Tupã (mythology)
Encyclopedia
Tupa is the name of the supreme god
in the Guaraní creation myth
. Tupa is also the word in the Guaraní language
that means "god". Tupa is considered to be the creator of the universe
, and more specifically the creator of light
. His residence is the Sun
.
Before the creation of the human
race, Tupa wedded the goddess Arasy, the mother
of the sky
whose home was the Moon
. According to the myth, Tupa and Arasy descended upon the Earth
one morning after their wedding, and together they created the rivers and the seas, the forests, the stars and all the living beings of the universe. It is said that the location they stood while creating these things was atop a hill in Areguá
, a small city in Paraguay
near the capital of Asunción
.
Tupa and Arasy met through a constellation of stars, and it took them years to find one another.
After the creation of all the things in the earth, Tupa set to creating the first human couple on the earth. For his creation, Tupa used a mixture of clay
, juice extracted from yerba mate
, blood from the Short-tailed Nighthawk
, the leaves of several kinds of plants, and finally a centipede
. He made a paste of this mixture, using the waters from a nearby spring that would become Lake Ypacaraí. From this paste Tupa created a pair of statues in his image, and left them in the sun to dry and filled them with life. The newly created humans were placed in front of the gods, and the woman was named Sypave (literally "mother of the people") by Arasy, and the man was named Rupave (literally "father of the people") by Tupa.
Tupa was known for his personality, and this is how many people remember him. He was a very seductive/sexual god. This led to his many children. Tupa and Arasy counselled the humans to live peacefully, to procreate, and to live in love. Tupa then created the spirits of good and evil, Angatupyry and Tau
, left them to guide the people down one path or another and departed back into the heavens.
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
in the Guaraní creation myth
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. Tupa is also the word in the Guaraní language
Guaraní language
Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...
that means "god". Tupa is considered to be the creator of the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
, and more specifically the creator of light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
. His residence is the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
.
Before the creation of the human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
race, Tupa wedded the goddess Arasy, the mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
of the sky
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
whose home was the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. According to the myth, Tupa and Arasy descended upon the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
one morning after their wedding, and together they created the rivers and the seas, the forests, the stars and all the living beings of the universe. It is said that the location they stood while creating these things was atop a hill in Areguá
Areguá
Areguá is a city in Paraguay; located 28 km away from the capital city Asunción. It is the capital of Central. Probably the best feature of this Paraguayan town is its geographical location; it lays between a group of rolling hills with a distinctive rock formation and a beautiful blue lake,...
, a small city in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
near the capital of Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
.
Tupa and Arasy met through a constellation of stars, and it took them years to find one another.
After the creation of all the things in the earth, Tupa set to creating the first human couple on the earth. For his creation, Tupa used a mixture of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, juice extracted from yerba mate
Yerba mate
Maté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
, blood from the Short-tailed Nighthawk
Short-tailed Nighthawk
The Short-tailed Nighthawk is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family.-Distribution and habitat:...
, the leaves of several kinds of plants, and finally a centipede
Centipede
Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes have an odd number of pairs of...
. He made a paste of this mixture, using the waters from a nearby spring that would become Lake Ypacaraí. From this paste Tupa created a pair of statues in his image, and left them in the sun to dry and filled them with life. The newly created humans were placed in front of the gods, and the woman was named Sypave (literally "mother of the people") by Arasy, and the man was named Rupave (literally "father of the people") by Tupa.
Tupa was known for his personality, and this is how many people remember him. He was a very seductive/sexual god. This led to his many children. Tupa and Arasy counselled the humans to live peacefully, to procreate, and to live in love. Tupa then created the spirits of good and evil, Angatupyry and Tau
Tau (mythology)
Tau is the name of an evil spirit in Guaraní mythology. Although Tau is not quite synonymous with the Devil in Christian beliefs, for example, he was sometimes referred to as The Evil Spirit and as such may have been a personification of evil itself...
, left them to guide the people down one path or another and departed back into the heavens.