. Upon entering the mine he pretended to be in great pain, after a while, he saw a glow at the end of the tunnel, it was The Alicante attracted by complaints. Realizing he was moving away, the young man began to follow him convinced that it was the bird of legend.
He followed him to a very old room, and almost collapsed but full of treasures, when entering the door was closed, and the young man could not open it. There he looked straight at a bird just like the one in the drawing, The Alicante. The young man seeing the treasures said, “I will be the richest of all”, at that moment the bird turned black and disappeared.
The boy tried to lift the treasure but it was very heavy, so he took some coins, but when he tried to get out he realized that the door would not open. He did everything trying to get out but he couldn't, suddenly he stopped feeling air coming in and a few minutes later he died. They never found it. Every day many miners venture out trying to see the bird, and every day more disappear for no reason, leaving the mystery behind. The Alicante. To know more stories you can read this article, moon legend.