The Malinhue is a little-known and eerie figure from Chilean folklore, particularly rooted in the southern rural traditions, where bodies of water - rivers, ponds, and deep wells - are often associated with spiritual danger.
Etymology:[]
- Malin = young woman or girl (also sometimes linked to Mapuche words relating to femininity or deceit)
- Hue = place or "where"
The name can be interpreted as “place of the girl” or “where the girl is,” which ties into the creature's mimicry of a female voice to attract prey.
Description:[]
The Malinhue is described as a long, snake-like creature with the face of a choroy (a type of green parrot native to southern Chile). Despite its almost comical-sounding appearance, the creature holds a deeply sinister role in oral tradition. It is said to live underwater, usually in hidden or remote wetlands, and uses a unique and chilling method to lure its victims: it can imitate human voices, especially those of young women. This mimicking ability is used to draw people - usually men - toward the water, where they may drown or disappear mysteriously.
Confusion with Piuchén:[]
The Malinhue is often confused with the Piuchén, another shapeshifting, blood-sucking creature from Chilean myth that can also take serpentine forms. However, while the Piuchén is more associated with vampiric attacks and illness, the Malinhue's primary weapon is deception through voice, and its aquatic habitat sets it apart.
Folkloric Testimony:[]
One of the few known accounts says:
“Había un cunquillal, había cienego, y el pozo estaba a pique, bien hondo, y ahí estaba el malinhue del mar.”
(“There was a patch of reeds, a swampy area, and the well was steep, very deep, and there lived the Malinhue of the sea.”)
— Santos Naín, Qiutil, 1993.
Here, the cunquillal refers to a place where cunquillo or junquillos (a kind of cane used in artisan crafts) grows - dense, wet areas that are often avoided at night. The "malinhue del mar" phrase may imply not just sea origin, but that its domain can extend to any deep body of water, suggesting its liminal nature - between river, swamp, and ocean.
References:[]
- https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/archivos2/pdfs/MC0008652.pdf
- Sonia Montecino Aguirre. Mitos de Chile: diccionario de seres, magias y encantos. Biblioteca del bicentenario. Sudamericana, 2003