Calchona

La Calchona.

Calchona is part of the Mapuche folklore. She is a creature that looks like a large black sheep, or a woolly black dog, that roams around at night.

The name Calchona derives from Mapuche language (Mapudungun) word “kalch”, which means pubic hair, and refers quite graphically to the creature's long, curly fleece.

Harmless, she, for it is female, a witch, is said to be the outcome of magic spells gone awry.

The popular tale is the following: she, the witch used some creams which she applied on her skin to mutate into a black sheep. She would then go out -no one knows why- every night. Her suspicious husband, spying on her, for he believed she might be a witch, saw her transform into a sheep. So he threw away her magic ointments. When she returned she could not undo the spell and was forced to remain a sheep forever. She roams the night and bleats asking for food.