Tupã (Tu-pá, Tu-pã or Tu-pana, that Tupi language means thunder) is an entity of Brazilian mythology. The natives pray to Nhanderuvuçú and his messenger Tupã. Tupã was not exactly a god, but a manifestation of a god in the form of the sound of thunder.
Influence of Catechization[]
Câmara Cascudo (a Brazilian historian, anthropologist, lawyer and journalist) affirms that Tupã is a "work of adaptation of catechesis". In fact, the concept "Tupã" already existed: not as a deity, but as connotative to the sound of thunder. Therefore, it was an effect, that the cause the natives did not know and therefore feared. Osvaldo Orico (a Brazilian writer) is of the opinion that the natives had a notion of the existence of a Force, of a God superior to all. Thus he says: "In spite of the simple religious idea that characterized them, they had a notion of the Supreme Being, whose voice was heard in the storms Tupã-cinunga, or "thunder", whose luminous reflection was Tupãberaba, or "lightning". believed to be the god of creation, the god of light.
For the Indians, before the Jesuits catechized them, Tupã represented a divine act, was the breath, the life, and the man standing with the flute, who earns his life with the flow that passes through it.
Myths & Legends[]
Behavior[]
Tupã is said to be a merciful and benevolent. However, in many stories he resembles the Greek god Zeus, famous for his extramarital cases, generating many illegitimate children.
Creation[]
According to legend, after Nhanderuvuçú created the souls and waters (Iara), he created Tupã, responsible for controlling weather, climate and winds. That is why the natives feared the sounds of thunder and lightning, for they thought it was Tupã expressing himself negatively about something or a bad omen. Tupã is also credited as the creator of the light and it is said that he lives in Kuarahy, word in Guarani for "focus of light", and can also be used to the sun.
Creation of the Sun and the Moon[]
According to tradition, Guaraci, the sun god once got tired of his eternal job and had to sleep. When he closed his eyes the world fell into darkness. To brighten the darkness while sleeping, Tupã created Jaci, the moon, to illuminate the night and bring softness and charm to the world.
Jaci was a goddess so beautiful that when Guaraci awakened by her light, he fell in love with her. And so, enchanted, he went back to sleep so he could see her again. But when the sun opened her eyes to admire the moon, everything lit up and she went to bed, fulfilling her mission. Guaraci then asked Tupã to create Rudá, the love and its messenger. Love knew no light or darkness. It could unite them at dawn. In this version, when an eclipse happens to be solar or lunar, it is the moment in which Jaci and Guaraci are together falling in love more and more.
Jaci and Tupã. Art by Bianca Duarte
Although some versions say that Jaci is married with Guarací, the Sun God, the most famous one is that she is his twin sister and that she is the wife of the God of Thunder, Tupã. As the wife of Tupã, it is said that they were the first couple ever.
As Tupã created her, she is considered his daughter, but she is also considered his sister as there is a belief that Tupã said "I will not have only children, because all are my brothers, and sisters, even if they come from me".
That story is from before the creation of the human kind.
According to another legend, in villages all over the world, it was always day, and the natives never stopped hunting, cleaning and cooking. The sun went from east to west and then went the opposite way, from west to east, always without ever disappearing. One day, however, when Tupã had gone out to hunt, a man touched the fragile Sun to know how it works, and the Sun broke into a thousand pieces. From then on, darkness reigned in the villages. Tupã, then, nonconformist, recreated the Sun, but this did not return again from the west to the East, so Tupã created the Moon and the stars to light the night.
Creation of the Human Kind[]
Tupã descended to Earth in a place described as a mountain in the region of Areguá, Paraguay, and from this place created everything on the face of the Earth, including the ocean, forests, animals and the stars were placed in the sky at that time. Also, he created the human beings.
The first humans created by Tupã would have been the Rupavé (the father of the peoples) and Sypavé (the mother of the peoples) and these would have given birth to a large number of daughters and to three sons, called Tumé Arandú (the sage), Marangatu (generous leader), and Japeusá (liar), the latter a thief and crook and would have committed suicide, but he was resurrected as a crab, and from this then all the crabs were cursed to walk back like Japeusá. Among the daughters there was Porâsý, notable for sacrificing her own life to rid the world of one of the seven legendary monsters, diminishing its power (and therefore the power of evil as a whole). It is believed that several of the first humans rose in their deaths and became smaller entities.
Creation of Diamonds[]
Tupã played an important role in the "Legend of the Diamond" a Brazilian folk tale, He was responsible for transforming Potira's tears into diamonds.
Legend[]
A long time ago, a tribe of Brazilian Indians lived on the banks of a river. They were a very happy couple: Itagibá and Potira. Itagibá, which means strong arm, was a robust and fearless warrior. Potira, whose name means flower, was a young and beautiful Indian woman.
The couple were living peacefully and happily when a war broke out against a neighboring tribe. Itagibá had to leave to fight. It was with deep sorrow that he said goodbye to his beloved wife and accompanied the other warriors. Potira did not shed a single tear, but followed, with eyes full of sadness, the canoe that was carrying her husband, until it disappeared around the bend in the river.
Many days passed without Itagibá returning to the village. Every afternoon. Every afternoon, the Indian woman waited on the riverbank for her beloved husband to return. Her heart bled with longing. But she remained calm and confident, hoping that Itagibá would return to the village.
Finally, Potira was informed that her husband would never return. He had died as a hero, fighting against the enemy. Upon hearing this news, Potira lost the calm she had maintained until then and shed copious tears.
Overcome by suffering, Potira spent the rest of her life on the riverbank, crying without ceasing. Her pure and bright tears mixed with the white sand of the river. The Indian woman's immense pain impressed Tupã, the king of the gods. And to perpetuate the memory of Potira's great love, he transformed her tears into diamonds.
Hence the reason why diamonds are found among the gravel of rivers and streams. Their shine and purity recall the tears of longing of the unfortunate Potira.
Family Tree[]
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| Tupi-Guarani Mythology Articles | |
|---|---|
| Major Deities | Guaraci • Iara • Nhanderuvuçú • Rudá • Tupã |
| Other Deities | Angatupry • Angra • Anhangá • Anhum • Ceuci • Jaci • Jurupari • Porâsý • Tau • Xandoré |
| Major Figures | Abaçaí • Açaí • Acutipupu • Andurá • Caipora • Curupira • Erem • Guaraná • Honorato • Ipupiara • Mandioca • Maria Caninana • Pirarucu • Rupavé • Sypavé • Tumé Arandú • Uirapuru • Vitória-Régia |
| Groups & Peoples | Icamiabas • The Seven Monstrous Children |
| Creatures | Antã • Boitatá • Boiuna • Boto Cor-De-Rosa • Capelobo • Mapinguari • Mbopí recoypý • Onça Celeste • Pombero • Uaiuara • Yaguareté-abá |
| Locations | Kuarahy • Yvy marã e'ỹ |