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THE ENONDEARA OF THE TUPI-GUARANI
True fathers from their numerous sons that will come,
true fathers of the Word that will live on
their numerous sons that will come:
he makes them to know they are divine.
- Guarani song
Seen by other pantheons as little more than just nature spirits from the new continent that got together on a semblance of a pantheon, they are not all wrong. They are far more than just nature spirits, but they also are not normal pantheon.
The Tupi-Guarani people were fragmented among hundreds of communities through thousands of kilometers, creating a tapestry of different myths, heroes and mantles even far before the arrival of Europeans. Old mantles mixed with new ones, echoes of old legends half remember, modified with each retelling, mixed new beings with ancient ones, creating an almost structureless group.
The Enondeara, which means the Ancient Ancestors in Tupi, would hardly recognize themselves by such name. They have no common name to share between them all, much less a common past or even a common world. But even so, they still stand, together, connected vaguely by family ties, but more importantly, by a love to this land and by their sense of duty.
Even with a faded sense of connection between them, the Enondeara are tied also by the same view towards rules, respect and fairness. The ancient rules, most forgotten, speak of times of fast, of rituals and processions, but more importantly, about rules of fairness and respect towards all. Everything has a spirit and if you disrespect it, be it an animal or the jungle, it will call for retribution.
Many Enondeara still follow the duties of guaranteeing the balance of fairness, punishing those who break these ancient rules, as they have been doing since the beginning of time.
Principal Members: Besides the fact that different communities would give a different list of the principal members of the Enondeara, those here presented are the most commonly known. With exception of the Primordial, when there is a Primordial, the biggest would of the Enondeara certainly is Tupã, considered the leader of the pantheon, who presides over the sky and weather, as well over the entire world, but Guaraci, the warmth of the sun embodied, Jakaira, the god of smoke, mist and pajeism, Jaci, the beautiful moon goddess, and Nhandessy, the great mother and mother earth, are also very important. On earth, Caapora, the forest watcher, Anhanga, the punisher of unfair hunts, and Jurupari, the bringer of nightmares, are the ones who still watch over the old rules, with increasingly degrees of scariness. But among the Enondeara, the closest to humanity would be, Tumé Arandu, who taught who to plant, cook, how to make hooks and many other things, Porassy, the warrior who sacrificed herself to kill monsters, Iara, the mermaid goddess of rivers and lakes, and Derekey and Dereveruy, the brothers who became the sun and the moon. DEITIES OF ENONDEARA
Anhanga, the Phantom Deer
Some say he is the lord of the underworld, others that he is a ghost, an apparition who punishes those who hunt unfairly. What they all agree is he is never a good sign. Not properly one of the Enondeara, Anhanga isn’t the ancestral of any of the Native-Brazilian groups, neither is he the father of some piece of flora, fauna or natural formation. In fact, not only he has no descendants, if he has any parents, he never told anyone. His more natural form is of a white deer, his favorite animal, with an ethereal presence and two red flaming eyes, which can drive any who look at it to madness. Besides the lack of information of where he came from, what he is sure: he is, and consider himself to be, a punisher.
Along time ago, he punished those which did not practice a fair hunt, especially against deer, but he has since expanded his areas of interest far beyond the forests, punishing those who are unfair on any kind of activities, from cheating on his spouse to cheating at gamble. His punishments, however, barely changed: he still uses illusions to confuse and distract, curses of bad luck or failure in life, physical harm to body or property, and occasionally madness or death. But, different from Caapora, he does his job out of a sense of pleasure and fun, not as a duty and obligation. He enjoys tricking and punishing those who deserve it, and take a sinister sense of pride out of it. It is also said that he has some form of connection, maybe even some control, of the Anhang, the bodiless spirits, that dwells in the jungles, but how exactly is unknown.
On the World, he spends most of his time either invisible or in his deer form on the jungles, but every more often he goes into the cities to look for those who are unfair to punishing them. He takes incarnations which nobody notices but are close to all forms of cheating: the janitor of a business building, the door attendant of the love hotel, the waiter in a restaurant where politicians meet. His Scions never born or created, always chosen, and filled with his passion for fairness and punishment, but they have troubles with the line between being an agent of justice or an agent of punishment. They usually don’t have trouble in finding their patron, but they can’t count on him to help to find balance.
Callings: Judge, Liminal, Trickster
Purviews: Beasts (Deer), Epic Strength, Death, Deception, Darkness, Passion (Madness), Wild
Caapora, the Forest Watcher
The guardian of the forest, the spirit of the jungle. Caapora literally means “the one who inhabits the trees”, and no better description could be given to him. A wilder god, he watches the jungles and wild lands for those who break the rules of fair hunting and disrespect his homeland. Caapora punishes any one he thinks is being disrespectful, with punishments that go from taking their prey away and confusing them, making them lost in the jungle, to cursing them with a powerful bad luck, or, to the worst, with death. But, to those who come with good intentions and are respectful to nature, he treats them equally, and sometimes even helpfully, giving a hand in surviving in out of the wilds.
Mostly distrustful to anyone who enters his dominions, he always expects the worst from outsiders which he never saw before. However, he will never mistreat someone before they break the rules, and even so he always balances evil intention with punishment. He isn’t unfair, but he is rarely merciful. Different from Anhanga, he takes no pleasure in his duties, and fulfil his function to the best of his abilities out of a sense of duty and balance. When he can enjoy himself, he spends his time with his animals, with his nature, and among the tribes of both men and caiporas, his race of helpers. He is a big fan of alcohol and tobacco, and will never refuse one offered to him, which happens in occasional festivities in small villages he might join. He, however, is never far from his jungles, as he may be needed at any time.
Caapora barely changed since the arrival of Europeans, but he has been adapting. He adapted for the firearms learning tricks to make them fail. H adapted for the vehicles, learning how to trick their motors. And, more recently, he adapted for the rampaging destruction of the wilds, learning that you need to attack the heart of the operation, not just the ones at the site of the destruction. His Scions are usually simple but fair people, which when they hear their call, they dedicate themselves fully. Often, this call is related to help nature in some way. While most of his Scions on the outside are regular mortals, most of his Scions inside of the jungle are caiporas, who help him to guard and protect nature.
Callings: Hunter, Judge, Liminal
Purviews: Beasts, Deception, Epic Dexterity, Prosperity, Wild
Derekey, the Older Brother
aka Tamendonare, Ñanderyqueý
Most often, Derekey and Dereveruy are brother, sons of Nhandessy. She, pregnant, after being abandoned by her husband, tried to find his way after him. Derekey helped her, even while he was still inside her womb, but even them she failed, ending up eaten by a tribe of Jaguar-People. They, however, didn’t eat the kids, which they raised as their pets. They grew up and, together, exterminate most of the Jaguars People. After many trials, tribulations and enemies, they became powerful enough to be accepted as members of the Enondeara, meeting their mother in the afterlife, and with Derekey even becoming the sun.
But even if the two worked together, and together became deities, this does not mean that they were equals. Derekey was, by far, the most powerful, smart and heroic of the two. Not only most, if not all, plans had been devised by Derekey, but he had to resurrect his brother many times through his adventures. This difference in power didn’t create hostility, most of the time, between the brothers, but it made of Derekey a very arrogant god. He has no ill will towards anyone, but a lifetime of heroic wins and of superiority towards his brother made him overly proud of his abilities, to say the least, and loves to show them off whenever he can. This, however, doesn’t mean he isn’t right to be proud, and he is as good a hunter, athlete and hero he say he is, which he says very often, and when facing a true challenge, he knows when to back off to do the most with what he have.
When he incarnates, which is most of the time, he does so in a form he can challenge himself in the most spectacular and dangerous ways: a daring race driver, a crazy mountain climber who will ignore laws to climb the most dangerous rocks, and a movie artist who doesn’t need a stuntman. What he doesn’t boast about is that, more often than not, he misses the company of his brother, and most of his incarnations have some very personal assistant or follower, which might sometimes even seem more of a hassle than a helper, but the he will defend and keep around anyway. He expects from his Scions the same daring nature, pushing them to be a successful as he is, and to make everybody know about it. Thankfully his Scions are also usually daring, taking charge and accepting challenges others see as impossible, even if others see those challenges as impossible for good reasons.
Callings: Leader, Hunter, Trickster
Purviews: Beasts, Epic Dexterity, Fire, Journey, Health, Sun, Sky
Dereveruy, the Little Brother
aka Aricoute, Tivyry
Of the two twins, Dereveruy was always the least powerful. Derekey always has a divine father, but on the few stories that say that his father is divine, he is categorically presented as weaker than Derekey’s father. His brother was simply born with an unwinnable advantage, which made of him stronger, smarter and even supernatural, and never shy about it. But this didn’t bother him too much. Most of the time, at least. Even through their differences, they were always together, and together they became deities, with him even becoming the moon, according to some. And, contrary to what most think, having Derekey as a brother wasn’t bad, and Dereveruy still loved him. His brother had saved Dereveruy many times, as well as resurrected him when he couldn’t save him, and he always had a good plan to follow, even if Dereveruy failed to his part occasionally.
After they ended their times as heroes, and were accepted as members of the Enondeara, the brothers became more separated, as Dereveruy preferred to stay close to his mother while Derekey simply couldn’t stop adventuring. Now Dereveruy is an assistant to his mother, helping her to organize the afterlife and doing some errands to her in the World. He doesn’t incarnate very often, as he has a bad track record on his incarnations, often ending up messing things around or dying somehow. He hardly complains though, being almost used to it. His fails don’t mean he is incompetent, he is indeed a prodigious hunter, a knower of plants and animals, as well as a being extremely resilient. Is just that he is accident-prone, and fate always push him into situations where he would need to be helped, sometimes even brought back from the dead.
When he incarnates, he is usually around his mother, as an assistant or helper, but on the few times he does it for himself he is hard to spot, as he takes up the positions of unimportant people, who are just enjoying what they are doing while helping others: a kid who always takes the left over position in the soccer games, that teenager who spend his summer helping old farmers, or as the professional actor who is always cast as a side-character but is fundamental to the lead role. His Scions usually heir his tendencies to disappear in the background, playing more often supportive roles in their Bands. But while they don’t easily take the lead, they are always up to do what is necessary for the plan, even if they might get hurt in the process.
Callings: Guardian, Hunter, Liminal
Purviews: Darkness, Death, Epic Stamina, Fortune, Journey, Moon
Guaraci, the Fire Heart
aka Quaraci, Coaracy, Karai
Guaraci might be the sun itself, or the just the warmth that hits earth. He might be the father of Tupã or just his brother. He might be the ancestral of Nhanderuvuçu or his first son. Many say many things that he might be, but a few is known that he is: he is a big father. Even if Jurupari is his most famous son, he considers himself the father of all life, as there would be no life without him. He is caring, loving and has only the best interests of his son on heart. But he also has a huge heart, that when filled with an emotion, is hard to hold, and many times he takes decisions towards it without fully considering the consequences.
He is never selfish, greedy or malignant, his passion projects are always founded in good intentions and objectives, but they don’t always go as he desires. In some stories, when he first saw Jacy, his heart filled with so much love that he shined so bright to show his love that the world began to catch fire. And, many years later, he would send Jurupari to follow a mission that ended with him becoming what he is today. He tries to help whenever something goes wrong to the best of his abilities, but before he doesn’t feel too bad about it, as soon he is already into another project to help the mortals he loves so much. Guaranteeing that his new project to clean up polluted rivers, or revolutionize housing, or creating a new health system, or whatever it is, don’t end up burning everything to the ground is a duty to all in the pantheon.
When he comes to earth is always as financiers, mentors, and inspirers, with an attentive eye to those with great passions and ability who wish to improve the world. Under his tutelage, they grow and develop their craft and, many times, when they are great enough, they become his Scions to work on his projects more directly. He is the teacher on the university who loves passionate students, the financier who looks for the next project who will revolutionize the world and the promoter who help new inventive artists.
His Scions are also always part of one of his projects, which they are more than often unaware until much later than their visitation. Those usually start small, with a few requests to a specifically purpose, but they might end on worldly level quest. When he needs, he even makes miraculous beginnings, making his kids growing much faster or having a miracle conception. As a patron, he is usually present to support and his Scions, showing his more caring and loving side, even if always busy or working. His Scions are usually as passionate as he is, no matter how small what they are doing is, and sometimes they can’t get why others are not following: a general who will never give up, a scientist who will do anything for his research, or a botanist with the most cared daisies on the city.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Lover
Purviews: Artistry, Fertility, Forge, Fire, Sun, Passion;
Iara, the Goddess of Lakes and Rivers
aka Yara, UIara, Mother of Water, Uwan
One of the best examples of the mixing of traditions among the Enondeara, the Yara is an amalgamation of different mantles of fresh water goddess, who share more than have of different. The oldest is of Mother of Water (Mãe d’Agua, in Portuguese), one of the many nature mothers in the Tupi-Guarani traditions. She is careful and loving towards her lakes and rivers. Uwan, on the other hand, is a more malevolent mantle, casting curses and diseases towards those who break into her domains, and even those afar, dangerous to anyone who disrespect her. And the newest is Yara, a mermaid who swim through the Brazilian rivers, seducing men and pushing them into the rivers and lakes, sometimes to Encante, a paradise-like land underwater, sometimes to their deaths.
Even with multiple mantles, usually, if you do not disrespect her or her domains, she will treat you well, even kindly, and can be a very fun company. She is probably the most easily accessible of the Enondeara, being found in almost all-natural clean bodies of water in one way or the other, from the rivers of the Amazon, to the swamp like Pantanal and even the seasonal rivers of the Sertão. Even mortals every so often interact with her, especially as Yara, which makes of her one of the most known of the Enondeara, famous everywhere in Brazil. She is always as a stunningly beautiful woman in green hair, and will kindly offer you food, drinks, advices, and even the occasional relics if she likes you. She can also be dangerous, and will not hesitate to punish anyone she deems deserving, even if the perceived crime is just against her ego, but she can also be very caring, and even fun if you catch her in a good mood.
When among mortals, and with two legs, she splits her time between taking care of people who needs most, especially children, and just enjoying some fun, particularly enjoying her karaoke nights with Yemanja. She is the teacher in a riverside community, she is the veterinarian specialized on freshwater life and the singer of a party boat. She also appears in all protests, marches or any movement in to defend her domains, but after the protests she never follows the legislative process so thoroughly. Her Scions can be as careful or carefree depending on which mantle they are more connected, and many times they are both, changing from one to the other at a moment’s notice.
Callings: Lover, Healer, Sage
Purviews: Artistry (Singing), Beauty, Beast (Aquatic Animals), Health, Fertility, Water
Jaci, the Moon Goddess
aka Yaci, Aracy
Different from the rest of the pantheon, there are few questions about Jacy and her place and origin on the universe: she was created by Tupã; she created all the stars around her and the first fashion garments; she is the patron of beauty, fashion and of married woman, being the one responsible to make their husbands miss them and go back home; she is the one which cried the Amazon river; and she is the one who turn the beautiful women into stars in the sky. The biggest question left is to who is she married to: Guaraci or Tupã. Whoever is the lucky husband, she loves him dearly and with all her heart.
But even with so much love for her husband, Jacy is most of the time busy with what she loves: beauty, in all its forms. During the night from the sky, she watches the beauties of the world: the moon struck waterfalls, the flowers and nightly creatures, and, most important, women and her garments. She believes all women are beautiful, in one way or another, but that all women can be made even more beautiful. Naturally, she is a huge fan of fashion shows, and is probably the most certain way to find her somewhere. However, she is more than a fashion fanatic, she is also a protectress of women, specially married women, and can both cry rivers out of pain for them and unleash her fury upon bad husbands.
While among mortals, she is always a beautiful woman very fashionably dressed, usually connected to a work which helps her bring, or recover, beauty to the world: like a botanist, a fashion critic, a painter, and a counselor in a women’s clinic. Her Scions, often women, can’t complain that she is a distant patroness, being present very often, even if in disguise. They always bring beauty to the world in some way, from painters and dressers to florists and archeologists.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Lover
Purviews: Artistry (fashion), Beauty, Darkness, Moon, Stars, Passion (Miss), Water
Jakaira, the God of Smoke
aka Yakaira, Yahira, Yaraira
Seem as the brother of Tupã and Guaraci, after the flood that cleared the world, he took care of the world and the humans who there would live. On the world he created fog, mist and smoke, the latter that he uses to transport the soul of the dead to the afterlife, and he provided to humanity the herbs and knowledge to communicate with the spirits of the world, including the Enondeara. He is the one who communicate the messages of the Enondeara to their prophets and priests, usually through the smoke of their pipes. He is the god that inhabits the zenith, or the north, in some versions, and from there he watches humanity, vigilant to help bring balance and retribution to all that live there.
His as the communicator of the mortals to the Enondeara, as his position as the guardian of the world after the flood and as a psychopomp god give him a unique perspective towards the lives of the mortals. He sees himself as partially responsible by the world they live in, and by hearing their requests during their lives as well as their last moments on earth, he is understandably more connected to them than most gods, even beyond the Enondeara. To try to help them in this imperfect world, he decides to enforce some form of justice and balance, becoming a god of retribution beyond his usual attributes, trying to guarantee that all harvest what they plant, even if sometimes his overzealousness leads him closer to vengeance than to retribution.
He rarely leaves his place in the top of the sky (or at the north), but when he does, he still keeps his jobs as a guardian of retribution: he works on the police internal affairs, as a mob boss who for his community, and sometimes even as a vigilant bringing retribution by his own fists. His Scions all know that he is always watching them, and he isn’t above reminding them occasionally, especially if they seem to need a small glimpse of hope: a dream, a sky light or a small vision on/through smoke. His Scions are specially connected to him and towards all around him, with a keen sense for unfairness and retribution, and a sympathetic attitude towards those in need.
Callings: Guardian, Liminal, Judge
Purviews: Death, Fire, Frost, Journey, Order, Sky.
Jurupari, the Bringer of Law and Nightmares
aka Yupari, Zupari, Kuwai
Beyond the fact that he was born from a miraculous conception, in which his mother was impregnated by eating a fruit that she shouldn't and ended up pregnant with Guaraci’s son and that he aged 10 years in a single week, little is known for sure of his past. Some say that he was blessed with wisdom, and taught them a new set of laws and traditions to the people that he visited. Some that he became a tyrant, warlord of a tribe, which spread his laws by force. Some even say that he died as children, after eating all the other children from the village due to their mothers not offering drinks to him. One way or the other, he ends up being burned alive, with his spirit becoming a monster who hunts those who break the laws he once brought.
One of the most affected by the arrival of the Europeans, what once probably was a proud god of law and order was twisted into an ugly monster of nightmares. To most he is a monster, the master of a legion of Anhang, an ally to Anhanga, and a bringer of nightmares and suffocations. However, to some he was and still is the teacher of many rituals and traditions, the one from which the sacred instruments were made, the one who watches and protects the boys into adulthood. But both his aspects share a trait: an absolute respect and reverence to the law he once taught: even his most terrible side only brings terror to those who broke, even if just slightly, the laws. He is probably the biggest defender of the traditions of the Tupi-Guarani among the Enondeara, but most his solutions are extreme, and keeping an eye on him and his Scions to avoid him starting a war, or worst, is a duty to all members of the pantheon.
In the World he rarely incarnates in any form beside his monstrous form, of a huge humanoid with a distorted giant mouth, but on the few times he does he appears as a beautiful clearly native descendant with a mouth covering mask. The few who see him in his form are those who are his most loyal followers and the will usually end as his Scions, but he sometimes appears in some capacity as a protector of the native communities: a protester in campaigns against their lands, as a masked influencer who incites fights for it, and a doctor in protective mask who enters in communities stroke by diseases.
Unsurprisingly, the Scions of Jurupari are probably not going to find a lot of support of other Scions and Native communities. Except to some communities, they will be considered a bad sign, with them being received with a mix of mistrust and fear, if not direct hostility or panic. Other Scions tend to treat them better, as they understand that the condition of Scion isn’t easy, but even so most of Jurupari’s Scions prefer the company of Scions of other pantheons, which know little to nothing about their patron. As a patron, Jurupari is serious and restrictive, expecting his Scions to be perfect followers and protectors of laws and traditions, but if they can keep up, he will provide them with gifts and advice whenever necessary. If they are not, he is isn’t afraid to bring them some nightmares, to remember what they should be doing.
Callings: Judge, Leader, Warrior
Purviews: Artistry (Rituals, Music), Beauty, Epic Stamina, Death, Darkness, Order, War
Nhandessy, the Great Mother
aka Nhandecy
The first mother of the World, both literally and figuratively, she is to many the first female to ever exist. She is the wife of Nhanderu, one of the guides of Nhanderuvuçu, the Mother Earth (or Mother of Earth), the mother of the twin heroes, and a giant decorated silver snake. Probably the biggest of the many Mothers of the Tupi-Guarani, she is also one of the most old and powerful of the Enondeara. But, most important to her and to those who seek her, she is a mother of all and the one who gives comfort to those who arrive at Yby Marã E'yma.
Most define through their relation to their children, specially her forgiveness, her self-sacrifice and her teaching nature, she isn’t limited by them. She is also a proud woman, who, besides her endless patience, does not lower her head to anyone. If she didn’t hold herself back when talking back to the Creator of the Existence, she will not hold herself to anyone. This doesn’t mean she isn’t kind and gentle, which she is in abundance to their children, but she will not hold back to give a scold and discipline them if she think they need. She is, however, as easy to forgive as she is to punish. If her son, Dereveruy, ruined an attempt to bring her back to life and she not only forgave her, but gave to him a place at her side at Yby Marã E'yma, who will she not forgive?
She spends most of her time taking care of her mansion at Yby Marã E'yma, but she incarnates with some frequency, usually to improve the life of her sons: as a celebrity with fundraiser show to promote charities; as a teacher who tries to show the connections between all the disciplines; and as a the nice lady in the daycare center. She also likes to incarnate in her giant silver snake form, in which she spends long days either sleeping in her hidden cave or just traversing the ground, and underground, but as more and more of the lands are populated, she has been reducing her going outs to avoid causing chaos.
Her Scions are usually well taken care, with a very careful patroness, but even if they are Chosen, she always sounds like a mother, scolding or being super-protective occasionally. They usually share her forgiving and understanding nature, as well as her proud and resolute nature, which often end with them arguing with her. Even if she talks back, and usually ends up scolding their Scions, she also ends up forgiving them, and secretively proud of their character.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Sage
Purviews: Beast (Jabuti, Snake), Chaos, Earth, Fertility, Death, Passion (Motherly Love)
Porassy, the Monster Slayer
aka Porãsy
One of the first people who ever was born, Porãsy is as courageous and strong as she is beautiful and cunning. When alive, she didn’t have a chance to stop her auntie Kerana from being take away by Tau, the spirit of evil, but when their sons started terrorizing her community and heroes have been called, she was the first to present herself. She offered herself as wife of Monai, one of the monsters, to attract all to a trap. Took many days, but as planned, all the 7 monsters entered a cave for the wedding and got drunk, but just before Porãsy could escape, the monstrous groom took notice of what was going on, and screamed betrayal. To not let them escape, she told the people to finish the plan, so they closed the cave and smoke the interior, killing all inside. Tupã, for her sacrifice, turned her into the morning star, to shine always a symbol of hope.
Even if it ended badly to her, she is proud of it and would do it over again if necessary. In a pantheon with few fighters, she embodies the best on a warrior: prowess and might as well as forethought, resourcefulness and willingness to do the necessary sacrifice and hope of a better tomorrow. And she always enjoys putting it in practice, especially in some friendly monster-hunting competitions with Oxossi. Whenever she isn’t hunting something, she is usually among mortals, having some fun with them and helping them to face their own monsters: a self-defense teacher who likes to take some drinks with the students; a club-goer who will not hold punches against more annoying men; and a strategy specialist of the police forces who enjoys her operations a little too much.
From her Scions she expects, and usually find, the same willingness to fight the monsters that live in the world, no matter in which form they appear. A hacker that goes against corrupt politicians, an investigator after evidence against an abusive spouse and a literal monster hunter are, on her eyes, equal heroes. But more than just her heroism, most of her Scions have the same hope and willingness to do what is necessary to face the monsters in the world. This makes the Scions of Porãsy more inclined to mistrust Scions of Jurupari, as she has kept close attention to the actions the bringer of nightmares. She is still waiting, but when the time is right, she will be ready to slay the monster, no matter what is the cost.
Callings: Hunter, Trickster, Warrior
Purviews: Beauty, Epic Dexterity, Epic Strength, Stars, War
Tumé Arandu, the Traveling God
aka Moire-Monan, Sumé
The teacher of agriculture, of fishing and cooking. The opener of roads, the creator of hooks, the healer of the sick. Tumé Arandu, the one who came from afar, the first born from the first humans, the incarnation of the Creator. Many is said about Tumé Arandu, but what is certain about him is that he is probably the most responsible to the survival of the ancient Tupi-Guarani, as he discovered and taught to them how to live from the land they inhabit. The first Scion of the Enondeara, he was the one who created Peabiru, the great road who not only connects the south of Brazil to the Andes but to the Land Without Evil as well. His stories always end with him departing, to return much later with more knowledge to give.
And Tumé Arandu always does so. An explorer and adventurer, even in ancestral times he traveled all across Pindorama, healing and teaching on the way, and many times he was attacked or tricked by people. If he could he would fight back, if not, he would leave and come back later, when his knowledge would be more acceptable. Nowadays, he still spends most of his time travelling, be through his native land or be through the world, discovering all kinds of new things and making all kinds of new friends. In fact, he is the one with most contacts with other pantheons, especially with Thoth, with whom he shares an endless fascination with knowledge. However, he doesn’t learn only for the fun of it: he always brings the knowledge back. A promoter of education and learning, he always believes that even the most isolated tribes should have access to knowledge and education, which brings him with at odds with the more traditionalist of the Enondeara, specially Jurupari.
He isn’t without understanding of the consequences, but he desires the best life to all, and believes that the only way to achieve it is through knowledge. He always incarnates or as a giver of knowledge or as a discover of knowledge, but he is never able to stay in some place for too long, especially if he finds himself among company that does not appreciate his knowledge. For those reasons he rarely incarnate as professional teachers, especially high school teachers, looking for ways to find and give back knowledge for those more interested: an archeologist rediscovering traces of ancient communities, a teacher who travels between native communities bringing education, a travel guide who exposes about each street and corner on the trip. His Scions learn soon that is better to make the most of him while he is still around, because soon he will be gone away again. His Scions heirs his passion of knowledge and thirsty for exploration, and will leave no rock unturned on their path, as well as a will to give it back, even if those around him are not asking for it.
Callings: Healer, Liminal, Sage
Purviews: Epic Stamina, Health, Fertility, Forge, Journeys, Order, Prosperity
Tupã, the Thunder God
aka Tupana
Was he born from the sun, is he the son of Nhandevurucu, his creator or just his thunderous voice taken form? Is the sole creator of all others or is he the god of the east, one among 3 other brothers? Is he the creator of all the world or did it exist before him and he just created some of it? Is he married to Jacy? Did he make the humans or not? Besides the fact that his past has more questions than answers, Tupã is one of the most powerful among the Enondeara, the god of thunders and rain storms, of turbulent rivers and the powerful sea, as well as the ancestral of humanity, directly or not.
Due to being the thunderous leader of his pantheon, comparisons with Zeus are unavoidable, but in truth they couldn’t be more different. They are both leaders of the pantheon, but Tupã has little interest in power plays, and even less in forcing his position over others. He acts as a judge and arbiter whenever necessary, but very rarely passes punishments, and only to those who are truly deserving. Ironically for a thunder god, he is a very quiet god, rarely speaking to humans, making his appreciation or anger known through his actions, not words: the thunders on a storm night means he is angry, while a blessed rain in a hot day means he is content. When he incarnates is usually to inspire or to fulfil a job, working in a way that he will show to others they can do a difference: a veterinarian for marine life who shows that with effort a small team can make a huge difference, the financier of a team to explore an unexplored piece of jungle, the organizer of a cooperative to turn a community self-sufficient.
His Scions are rare and most often chosen or created, usually with a job in mind: protecting a piece of land or fighting some evil. If they are successful in their first job, Tupã keeps them for a second, a third, and many more. He is almost the definition of an absent patron, usually making his will know through messengers or natural phenomena, but besides his practical and distant nature, he does truly care about his Scions and never give to them a job he doesn’t think they can do. His Scions tend to be very good at something and have a strong sense of duty: the great hunter who protects the jungle; the amazing lawyer who defends those who are oppressed; the cook who does the best food, but save the leftovers to the homeless.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Leader
Purviews: Earth, Fertility, Order, Sky, Wild, Water;
COSMOLOGY
There are as many different cosmologies to the Enondeara as there are different communities who worship them, and as everything about the Enondeara, there is little that keep constant about it. The most common aspects of the cosmology are the following:
Yby Marã E'yma: THE LAND WITHOUT EVIL
Probably one of the few things fairly well spread believe around the Tupi-Guarani, the Land Without Evil is the most common afterlife. It is described as a perfect place, where the fields farm themselves, the hunt itself, is always nicely warm, and there is no suffering and no sorrow.
Not all Enondeara live there, Nhandesy been the only one with permanent residency there, but all have a residence there to stay, with Tupã being the most famous for staying there for long periods. This is the land of rest for the souls of humans who died, but they first need to get there. To do so there are many ways: some go up by smoke, guided by Jakaira; some others go up the Amazon river to it source; others follow a road there, which can include dangers, like hitting rocks which slice you in half. Some even arrived by dancing for long periods, flying there with all their properties.
And as many roads to there are as many possible ends to the path. There, the souls can either live there, watching their families and eventually intervening, reincarnate into a newborn, join their soul with the Primordial, be rejuvenated and living a second life there until they die again just to be reincarnated in a final life as an insect, among others possible ends. However, not all souls go there. Many are said to stay on earth: be to be directly reincarnate into an animal, which can vary with the person actions and status before death; be as guides or ghosts, especially if a paje don't make the proper funerary rituals; or, some even say, the particularly evil ones will go a special place of punishment, ruled by Anhanga itself.
SOUL AND SPIRITS
SPIRITS: Spirits are everywhere, and inhabit everything, and there are as many kinds of spirits as there are kinds of things. Is the job of pajes and karaibas to intercede between the mortals and the spirits, be by protecting the former from the later, by communicating the later to the former or by using the help of the later to improve the life of the former. A spirit can be a nature spirit or a ghost, and can be both helpful or dangerous. A general term for spirit is Anhang, and to all kind of spirit that is a more powerful exemplar, considered the father or original of all others. These versions are god-like in power, in many times being Titans, are sometimes called as the “blue” version of the spirit, like the Blue Jaguar titan or the Blue Palms, and those beings appears as literally blue as often as not.
SOUL: The soul is seen in as many ways, usually seem as two different parts that compose the soul of the living, usually a higher part and a lower part. Those parts meet together just after the baby is born, with one part being sent by one of the Enondeara, while the lower part already inhabits the earth. The higher part, sometimes refer as the god-soul, is responsible for the ability to communicate, as well as for the more advanced thinking, and usually goes straight away to the after-life after death, if the proper rituals are performed, even if it might need to face some challenges on the way. The lower part, sometimes called the animal-soul, is responsible for the persons personality, and it stays on earth, potentially even as a dangerous Anhang, but more often as a harmless spirit. Sometimes it needs to be properly sent to the afterlife or otherwise causes diseases or unluck. Some traditions will consider all to have just one soul, which will travel to the afterlife similarly to the god-soul.
THE WORLD
For most communities, the details of the shape of the World have been lost or never told, but is widely believe that a flood or fire has destroyed the world, sometimes both, multiple times even. From the remnants the gods recreated the world, or sometimes recreating people, sometimes they survived hiding on top of mountains or trees.
One tradition follow that the World was build, held in place (above or by the roots) by 5 blue palms, one in each cardinal direction and one in the center, while the sky is hold by 7 commander staffs, firmly attached to resist the push of the original south wind.
Some tribes named their land as Pindorama, “the land where palms grow” as is the term that most Enondeara share to use to their original land and territory.
PEABIRU: A pathway in the middle of the jungle, in the world it goes from the south of Brazil to the Andes, but in the World, it connects far more. For a trained karaiba, traveling through there can take you to the Land Without Evil, and even physically to the spirit world, but the doing either of them without the proper care isn’t recommended. This path breaks into many different small paths, that might lead you to lost civilizations, to unexplored jungles, to forgotten Terra Incognita, and, even some say, to the land of the Apu, the gods of the Inca.
THE ENDLESS JUNGLE: The jungles once covered all the land, a green endless living green mass that connected the oceans. Much of it has been cut down and destroyed, but if you go into the jungle from any direction, so deep inside until you lose yourself into, and no sign of humanity can be seen, you might find yourself back into that original jungle. A lair of still untouched tribes, lost in the jungles and swamps where no satellite can see, no cellphone work and no message can be received. There ancient and powerful spirits still live, and there are still secrets and mysteries lingering, many so old that have been forgotten even by the Enondeara, waiting to be revealed.
PRIMORDIAL(S): Nhamandu, Nhanderuvuçu, Mbyi
The fragmented nature of the Enondeara creates a unique consideration in relation to their Primordials. Yes, in the plural. Depending on who you ask, there can be one of many: the world might have been born from a giant worm, Mbyi, from who we inhabit. Or can be from Yamandu, which searched into it created the bases of the world and from his heart he created Guaraci, from whom all the others were born. Some say Nhamandu, sometimes the same as Nhanderuvuçu, was the original creator. Some that Tupã created it, and might have directly created the humans. He might live in the north or come to live in the heart of the sun. To some, Tupã is the original entity, and created all the rest. To many, the World never even had a beginning, just an ever-existing jungle.
Even if the beginning is confusing, the end is usually the same: The Creator is either the universe we live in or living far, sometimes still being worshiped, but relegating most of the work to the other Enondeara. The Enondeara itself stay quiet about this issue of creation, and is unknown if it is because this issue might fragment even more the pantheon or if they themselves don’t know the answer.
TITANS
As everything else with the Enondeara, the fragmented nature of the Enondeara also affect their Titans, even the Titans itself doesn’t care. The Blue Jaguar will decimate a piece of jungle no matter what those who live there believe, and the Primordial Bats and it’s titanspawns will attack savage any village with lights no matter who turned it on. Even if a long time ago the distance between tribes might have help to separate, the communities of today have been moved so far from their original places that is hard to know what is the monster that they are facing, which create special problems for Scions when they are called to face what they think is a simple monster and end up in front a force of nature.
Angatupry, the good Spirit
The brother of the Tau, the spirit of evil, he was supposed to help guide humanity towards good. He isn’t, however, allowed to act much, acting more as a subtle mentor and guide. He is only allowed to act against his brother when he acts, and they already fought once. After a week of stalemate of strength, Tau cheated and won, kidnapping Kerana. Angatupry never forgot this defeat and humiliation, and only waits for the chance of a rematch, where he will not lose.
Purview: Order
Virtues: Fecundity, Protection
Tau, the evil Spirit
The brother of the Angatupry, the spirit of good, he was supposed to tempted humanity towards evil and self-destruction. A long time ago, he fell in love to Kerana, one of the first humans, and, after a fight of 7 days with his brother, he cheated and took her. Jacy, seeing this, cursed them to their sons to be horrendous, and from their relation, 7 monsters were born. Those 7 would torment the world until Porãsy sacrificed herself to kill them. After that, and the death of sadness of Kerana due to the death of her children, Tau became even more dedicated to take humanity to the path of evil. He desires nothing but to slay those who killed his children and his descendants, but knows that he is smart enough to use manipulation, as he knows that straight up force will not allow him to win again.
Purview: Chaos
Virtues: Dominance, Rapacity
The Primordial Bats
Monsters that lived on the darkness before existence, they are enemies of all that exist and live under the light. They are enormous, indestructible, highly territorial bats, that spend most of their time fighting on the darkness beyond existence, but whenever one escapes their eternal fight, they attack the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. They are thwarted by the Enondeara every time, but every time they come to the World, they bring their spawns, which can reproduce through the darkness itself, creating monstrous bats that inhabit the darkest caves. They can stay sleeping for dozens of years, and when awake seem thirsty to attack any source of light, as well as any unlucky passerby.
Purview: Darkness
Virtues: Fecundity, Submission
The Blue Jaguar
One of the oldest beings, the original, or maybe most powerful, Jaguar spirit, this Gargantua Jaguar is not an unthinking monster. He is one of the most powerful spirits in existence, and even many pajes and Karaibas have tried to contact him to channel his power. Few in history have being able to convince him and to pass his trials, and most fear to try so, as he is a ferocious being. He has no interest in destroying the world, as he leaves and was born there, but occasionally, he devours the sun or the moon, causing eclipses, due to a deep anger he has towards them, for unknown reason. He might not be a monster, but he is an uncontrolled spirit, and live only to satisfy his natural interests. Many of the monsters the monstrous jaguars of the Amazon are his titanspawns, as well as the Human Jaguars that inhabit the dense forests.
Purview: Beast (Jaguar)
Virtues: Rapacity, Exploration
RELIGION: PAJEISM
The hundreds of communities of the Tupi-Guarani all have different rituals and traditions, even if slightly, and their religiosity don’t share a single name. But all, even in different names, share the presence of a paje, a shaman and holy man, many times working as traditional healer and as a guardian of the sacred mysteries of the community, which after all the corruption these religions suffered is now more important than never. These men guard the rituals for it is community, and sometimes might even be their leader. The religiosity of the community, however, can vary greatly, with tribes who worship the Enondeara, with sacrifices and songs, and others who only call them when they need, sometimes even in a confrontational manner. Their rituals all involve dancing and singing, with many kinds of drums and horns, as well as body painting and colorful dressings and masks. These rituals happen in the grounds of their territories, usually in the middle of the jungles of Amazon, and are stronger on Paraguay, were Guarani is an official country language.
Far from the borders of the jungle, however, it is hard to find more traditional members, but many variations exist in the form of different religions, mixing the native believes with others, creating new religions. Probably the biggest one is the Sacred Jurema, more common in the Northeast of Brazil, who calls the Enondeara in a manner more akin to the religions of the Orisha.
True fathers from their numerous sons that will come,
true fathers of the Word that will live on
their numerous sons that will come:
he makes them to know they are divine.
- Guarani song
Seen by other pantheons as little more than just nature spirits from the new continent that got together on a semblance of a pantheon, they are not all wrong. They are far more than just nature spirits, but they also are not normal pantheon.
The Tupi-Guarani people were fragmented among hundreds of communities through thousands of kilometers, creating a tapestry of different myths, heroes and mantles even far before the arrival of Europeans. Old mantles mixed with new ones, echoes of old legends half remember, modified with each retelling, mixed new beings with ancient ones, creating an almost structureless group.
The Enondeara, which means the Ancient Ancestors in Tupi, would hardly recognize themselves by such name. They have no common name to share between them all, much less a common past or even a common world. But even so, they still stand, together, connected vaguely by family ties, but more importantly, by a love to this land and by their sense of duty.
Even with a faded sense of connection between them, the Enondeara are tied also by the same view towards rules, respect and fairness. The ancient rules, most forgotten, speak of times of fast, of rituals and processions, but more importantly, about rules of fairness and respect towards all. Everything has a spirit and if you disrespect it, be it an animal or the jungle, it will call for retribution.
Many Enondeara still follow the duties of guaranteeing the balance of fairness, punishing those who break these ancient rules, as they have been doing since the beginning of time.
Principal Members: Besides the fact that different communities would give a different list of the principal members of the Enondeara, those here presented are the most commonly known. With exception of the Primordial, when there is a Primordial, the biggest would of the Enondeara certainly is Tupã, considered the leader of the pantheon, who presides over the sky and weather, as well over the entire world, but Guaraci, the warmth of the sun embodied, Jakaira, the god of smoke, mist and pajeism, Jaci, the beautiful moon goddess, and Nhandessy, the great mother and mother earth, are also very important. On earth, Caapora, the forest watcher, Anhanga, the punisher of unfair hunts, and Jurupari, the bringer of nightmares, are the ones who still watch over the old rules, with increasingly degrees of scariness. But among the Enondeara, the closest to humanity would be, Tumé Arandu, who taught who to plant, cook, how to make hooks and many other things, Porassy, the warrior who sacrificed herself to kill monsters, Iara, the mermaid goddess of rivers and lakes, and Derekey and Dereveruy, the brothers who became the sun and the moon. DEITIES OF ENONDEARA
Anhanga, the Phantom Deer
Some say he is the lord of the underworld, others that he is a ghost, an apparition who punishes those who hunt unfairly. What they all agree is he is never a good sign. Not properly one of the Enondeara, Anhanga isn’t the ancestral of any of the Native-Brazilian groups, neither is he the father of some piece of flora, fauna or natural formation. In fact, not only he has no descendants, if he has any parents, he never told anyone. His more natural form is of a white deer, his favorite animal, with an ethereal presence and two red flaming eyes, which can drive any who look at it to madness. Besides the lack of information of where he came from, what he is sure: he is, and consider himself to be, a punisher.
Along time ago, he punished those which did not practice a fair hunt, especially against deer, but he has since expanded his areas of interest far beyond the forests, punishing those who are unfair on any kind of activities, from cheating on his spouse to cheating at gamble. His punishments, however, barely changed: he still uses illusions to confuse and distract, curses of bad luck or failure in life, physical harm to body or property, and occasionally madness or death. But, different from Caapora, he does his job out of a sense of pleasure and fun, not as a duty and obligation. He enjoys tricking and punishing those who deserve it, and take a sinister sense of pride out of it. It is also said that he has some form of connection, maybe even some control, of the Anhang, the bodiless spirits, that dwells in the jungles, but how exactly is unknown.
On the World, he spends most of his time either invisible or in his deer form on the jungles, but every more often he goes into the cities to look for those who are unfair to punishing them. He takes incarnations which nobody notices but are close to all forms of cheating: the janitor of a business building, the door attendant of the love hotel, the waiter in a restaurant where politicians meet. His Scions never born or created, always chosen, and filled with his passion for fairness and punishment, but they have troubles with the line between being an agent of justice or an agent of punishment. They usually don’t have trouble in finding their patron, but they can’t count on him to help to find balance.
Callings: Judge, Liminal, Trickster
Purviews: Beasts (Deer), Epic Strength, Death, Deception, Darkness, Passion (Madness), Wild
Caapora, the Forest Watcher
The guardian of the forest, the spirit of the jungle. Caapora literally means “the one who inhabits the trees”, and no better description could be given to him. A wilder god, he watches the jungles and wild lands for those who break the rules of fair hunting and disrespect his homeland. Caapora punishes any one he thinks is being disrespectful, with punishments that go from taking their prey away and confusing them, making them lost in the jungle, to cursing them with a powerful bad luck, or, to the worst, with death. But, to those who come with good intentions and are respectful to nature, he treats them equally, and sometimes even helpfully, giving a hand in surviving in out of the wilds.
Mostly distrustful to anyone who enters his dominions, he always expects the worst from outsiders which he never saw before. However, he will never mistreat someone before they break the rules, and even so he always balances evil intention with punishment. He isn’t unfair, but he is rarely merciful. Different from Anhanga, he takes no pleasure in his duties, and fulfil his function to the best of his abilities out of a sense of duty and balance. When he can enjoy himself, he spends his time with his animals, with his nature, and among the tribes of both men and caiporas, his race of helpers. He is a big fan of alcohol and tobacco, and will never refuse one offered to him, which happens in occasional festivities in small villages he might join. He, however, is never far from his jungles, as he may be needed at any time.
Caapora barely changed since the arrival of Europeans, but he has been adapting. He adapted for the firearms learning tricks to make them fail. H adapted for the vehicles, learning how to trick their motors. And, more recently, he adapted for the rampaging destruction of the wilds, learning that you need to attack the heart of the operation, not just the ones at the site of the destruction. His Scions are usually simple but fair people, which when they hear their call, they dedicate themselves fully. Often, this call is related to help nature in some way. While most of his Scions on the outside are regular mortals, most of his Scions inside of the jungle are caiporas, who help him to guard and protect nature.
Callings: Hunter, Judge, Liminal
Purviews: Beasts, Deception, Epic Dexterity, Prosperity, Wild
Derekey, the Older Brother
aka Tamendonare, Ñanderyqueý
Most often, Derekey and Dereveruy are brother, sons of Nhandessy. She, pregnant, after being abandoned by her husband, tried to find his way after him. Derekey helped her, even while he was still inside her womb, but even them she failed, ending up eaten by a tribe of Jaguar-People. They, however, didn’t eat the kids, which they raised as their pets. They grew up and, together, exterminate most of the Jaguars People. After many trials, tribulations and enemies, they became powerful enough to be accepted as members of the Enondeara, meeting their mother in the afterlife, and with Derekey even becoming the sun.
But even if the two worked together, and together became deities, this does not mean that they were equals. Derekey was, by far, the most powerful, smart and heroic of the two. Not only most, if not all, plans had been devised by Derekey, but he had to resurrect his brother many times through his adventures. This difference in power didn’t create hostility, most of the time, between the brothers, but it made of Derekey a very arrogant god. He has no ill will towards anyone, but a lifetime of heroic wins and of superiority towards his brother made him overly proud of his abilities, to say the least, and loves to show them off whenever he can. This, however, doesn’t mean he isn’t right to be proud, and he is as good a hunter, athlete and hero he say he is, which he says very often, and when facing a true challenge, he knows when to back off to do the most with what he have.
When he incarnates, which is most of the time, he does so in a form he can challenge himself in the most spectacular and dangerous ways: a daring race driver, a crazy mountain climber who will ignore laws to climb the most dangerous rocks, and a movie artist who doesn’t need a stuntman. What he doesn’t boast about is that, more often than not, he misses the company of his brother, and most of his incarnations have some very personal assistant or follower, which might sometimes even seem more of a hassle than a helper, but the he will defend and keep around anyway. He expects from his Scions the same daring nature, pushing them to be a successful as he is, and to make everybody know about it. Thankfully his Scions are also usually daring, taking charge and accepting challenges others see as impossible, even if others see those challenges as impossible for good reasons.
Callings: Leader, Hunter, Trickster
Purviews: Beasts, Epic Dexterity, Fire, Journey, Health, Sun, Sky
Dereveruy, the Little Brother
aka Aricoute, Tivyry
Of the two twins, Dereveruy was always the least powerful. Derekey always has a divine father, but on the few stories that say that his father is divine, he is categorically presented as weaker than Derekey’s father. His brother was simply born with an unwinnable advantage, which made of him stronger, smarter and even supernatural, and never shy about it. But this didn’t bother him too much. Most of the time, at least. Even through their differences, they were always together, and together they became deities, with him even becoming the moon, according to some. And, contrary to what most think, having Derekey as a brother wasn’t bad, and Dereveruy still loved him. His brother had saved Dereveruy many times, as well as resurrected him when he couldn’t save him, and he always had a good plan to follow, even if Dereveruy failed to his part occasionally.
After they ended their times as heroes, and were accepted as members of the Enondeara, the brothers became more separated, as Dereveruy preferred to stay close to his mother while Derekey simply couldn’t stop adventuring. Now Dereveruy is an assistant to his mother, helping her to organize the afterlife and doing some errands to her in the World. He doesn’t incarnate very often, as he has a bad track record on his incarnations, often ending up messing things around or dying somehow. He hardly complains though, being almost used to it. His fails don’t mean he is incompetent, he is indeed a prodigious hunter, a knower of plants and animals, as well as a being extremely resilient. Is just that he is accident-prone, and fate always push him into situations where he would need to be helped, sometimes even brought back from the dead.
When he incarnates, he is usually around his mother, as an assistant or helper, but on the few times he does it for himself he is hard to spot, as he takes up the positions of unimportant people, who are just enjoying what they are doing while helping others: a kid who always takes the left over position in the soccer games, that teenager who spend his summer helping old farmers, or as the professional actor who is always cast as a side-character but is fundamental to the lead role. His Scions usually heir his tendencies to disappear in the background, playing more often supportive roles in their Bands. But while they don’t easily take the lead, they are always up to do what is necessary for the plan, even if they might get hurt in the process.
Callings: Guardian, Hunter, Liminal
Purviews: Darkness, Death, Epic Stamina, Fortune, Journey, Moon
Guaraci, the Fire Heart
aka Quaraci, Coaracy, Karai
Guaraci might be the sun itself, or the just the warmth that hits earth. He might be the father of Tupã or just his brother. He might be the ancestral of Nhanderuvuçu or his first son. Many say many things that he might be, but a few is known that he is: he is a big father. Even if Jurupari is his most famous son, he considers himself the father of all life, as there would be no life without him. He is caring, loving and has only the best interests of his son on heart. But he also has a huge heart, that when filled with an emotion, is hard to hold, and many times he takes decisions towards it without fully considering the consequences.
He is never selfish, greedy or malignant, his passion projects are always founded in good intentions and objectives, but they don’t always go as he desires. In some stories, when he first saw Jacy, his heart filled with so much love that he shined so bright to show his love that the world began to catch fire. And, many years later, he would send Jurupari to follow a mission that ended with him becoming what he is today. He tries to help whenever something goes wrong to the best of his abilities, but before he doesn’t feel too bad about it, as soon he is already into another project to help the mortals he loves so much. Guaranteeing that his new project to clean up polluted rivers, or revolutionize housing, or creating a new health system, or whatever it is, don’t end up burning everything to the ground is a duty to all in the pantheon.
When he comes to earth is always as financiers, mentors, and inspirers, with an attentive eye to those with great passions and ability who wish to improve the world. Under his tutelage, they grow and develop their craft and, many times, when they are great enough, they become his Scions to work on his projects more directly. He is the teacher on the university who loves passionate students, the financier who looks for the next project who will revolutionize the world and the promoter who help new inventive artists.
His Scions are also always part of one of his projects, which they are more than often unaware until much later than their visitation. Those usually start small, with a few requests to a specifically purpose, but they might end on worldly level quest. When he needs, he even makes miraculous beginnings, making his kids growing much faster or having a miracle conception. As a patron, he is usually present to support and his Scions, showing his more caring and loving side, even if always busy or working. His Scions are usually as passionate as he is, no matter how small what they are doing is, and sometimes they can’t get why others are not following: a general who will never give up, a scientist who will do anything for his research, or a botanist with the most cared daisies on the city.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Lover
Purviews: Artistry, Fertility, Forge, Fire, Sun, Passion;
Iara, the Goddess of Lakes and Rivers
aka Yara, UIara, Mother of Water, Uwan
One of the best examples of the mixing of traditions among the Enondeara, the Yara is an amalgamation of different mantles of fresh water goddess, who share more than have of different. The oldest is of Mother of Water (Mãe d’Agua, in Portuguese), one of the many nature mothers in the Tupi-Guarani traditions. She is careful and loving towards her lakes and rivers. Uwan, on the other hand, is a more malevolent mantle, casting curses and diseases towards those who break into her domains, and even those afar, dangerous to anyone who disrespect her. And the newest is Yara, a mermaid who swim through the Brazilian rivers, seducing men and pushing them into the rivers and lakes, sometimes to Encante, a paradise-like land underwater, sometimes to their deaths.
Even with multiple mantles, usually, if you do not disrespect her or her domains, she will treat you well, even kindly, and can be a very fun company. She is probably the most easily accessible of the Enondeara, being found in almost all-natural clean bodies of water in one way or the other, from the rivers of the Amazon, to the swamp like Pantanal and even the seasonal rivers of the Sertão. Even mortals every so often interact with her, especially as Yara, which makes of her one of the most known of the Enondeara, famous everywhere in Brazil. She is always as a stunningly beautiful woman in green hair, and will kindly offer you food, drinks, advices, and even the occasional relics if she likes you. She can also be dangerous, and will not hesitate to punish anyone she deems deserving, even if the perceived crime is just against her ego, but she can also be very caring, and even fun if you catch her in a good mood.
When among mortals, and with two legs, she splits her time between taking care of people who needs most, especially children, and just enjoying some fun, particularly enjoying her karaoke nights with Yemanja. She is the teacher in a riverside community, she is the veterinarian specialized on freshwater life and the singer of a party boat. She also appears in all protests, marches or any movement in to defend her domains, but after the protests she never follows the legislative process so thoroughly. Her Scions can be as careful or carefree depending on which mantle they are more connected, and many times they are both, changing from one to the other at a moment’s notice.
Callings: Lover, Healer, Sage
Purviews: Artistry (Singing), Beauty, Beast (Aquatic Animals), Health, Fertility, Water
Jaci, the Moon Goddess
aka Yaci, Aracy
Different from the rest of the pantheon, there are few questions about Jacy and her place and origin on the universe: she was created by Tupã; she created all the stars around her and the first fashion garments; she is the patron of beauty, fashion and of married woman, being the one responsible to make their husbands miss them and go back home; she is the one which cried the Amazon river; and she is the one who turn the beautiful women into stars in the sky. The biggest question left is to who is she married to: Guaraci or Tupã. Whoever is the lucky husband, she loves him dearly and with all her heart.
But even with so much love for her husband, Jacy is most of the time busy with what she loves: beauty, in all its forms. During the night from the sky, she watches the beauties of the world: the moon struck waterfalls, the flowers and nightly creatures, and, most important, women and her garments. She believes all women are beautiful, in one way or another, but that all women can be made even more beautiful. Naturally, she is a huge fan of fashion shows, and is probably the most certain way to find her somewhere. However, she is more than a fashion fanatic, she is also a protectress of women, specially married women, and can both cry rivers out of pain for them and unleash her fury upon bad husbands.
While among mortals, she is always a beautiful woman very fashionably dressed, usually connected to a work which helps her bring, or recover, beauty to the world: like a botanist, a fashion critic, a painter, and a counselor in a women’s clinic. Her Scions, often women, can’t complain that she is a distant patroness, being present very often, even if in disguise. They always bring beauty to the world in some way, from painters and dressers to florists and archeologists.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Lover
Purviews: Artistry (fashion), Beauty, Darkness, Moon, Stars, Passion (Miss), Water
Jakaira, the God of Smoke
aka Yakaira, Yahira, Yaraira
Seem as the brother of Tupã and Guaraci, after the flood that cleared the world, he took care of the world and the humans who there would live. On the world he created fog, mist and smoke, the latter that he uses to transport the soul of the dead to the afterlife, and he provided to humanity the herbs and knowledge to communicate with the spirits of the world, including the Enondeara. He is the one who communicate the messages of the Enondeara to their prophets and priests, usually through the smoke of their pipes. He is the god that inhabits the zenith, or the north, in some versions, and from there he watches humanity, vigilant to help bring balance and retribution to all that live there.
His as the communicator of the mortals to the Enondeara, as his position as the guardian of the world after the flood and as a psychopomp god give him a unique perspective towards the lives of the mortals. He sees himself as partially responsible by the world they live in, and by hearing their requests during their lives as well as their last moments on earth, he is understandably more connected to them than most gods, even beyond the Enondeara. To try to help them in this imperfect world, he decides to enforce some form of justice and balance, becoming a god of retribution beyond his usual attributes, trying to guarantee that all harvest what they plant, even if sometimes his overzealousness leads him closer to vengeance than to retribution.
He rarely leaves his place in the top of the sky (or at the north), but when he does, he still keeps his jobs as a guardian of retribution: he works on the police internal affairs, as a mob boss who for his community, and sometimes even as a vigilant bringing retribution by his own fists. His Scions all know that he is always watching them, and he isn’t above reminding them occasionally, especially if they seem to need a small glimpse of hope: a dream, a sky light or a small vision on/through smoke. His Scions are specially connected to him and towards all around him, with a keen sense for unfairness and retribution, and a sympathetic attitude towards those in need.
Callings: Guardian, Liminal, Judge
Purviews: Death, Fire, Frost, Journey, Order, Sky.
Jurupari, the Bringer of Law and Nightmares
aka Yupari, Zupari, Kuwai
Beyond the fact that he was born from a miraculous conception, in which his mother was impregnated by eating a fruit that she shouldn't and ended up pregnant with Guaraci’s son and that he aged 10 years in a single week, little is known for sure of his past. Some say that he was blessed with wisdom, and taught them a new set of laws and traditions to the people that he visited. Some that he became a tyrant, warlord of a tribe, which spread his laws by force. Some even say that he died as children, after eating all the other children from the village due to their mothers not offering drinks to him. One way or the other, he ends up being burned alive, with his spirit becoming a monster who hunts those who break the laws he once brought.
One of the most affected by the arrival of the Europeans, what once probably was a proud god of law and order was twisted into an ugly monster of nightmares. To most he is a monster, the master of a legion of Anhang, an ally to Anhanga, and a bringer of nightmares and suffocations. However, to some he was and still is the teacher of many rituals and traditions, the one from which the sacred instruments were made, the one who watches and protects the boys into adulthood. But both his aspects share a trait: an absolute respect and reverence to the law he once taught: even his most terrible side only brings terror to those who broke, even if just slightly, the laws. He is probably the biggest defender of the traditions of the Tupi-Guarani among the Enondeara, but most his solutions are extreme, and keeping an eye on him and his Scions to avoid him starting a war, or worst, is a duty to all members of the pantheon.
In the World he rarely incarnates in any form beside his monstrous form, of a huge humanoid with a distorted giant mouth, but on the few times he does he appears as a beautiful clearly native descendant with a mouth covering mask. The few who see him in his form are those who are his most loyal followers and the will usually end as his Scions, but he sometimes appears in some capacity as a protector of the native communities: a protester in campaigns against their lands, as a masked influencer who incites fights for it, and a doctor in protective mask who enters in communities stroke by diseases.
Unsurprisingly, the Scions of Jurupari are probably not going to find a lot of support of other Scions and Native communities. Except to some communities, they will be considered a bad sign, with them being received with a mix of mistrust and fear, if not direct hostility or panic. Other Scions tend to treat them better, as they understand that the condition of Scion isn’t easy, but even so most of Jurupari’s Scions prefer the company of Scions of other pantheons, which know little to nothing about their patron. As a patron, Jurupari is serious and restrictive, expecting his Scions to be perfect followers and protectors of laws and traditions, but if they can keep up, he will provide them with gifts and advice whenever necessary. If they are not, he is isn’t afraid to bring them some nightmares, to remember what they should be doing.
Callings: Judge, Leader, Warrior
Purviews: Artistry (Rituals, Music), Beauty, Epic Stamina, Death, Darkness, Order, War
Nhandessy, the Great Mother
aka Nhandecy
The first mother of the World, both literally and figuratively, she is to many the first female to ever exist. She is the wife of Nhanderu, one of the guides of Nhanderuvuçu, the Mother Earth (or Mother of Earth), the mother of the twin heroes, and a giant decorated silver snake. Probably the biggest of the many Mothers of the Tupi-Guarani, she is also one of the most old and powerful of the Enondeara. But, most important to her and to those who seek her, she is a mother of all and the one who gives comfort to those who arrive at Yby Marã E'yma.
Most define through their relation to their children, specially her forgiveness, her self-sacrifice and her teaching nature, she isn’t limited by them. She is also a proud woman, who, besides her endless patience, does not lower her head to anyone. If she didn’t hold herself back when talking back to the Creator of the Existence, she will not hold herself to anyone. This doesn’t mean she isn’t kind and gentle, which she is in abundance to their children, but she will not hold back to give a scold and discipline them if she think they need. She is, however, as easy to forgive as she is to punish. If her son, Dereveruy, ruined an attempt to bring her back to life and she not only forgave her, but gave to him a place at her side at Yby Marã E'yma, who will she not forgive?
She spends most of her time taking care of her mansion at Yby Marã E'yma, but she incarnates with some frequency, usually to improve the life of her sons: as a celebrity with fundraiser show to promote charities; as a teacher who tries to show the connections between all the disciplines; and as a the nice lady in the daycare center. She also likes to incarnate in her giant silver snake form, in which she spends long days either sleeping in her hidden cave or just traversing the ground, and underground, but as more and more of the lands are populated, she has been reducing her going outs to avoid causing chaos.
Her Scions are usually well taken care, with a very careful patroness, but even if they are Chosen, she always sounds like a mother, scolding or being super-protective occasionally. They usually share her forgiving and understanding nature, as well as her proud and resolute nature, which often end with them arguing with her. Even if she talks back, and usually ends up scolding their Scions, she also ends up forgiving them, and secretively proud of their character.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Sage
Purviews: Beast (Jabuti, Snake), Chaos, Earth, Fertility, Death, Passion (Motherly Love)
Porassy, the Monster Slayer
aka Porãsy
One of the first people who ever was born, Porãsy is as courageous and strong as she is beautiful and cunning. When alive, she didn’t have a chance to stop her auntie Kerana from being take away by Tau, the spirit of evil, but when their sons started terrorizing her community and heroes have been called, she was the first to present herself. She offered herself as wife of Monai, one of the monsters, to attract all to a trap. Took many days, but as planned, all the 7 monsters entered a cave for the wedding and got drunk, but just before Porãsy could escape, the monstrous groom took notice of what was going on, and screamed betrayal. To not let them escape, she told the people to finish the plan, so they closed the cave and smoke the interior, killing all inside. Tupã, for her sacrifice, turned her into the morning star, to shine always a symbol of hope.
Even if it ended badly to her, she is proud of it and would do it over again if necessary. In a pantheon with few fighters, she embodies the best on a warrior: prowess and might as well as forethought, resourcefulness and willingness to do the necessary sacrifice and hope of a better tomorrow. And she always enjoys putting it in practice, especially in some friendly monster-hunting competitions with Oxossi. Whenever she isn’t hunting something, she is usually among mortals, having some fun with them and helping them to face their own monsters: a self-defense teacher who likes to take some drinks with the students; a club-goer who will not hold punches against more annoying men; and a strategy specialist of the police forces who enjoys her operations a little too much.
From her Scions she expects, and usually find, the same willingness to fight the monsters that live in the world, no matter in which form they appear. A hacker that goes against corrupt politicians, an investigator after evidence against an abusive spouse and a literal monster hunter are, on her eyes, equal heroes. But more than just her heroism, most of her Scions have the same hope and willingness to do what is necessary to face the monsters in the world. This makes the Scions of Porãsy more inclined to mistrust Scions of Jurupari, as she has kept close attention to the actions the bringer of nightmares. She is still waiting, but when the time is right, she will be ready to slay the monster, no matter what is the cost.
Callings: Hunter, Trickster, Warrior
Purviews: Beauty, Epic Dexterity, Epic Strength, Stars, War
Tumé Arandu, the Traveling God
aka Moire-Monan, Sumé
The teacher of agriculture, of fishing and cooking. The opener of roads, the creator of hooks, the healer of the sick. Tumé Arandu, the one who came from afar, the first born from the first humans, the incarnation of the Creator. Many is said about Tumé Arandu, but what is certain about him is that he is probably the most responsible to the survival of the ancient Tupi-Guarani, as he discovered and taught to them how to live from the land they inhabit. The first Scion of the Enondeara, he was the one who created Peabiru, the great road who not only connects the south of Brazil to the Andes but to the Land Without Evil as well. His stories always end with him departing, to return much later with more knowledge to give.
And Tumé Arandu always does so. An explorer and adventurer, even in ancestral times he traveled all across Pindorama, healing and teaching on the way, and many times he was attacked or tricked by people. If he could he would fight back, if not, he would leave and come back later, when his knowledge would be more acceptable. Nowadays, he still spends most of his time travelling, be through his native land or be through the world, discovering all kinds of new things and making all kinds of new friends. In fact, he is the one with most contacts with other pantheons, especially with Thoth, with whom he shares an endless fascination with knowledge. However, he doesn’t learn only for the fun of it: he always brings the knowledge back. A promoter of education and learning, he always believes that even the most isolated tribes should have access to knowledge and education, which brings him with at odds with the more traditionalist of the Enondeara, specially Jurupari.
He isn’t without understanding of the consequences, but he desires the best life to all, and believes that the only way to achieve it is through knowledge. He always incarnates or as a giver of knowledge or as a discover of knowledge, but he is never able to stay in some place for too long, especially if he finds himself among company that does not appreciate his knowledge. For those reasons he rarely incarnate as professional teachers, especially high school teachers, looking for ways to find and give back knowledge for those more interested: an archeologist rediscovering traces of ancient communities, a teacher who travels between native communities bringing education, a travel guide who exposes about each street and corner on the trip. His Scions learn soon that is better to make the most of him while he is still around, because soon he will be gone away again. His Scions heirs his passion of knowledge and thirsty for exploration, and will leave no rock unturned on their path, as well as a will to give it back, even if those around him are not asking for it.
Callings: Healer, Liminal, Sage
Purviews: Epic Stamina, Health, Fertility, Forge, Journeys, Order, Prosperity
Tupã, the Thunder God
aka Tupana
Was he born from the sun, is he the son of Nhandevurucu, his creator or just his thunderous voice taken form? Is the sole creator of all others or is he the god of the east, one among 3 other brothers? Is he the creator of all the world or did it exist before him and he just created some of it? Is he married to Jacy? Did he make the humans or not? Besides the fact that his past has more questions than answers, Tupã is one of the most powerful among the Enondeara, the god of thunders and rain storms, of turbulent rivers and the powerful sea, as well as the ancestral of humanity, directly or not.
Due to being the thunderous leader of his pantheon, comparisons with Zeus are unavoidable, but in truth they couldn’t be more different. They are both leaders of the pantheon, but Tupã has little interest in power plays, and even less in forcing his position over others. He acts as a judge and arbiter whenever necessary, but very rarely passes punishments, and only to those who are truly deserving. Ironically for a thunder god, he is a very quiet god, rarely speaking to humans, making his appreciation or anger known through his actions, not words: the thunders on a storm night means he is angry, while a blessed rain in a hot day means he is content. When he incarnates is usually to inspire or to fulfil a job, working in a way that he will show to others they can do a difference: a veterinarian for marine life who shows that with effort a small team can make a huge difference, the financier of a team to explore an unexplored piece of jungle, the organizer of a cooperative to turn a community self-sufficient.
His Scions are rare and most often chosen or created, usually with a job in mind: protecting a piece of land or fighting some evil. If they are successful in their first job, Tupã keeps them for a second, a third, and many more. He is almost the definition of an absent patron, usually making his will know through messengers or natural phenomena, but besides his practical and distant nature, he does truly care about his Scions and never give to them a job he doesn’t think they can do. His Scions tend to be very good at something and have a strong sense of duty: the great hunter who protects the jungle; the amazing lawyer who defends those who are oppressed; the cook who does the best food, but save the leftovers to the homeless.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Leader
Purviews: Earth, Fertility, Order, Sky, Wild, Water;
COSMOLOGY
There are as many different cosmologies to the Enondeara as there are different communities who worship them, and as everything about the Enondeara, there is little that keep constant about it. The most common aspects of the cosmology are the following:
Yby Marã E'yma: THE LAND WITHOUT EVIL
Probably one of the few things fairly well spread believe around the Tupi-Guarani, the Land Without Evil is the most common afterlife. It is described as a perfect place, where the fields farm themselves, the hunt itself, is always nicely warm, and there is no suffering and no sorrow.
Not all Enondeara live there, Nhandesy been the only one with permanent residency there, but all have a residence there to stay, with Tupã being the most famous for staying there for long periods. This is the land of rest for the souls of humans who died, but they first need to get there. To do so there are many ways: some go up by smoke, guided by Jakaira; some others go up the Amazon river to it source; others follow a road there, which can include dangers, like hitting rocks which slice you in half. Some even arrived by dancing for long periods, flying there with all their properties.
And as many roads to there are as many possible ends to the path. There, the souls can either live there, watching their families and eventually intervening, reincarnate into a newborn, join their soul with the Primordial, be rejuvenated and living a second life there until they die again just to be reincarnated in a final life as an insect, among others possible ends. However, not all souls go there. Many are said to stay on earth: be to be directly reincarnate into an animal, which can vary with the person actions and status before death; be as guides or ghosts, especially if a paje don't make the proper funerary rituals; or, some even say, the particularly evil ones will go a special place of punishment, ruled by Anhanga itself.
SOUL AND SPIRITS
SPIRITS: Spirits are everywhere, and inhabit everything, and there are as many kinds of spirits as there are kinds of things. Is the job of pajes and karaibas to intercede between the mortals and the spirits, be by protecting the former from the later, by communicating the later to the former or by using the help of the later to improve the life of the former. A spirit can be a nature spirit or a ghost, and can be both helpful or dangerous. A general term for spirit is Anhang, and to all kind of spirit that is a more powerful exemplar, considered the father or original of all others. These versions are god-like in power, in many times being Titans, are sometimes called as the “blue” version of the spirit, like the Blue Jaguar titan or the Blue Palms, and those beings appears as literally blue as often as not.
SOUL: The soul is seen in as many ways, usually seem as two different parts that compose the soul of the living, usually a higher part and a lower part. Those parts meet together just after the baby is born, with one part being sent by one of the Enondeara, while the lower part already inhabits the earth. The higher part, sometimes refer as the god-soul, is responsible for the ability to communicate, as well as for the more advanced thinking, and usually goes straight away to the after-life after death, if the proper rituals are performed, even if it might need to face some challenges on the way. The lower part, sometimes called the animal-soul, is responsible for the persons personality, and it stays on earth, potentially even as a dangerous Anhang, but more often as a harmless spirit. Sometimes it needs to be properly sent to the afterlife or otherwise causes diseases or unluck. Some traditions will consider all to have just one soul, which will travel to the afterlife similarly to the god-soul.
THE WORLD
For most communities, the details of the shape of the World have been lost or never told, but is widely believe that a flood or fire has destroyed the world, sometimes both, multiple times even. From the remnants the gods recreated the world, or sometimes recreating people, sometimes they survived hiding on top of mountains or trees.
One tradition follow that the World was build, held in place (above or by the roots) by 5 blue palms, one in each cardinal direction and one in the center, while the sky is hold by 7 commander staffs, firmly attached to resist the push of the original south wind.
Some tribes named their land as Pindorama, “the land where palms grow” as is the term that most Enondeara share to use to their original land and territory.
PEABIRU: A pathway in the middle of the jungle, in the world it goes from the south of Brazil to the Andes, but in the World, it connects far more. For a trained karaiba, traveling through there can take you to the Land Without Evil, and even physically to the spirit world, but the doing either of them without the proper care isn’t recommended. This path breaks into many different small paths, that might lead you to lost civilizations, to unexplored jungles, to forgotten Terra Incognita, and, even some say, to the land of the Apu, the gods of the Inca.
THE ENDLESS JUNGLE: The jungles once covered all the land, a green endless living green mass that connected the oceans. Much of it has been cut down and destroyed, but if you go into the jungle from any direction, so deep inside until you lose yourself into, and no sign of humanity can be seen, you might find yourself back into that original jungle. A lair of still untouched tribes, lost in the jungles and swamps where no satellite can see, no cellphone work and no message can be received. There ancient and powerful spirits still live, and there are still secrets and mysteries lingering, many so old that have been forgotten even by the Enondeara, waiting to be revealed.
PRIMORDIAL(S): Nhamandu, Nhanderuvuçu, Mbyi
The fragmented nature of the Enondeara creates a unique consideration in relation to their Primordials. Yes, in the plural. Depending on who you ask, there can be one of many: the world might have been born from a giant worm, Mbyi, from who we inhabit. Or can be from Yamandu, which searched into it created the bases of the world and from his heart he created Guaraci, from whom all the others were born. Some say Nhamandu, sometimes the same as Nhanderuvuçu, was the original creator. Some that Tupã created it, and might have directly created the humans. He might live in the north or come to live in the heart of the sun. To some, Tupã is the original entity, and created all the rest. To many, the World never even had a beginning, just an ever-existing jungle.
Even if the beginning is confusing, the end is usually the same: The Creator is either the universe we live in or living far, sometimes still being worshiped, but relegating most of the work to the other Enondeara. The Enondeara itself stay quiet about this issue of creation, and is unknown if it is because this issue might fragment even more the pantheon or if they themselves don’t know the answer.
TITANS
As everything else with the Enondeara, the fragmented nature of the Enondeara also affect their Titans, even the Titans itself doesn’t care. The Blue Jaguar will decimate a piece of jungle no matter what those who live there believe, and the Primordial Bats and it’s titanspawns will attack savage any village with lights no matter who turned it on. Even if a long time ago the distance between tribes might have help to separate, the communities of today have been moved so far from their original places that is hard to know what is the monster that they are facing, which create special problems for Scions when they are called to face what they think is a simple monster and end up in front a force of nature.
Angatupry, the good Spirit
The brother of the Tau, the spirit of evil, he was supposed to help guide humanity towards good. He isn’t, however, allowed to act much, acting more as a subtle mentor and guide. He is only allowed to act against his brother when he acts, and they already fought once. After a week of stalemate of strength, Tau cheated and won, kidnapping Kerana. Angatupry never forgot this defeat and humiliation, and only waits for the chance of a rematch, where he will not lose.
Purview: Order
Virtues: Fecundity, Protection
Tau, the evil Spirit
The brother of the Angatupry, the spirit of good, he was supposed to tempted humanity towards evil and self-destruction. A long time ago, he fell in love to Kerana, one of the first humans, and, after a fight of 7 days with his brother, he cheated and took her. Jacy, seeing this, cursed them to their sons to be horrendous, and from their relation, 7 monsters were born. Those 7 would torment the world until Porãsy sacrificed herself to kill them. After that, and the death of sadness of Kerana due to the death of her children, Tau became even more dedicated to take humanity to the path of evil. He desires nothing but to slay those who killed his children and his descendants, but knows that he is smart enough to use manipulation, as he knows that straight up force will not allow him to win again.
Purview: Chaos
Virtues: Dominance, Rapacity
The Primordial Bats
Monsters that lived on the darkness before existence, they are enemies of all that exist and live under the light. They are enormous, indestructible, highly territorial bats, that spend most of their time fighting on the darkness beyond existence, but whenever one escapes their eternal fight, they attack the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. They are thwarted by the Enondeara every time, but every time they come to the World, they bring their spawns, which can reproduce through the darkness itself, creating monstrous bats that inhabit the darkest caves. They can stay sleeping for dozens of years, and when awake seem thirsty to attack any source of light, as well as any unlucky passerby.
Purview: Darkness
Virtues: Fecundity, Submission
The Blue Jaguar
One of the oldest beings, the original, or maybe most powerful, Jaguar spirit, this Gargantua Jaguar is not an unthinking monster. He is one of the most powerful spirits in existence, and even many pajes and Karaibas have tried to contact him to channel his power. Few in history have being able to convince him and to pass his trials, and most fear to try so, as he is a ferocious being. He has no interest in destroying the world, as he leaves and was born there, but occasionally, he devours the sun or the moon, causing eclipses, due to a deep anger he has towards them, for unknown reason. He might not be a monster, but he is an uncontrolled spirit, and live only to satisfy his natural interests. Many of the monsters the monstrous jaguars of the Amazon are his titanspawns, as well as the Human Jaguars that inhabit the dense forests.
Purview: Beast (Jaguar)
Virtues: Rapacity, Exploration
RELIGION: PAJEISM
The hundreds of communities of the Tupi-Guarani all have different rituals and traditions, even if slightly, and their religiosity don’t share a single name. But all, even in different names, share the presence of a paje, a shaman and holy man, many times working as traditional healer and as a guardian of the sacred mysteries of the community, which after all the corruption these religions suffered is now more important than never. These men guard the rituals for it is community, and sometimes might even be their leader. The religiosity of the community, however, can vary greatly, with tribes who worship the Enondeara, with sacrifices and songs, and others who only call them when they need, sometimes even in a confrontational manner. Their rituals all involve dancing and singing, with many kinds of drums and horns, as well as body painting and colorful dressings and masks. These rituals happen in the grounds of their territories, usually in the middle of the jungles of Amazon, and are stronger on Paraguay, were Guarani is an official country language.
Far from the borders of the jungle, however, it is hard to find more traditional members, but many variations exist in the form of different religions, mixing the native believes with others, creating new religions. Probably the biggest one is the Sacred Jurema, more common in the Northeast of Brazil, who calls the Enondeara in a manner more akin to the religions of the Orisha.
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