Among the magical corners of Spain, which fascinate locals and visitors alike, the beauty of the Canary Islands. This Spanish archipelago, made up of volcanic islands, has become a tourist reference throughout the world. But among its beaches with warm waters, dream landscapes and attractive gastronomic and cultural offer, we also find other surprises of nature, such as the imposing Taide volcano that crowns Tenerife. And it is just inside this formation where, according to legend, we find the home of Guayota the evil one. Human curiosity is insatiable, and what we cannot answer with science, we do so with mythological stories. Today in Supercurioso we bring you everything about the legend of Guayota. Join us to meet this terrifying character.
The origin of the legend of Guayota
Before the Europeans arrived in the Canary Islands in the 15th century and later they were conquered by the Crown of Castile, the aborigines of the islands had their own mythology. There was an aboriginal Canarian religion with beliefs that made up its own magical religious universe.
Many of them were shared by the ancient inhabitants of most of the islands and, although they were modified by Christianity, brought by the Spanish conquerors, they were reviewed in the work of researchers and history enthusiasts. This is how we know that is in Tenerifethe home of the Guanches, where the legend of Guayota el maligno was born.
All part of the conception of the world that the Canarian aborigines had forged. The origin of the Guanche people is linked to the Berber tribes that lived in North Africa. About the lifestyle of these aborigines, little has been saved by history. Just some very interesting facts, like the fact that the Guanche mummies were quite similar to the Egyptian ones.
However, it is known that, according to their culture and religion, they believed in the existence of a creator God, of a supreme being who had formed the world and sustained it. And being so, as it happens with the Catholic religion, there was also a being that was in opposition to goodness and the creative force. For the Guanches it was Guayota the evil one, who over time became the protagonist of one of the most popular Canarian legends.
Guayota or Guaiota is a word that historians believe derives from the ancient term “wa-yewta” which means “to hit” or “to fight”. and from this they derive the meaning that the name of the god really had, that he was “the destroyer.”
The legend of Guayota tells that this dark being lived in the bowels of the earth, especially inside the volcanoes. He had in the Teide, the popular volcano of Tenerife, his main residence. The Guanches called the volcano “Echeyde” and believed that hell was located inside. It was Guayota the evil one to whom the volcanic eruptions that devastated the land, crops and people were attributed.
How did Guayota the evil one behave?
According to what the legend of Guayota tells, this demon was the equivalent of the devil of the Catholics. Living inside the volcano, he displayed his anger by generating violent eruptions.
The Guanches, to lessen the devil’s anger, used to make offerings that would help calm him down and prevent the activity of the volcano. and that they deposited in caves at the base of the Taide. But, when that was unavoidable, the aborigines took another measure: they lit bonfires all over the island. With this they achieved that if Guayota left the volcano during its eruption, he would think that he was still in hell and would not stay there for long.
It is also told in the legend of Guayota the evil one, who the demon was able to take the figure of a terrifying dog, and he helped himself to his misdeeds from other lesser evil entities, that sometimes they were also protectors of goats, sheep and dogs. They were called Guañajé, Canajá and Jucancha and governed natural phenomena such as earthquakes or the wind.
The figure of Guayota el maligno is typical of the aborigines of the Canary Islands, but demonic and mythological entities like this one also appear on other volcanic islands around the world. This is the case, for example, of the goddess Pelé, who for the natives of Hawaii lived on the Kilauea volcano.
The legend of Guayota and the darkness of the world
And one of the most popular Canarian legends linked to Guayota the evil one, is the one that holds him responsible for the darkness of the world. The story tells that the malevolent Guayota, consolidated as the god of evil, fire and destruction, dared to kidnap and imprison Magec, the sun, god of light and father of the souls of human beings, inside Echeyde.
Once Magec was locked in the depths of the volcano, the world was plunged into a deep darkness. The sun itself had been imprisoned in the center of the earth.
It was then that men, desperate for the absence of light, went before the presence of Ahaman, the supreme god. They begged for his help to bring light back to the world. Then the legend of Guayota tells that he faced a bloody battle against Achamán, from which he was defeated.
As punishment, the supreme god imprisoned Guayota in the depths of Teide and plugged the crater so that he could not get out. The Guanches thought that the last section of the cone of the volcano that is white and known as “Sugar Loaf” was that stopper that prevented the Guayota demon from leaving. It was after Achamán’s victory against Guayota the evil one, that Magec was able to return to the heights, and then light and joy returned to the world, while the demon was imprisoned in his own hell, breathing very close to the crater.
Without a doubt, mythology is full of fascinating stories and legends, which take our amazement to its peak. Have you ever heard about the legend of Guayota? Did you imagine that a volcano could be conceived as hell on earth itself? and the home of the devil? And that his rashes were a reflection of evil? Incredible! TRUE?
Well, it seems that human beings historically have the need to grant a place of exclusive goodness or evil, with characters in whom we can place our faith. Demons are not only a matter of the most popular religions, but of the most varied expressions of folklore around the world, and the legend of Guayota is proof of this. If you are interested in this fascinating subject, do not miss our article on the names of the most popular demons.