LORE PART II: ORIGIN

The legend of the Spirit of Amazonia has been present in all of the mythologies that surround the Jungle's mysticism. All the peaceful tribes have been longing for the day of it's arrival in this beautiful soil for so many years, that even the wisemen of each tribe are starting to lose faith of it's existence. However, unbeknownst to them, the deity is already here, and has been roaming deep in Amazonia since a few lustrums ago... watching... hidden from the human sight. But this wasn't always like this... Everything has it's beginning...

This, is the truth behind the legend...

The Modern Men, descendants of the primordial humans guided by Py't, the inner darkness of the human soul, discovered the land of Amazonia hundreds of years ago prior to this specific date, but it wasn't until this time, that they placed their covetous interest on the wonderful Jungle.

The Modern Men had just gone through pointless wars between themselves, leaving their own people and societies to die without hope. To solve this crisis, the Modern Men set off to explore uncharted lands, in order to find new resources... even if that meant to exploit and, consequently, destroy this beautiful enviroment...

Of course, Amazonia was in the top of their list. And since then, the modern Men has been traveling to this Jungle to satisfy their sick needs and desires.

Who could have guessed that, one of the roots that brought the Spirit of Amazonia to life, was found in one of this voyages?

Francis García, a caucasian Spanish male and passionate wildlife researcher, traveled in one of this journeys, hoping to witness with his own eyes the majesty of the Amazon Jungle he had been told by his teachers since his student days.

Among the Modern Men, there still exists humans whose hearts remains pure, despite the native darkness that springs from their souls. Francis was one of them. Being an enthusiast of nature, of course, this young man didn't share the idea of exploiting the richness of the jungle... but alas, one man alone can't do much to change the mind of the world...

Knowing this, Francis devised a plan for himself once he and the crew he traveled with arrived at the shores of Amazonia. He would separate from the crew once they started to disembark the heavy machinery built to collect resources, seizing this brief moment to explore all alone by himself the wonders of the Amazon jungle. He knew it was risky, but it was worth it.

And so he did... the big ship in which he traveled, ran aground in the beautiful and calm beach of Marajo. Francis quickly sneaked through the busy crowd that was preparing the pillage of the land, disappearing from the sight of his companions without being noticed. The young man introduced himself into the thick foliage of the rainforest as fast as he could, eager to explore the marvels of Amazonia.

Equipped with enough rations, water, and research tools to survive in this unknown soil, Francis was ready to face anything that fate may put in his way, always thinking in all the new things he might discover in this adventure. A few days and nights passed, until the young explorer reached the heart of Amazonia. By this time, he already had discovered a large number of new plantae and animalia species, as well as being witness of the most astonishing landscapes he had ever saw in his young life. However, nothing could have prepared him for what was coming... an event that would change the course of his life... forever...

During one of his breaks to eat and refresh himself, Francis decided to take a bath and swim for a while in a small spring that he found earlier in his exploration. As soon as he emerged from the water, he observed something that left him instantly shocked... he couldn't believe what his eyes saw... the figure of a beautiful and slender young woman. This beautiful, almost fully-naked girl, possibly around the same age as him, had a sun-tanned skin that matched perfectly with her black long hair. She had paintings all around her perfect body, especially one wide red line surrounding her eyes, and the only piece of clothing she had was a barely-covering loincloth, leaving her upper part of her torso completely exposed. The young woman was also refreshing herself right under a small waterfall, just few meters from the spring in which Francis was.

Francis remained catatonic. Indeed, he remained in this state more than he would've wanted, since short after he gazed upon the young woman, she also noticed his presence and gazed upon him... she panicked. And then, in the blink of an eye, the girl ran towards the thick foliage at full speed. Seeing this, the young explorer finally had a reaction.

"Wait, come back!" Francis screamed.

As soon as he saw the girl running away from him, he came out of the water and followed her as fast as he could. Traversing through a labyrinth of leaves, Francis didn't know if he was still following her at all, and eventually lost sight of her. The young woman, still in her deseperation to escape, didn't noticed she also lost herself in the maze of leaves. Both kept running in circles without reaching anywhere, until suddenly... both crashed mutually and fell directly to the ground.

"Ouch! Oh geez, that hurt!" Francis exclaimed. While he tried to stand up, he saw the girl was doing the same thing, prepared to run away again.

"No, wait! I won't hurt you, please don't go away!" Francis said, with a lower and calmed voice. The girl looked at him and stopped to slowly face towards the young explorer. Both approached each other.

—"Unbelievable... the fables are real! There exists people living in the deepness of the jungle! W-who are you?" Francis asked.

—"Mba'e? Quén er kuera nde?" the girl said.

—"What?" Francis asked.

—"Rehe mba'e reĩme ápe? Ipire ha'e blanca... mba'e ojapo kuera ápe? moõpa mba'e er kuera?" the girl said with a soft voice.

—"I-I'm sorry, but I can't understand you. W-What are you doing here? Why are you all alone in this jungle? Francis asked.

—"nahániri nde aikũmby... ha kuera mokañyva? nahániri ohecha kuera akaru che!" the girl exclaimed.

—"Ok ok, stop talking! Look... let's start all over again, shall we?... Let's take it slowly..." Francis said. The girl quietly stared at him.

—"I... am... Francis. My name... is Francis!" the young man said while pointing at himself.

—"Mba'e... Fr-Francis... Francis. Nde Francis..." the young woman said, by also pointing at him.

—"Yes, that's right! Francis... my name is Francis!" he exclaimed happily.

—"Francis!" the girl said again, now with a smile on her face.

—"Exactly! Ok now... What's... your... name?" Francis said by pointing at her. Suddenly, the girl held his hand with which he was pointing at her and put it in her naked chest. Francis blushed.

—"Che ha'e... Itatí." the girl softly said.

—"I-I-Itatí... O-oh, now I see! Your name's Itatí!" Francis nervously said. The girl smiled at him again. Then, he also smiled at her.

They stared at each other for quite a while. Then, the young man remembered he was completely naked due to his fast reaction to chase the escaping girl, so he blushed again while he desperately tried to cover his now erect virile member. The girl didn't seemed to care about his nudity, but she certainly found interest in the color of his skin, as if she had never seen anyone like him before.

Indeed, the young woman's name was Itatí. She was a native girl of Amazonia from the Yanomamí tribe. She was the only daughter of the tuxawa: the tribe's chief. The Yanomamí are one of the oldest tribes in all of Amazonia. In ancient times, they were one of the most prosperous tribes of the Amazon Jungle, but now, with the destructive intervention of Modern Men, they are one of the most threatened tribes, with their population alarmly decreasing with the passage of time.

The Yanomamí depend on the rainforest and the Tapajós river; they use "slash-and-burn" horticulture, grow bananas, gather fruit, and hunt animals and fish. They frequently move to avoid areas that become overused, a practice known as shifting cultivation when the soil becomes exhausted.

The Yanomamí are mainly divided in two categories: the "forest people" and the "river people".

Compared to the "forest people," the "river people" are much more sedentary and subsist by fishing and trading goods such as canoes and hooks with other villages. The "forest people" are horticulturists as well as hunters and gathers.

Short after Francis and Itatí met, both of them shared tender moments together. The young pair spend all day admiring the wonders of the jungle, eating fruits and contemplating the mighty animals that wandered in it. She did this once she understood that Francis wasn't from any tribe of Amazonia. Francis enjoyed every moment. The young explorer was more than happy to have met Itatí, even though they couldn't communicate properly due to the barriers of language. That was being the happiest day of their lives.

At the end of that beautiful day, both stared at each other, just like when they met earlier. And just at that moment, when the sun was about to slowly hide on the horizon, they felt it... the most beautiful feeling that can be shared with someone... Love.

The most pure form of innocent and reciprocal love was sprouting from their hearts. Francis promised Itatí, in the form of signs, that he would see her the next day in the same place they met: that beautiful and calm spring next to the waterfall. Itatí somehow understood what Francis told him. And so... they parted ways. Francis returned to his campsite, while Itatí returned to her village.

While trying to sleep, they couldn't stop thinking about the other, waiting for the sun to rise to meet each other again...

And so they did for many days; even weeks. By the time Francis realized the time elapsed that he had lived in the jungle, it had already been three months since the day he met Itatí for the first time. He was now fully adapted to the environment of the Amazon Jungle. He was living in a beautifully illuminated cave at the top of the waterfall, instead of using his tent. He was able to understand basic concepts of Itatí 's language, thanks to his fast-learning academic capabilities. He was getting so used to the life in Amazonia, to the point that he started to not wear anymore clothes, other than a simple loincloth, just like Itatí used to.

He was aware by then, it was impossible for him to return to Spain. But in spite of that, he didn't feel anguished nor scared, on the contrary, for some strange reason, he felt at home. As if some ancient force inside his soul told him that the Jungle of Amazonia had always been his home.

On the other hand, Itatí sneaked out of her village every day to meet Francis and enjoy their love. However, she was always aware of the risk of their relationship if it were discovered by the eyes of her people. It could have terrible and fatal consequences for both of them.

In Yanomamí society, marriage ceremonies are almost non-existent and are not celebrated in any way. Polygamous marriages are common, meaning husbands can have many wives. A girl can be promised to a man at an age as young as five or six, however cannot officially be married off until after her first menstrual period.

After a Yanomamí girl receives her first menstrual period, she is literally handed off by one of her parents to another man, usually a relative. Cross-cousin marriages, which are marriages between the girl and the son of a maternal uncle or paternal aunt, are the most common form of marriage. Most prefer to marry within that Yanomamí tribe, for fear of violent breakouts between different tribes. The female goes to live with her spouse, and must perform the chores and duties she previously did for her mother. Yanomamí women are expected to bear and raise many children, who are expected to help their mothers with domestic chores from a very young age, and mothers rely very much on help from their daughters.

Itatí never liked that kind of life, hence the reason why she was still single, despite her age... A rarity for her tribe. She felt in the bottom of her heart, that she belonged to the jungle, far from her tribe. She felt at home. As if some ancient force inside her soul told her that the Jungle of Amazonia had always been her home.

During many of their days together, they began to feel the desire for each other... the culmination of their love. Francis had already taught Itatí the different forms of affection he had learned since his student days in his country. She also already knew the process of copulation. And then, one of those days, they could no longer hide the desire to surrender to the enchants of love in spirit and soul.

So, finally, they gave in to their most primitive and natural instincts. They shared the most beautiful and intimate session of passionate sex they ever had in their young lives. That was the first night Itatí and Francis spent sleeping together. Life was perfect...

However... that same night during her sleep, Itatí had a dream...

In this dream, she was floating at the bottom of the deep Amazon river, protected by a big bubble of air that prevented her from drowning. She was astonished to see the depths of the river. She was surrounded by all kinds of submarine species. And suddenly from one moment to another, a strange creature was directly in front of her, gazing upon her. Itatí took a while to realize what this creature was, until she remembered those old tales that her parents told her when she was a little girl, about the legends of yore.

She finally comprehended it... that creature was no other than Yacuruna, the Goddess of Life. The legendary being that gave life to everything in Amazonia. Itatí was speechless... suddenly, Yacuruna started to talk to her in a incomprehensible language, at the time it revealed in her mind, visions of her future. The Goddess shown her images of Francis, the people of her tribe, and finally, the image of a baby. This final visualization left Itatí shocked, and just before she could ask Yacuruna what was the meaning behind those images... she woke up from her dream... She was so altered by the very vivid experience, the she even took a look around at the cave she was sleeping with Francis by her side... but there was no one in there. Completely confused, she tried to sleep again, but she didn't managed to make it.

What was that dream? Perhaps a premonition? Perhaps an allucination? no one could know for sure...

Time flew like a sigh. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. There was nothing that could stop Francis and Itatí from seeing each other every day. As long as they kept their relationship hidden from the eyes of her tribe, everything would be fine.

And so it happened. However, one day, the couple noticed a slight change in Itatí 's body... her belly began to grow. Both knew what that meant... Itatí was pregnant and they were about to become parents.

Francis was happy about it, but Itatí started to cry. She knew that her belly would be obviously noticed by the people of her tribe, and they would begin to ask questions about the reason of her sudden pregnancy. Everybody in the village knew that Itatí was still a single maiden, the oldest one of all the young women actually.

Francis understood her problem, but he was aware that she had no other choice: if they wanted to continue their lovely life together, Itatí couldn't come back to her village again. Itatí didn't hesitate to make her choice though, her love for Francis and her child was greater than anything in her life. So, after she finished sobbing and Francis cleaned her tears from her soft cheeks, she smiled again because she felt that she took the right decision... she would leave her village and stay with Francis to live in his cave... forever.

Again, time passed by like a heartbeat in their lives... Until the expected day came...

After a complicated full day of labor, Itatí finally gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Much was Itatí and Francis's surprise to see the little infant was a natural blonde, with a skin as white as a marble, just like her father. Because of this, they had difficult to find a proper name for the girl, but that could wait for sometime later.

A few days later, in a day like any other, Itatí noticed something interesting. When exposed to the sun, the baby girl emmited a warmth, green aura around her little body. At first, she was confused, but suddenly, she had a revelation... the night her baby girl was conceived, she had that strange dream. She remembered the final image Yacuruna allowed her to see... a baby. Now she completely understood... that baby was her baby.

But why? Why Yacuruna shown her this? It had to do something with a ancient legend she was forgiving about? Maybe...

That's when she finally remembered the entire tale... It is stated in the main legend of all the tribes of Amazonia, that Yacuruna would announce the embodiment of her essence to the fortunate being of receiving her blessing through a vision. She at last comprehended everything: her baby girl was the human incarnation of Yacuruna's essence... the Spirit of Amazonia.

Itatí couldn't believe she was holding between her arms the promised savior of Amazonia. She tried to tell Francis about it, even whe he still wasn't able to completely understand Itatí 's language. But then, from a moment to another, she decided she had to tell to her tribe, as well as all the tribes in the Jungle, that the divine Spirit of Amazonia, at last had arrived.

After telling this to Francis, he supported her decision and went with her to her village for the first time in his life. Itatí thought that, if everyone saw the glowing aura of the baby girl, they would be instantly convinced that the infant was, in fact, the Spirit of Amazonia, and they would receive Francis with open arms. That would lead all of the Amazonia's problems to end and finally have everlasting peace. The couple was excited to see the tribe's reaction to this. However, once they reached to Itatí's village...

The absolute horror manifested in front of their eyes...

Itatí's village was being massacred by the Modern Men... Francis couldn't believe it. Those bastards dared to return a second time, exactly a year after his first arrival.

There was blood and dead bodies everywhere. A grey cloud of smoke throughout the village. Cries of agony everywhere. The huts were on fire, and a horrible smell of burnt grass and death was all over the place.

Though many Yanomamí are peaceful people, many are fierce trained warriors, but even so, they were no match for the Modern Men and their lethal fire weapons.

—"Oh my God no! Come on Itatí! Let's get out of here!!" Francis yelled at Itatí, whose body was completely paralyzed from the horrible scene.

Francis tried to quickly pull Itatí away with him, so they could escape without being noticed, but unfortunately, some Modern Men saw them and aimed their guns towards them. Francis noted this and put himself in front of Itatí and the baby girl.

—"ITATIIÍ, RUUUN!!!" Francis screamed, just before two gunshots could be heared. Francis's body fell wounded to the ground. Itatí screamed in horror. The baby girl started to cry.

—"FRAAANCIIIS!! NAHAAÁ!!!" Itatí screamed at the top of her lungs by seeing the love of her life lying in the ground. She went down to her knees, with tears in her eyes to hear her soul-mate's last words.

"I-Itatí... I-I'll always l-love you... t-tapiã nde a-hayhuta..." Francis whispered with his last breath.

Itatí understood what Francis said. But she didn't stayed there shocked. Instead, just in that moment, she stood up, and finally started to run towards the thick foliage. The Modern Men who shot dead Francis, loaded their weapons and fired again, aiming at Itatí.

She heard the thunderous gunshots, but she kept running away from the burning place.

Itatí had run for several minutes without stopping, until she finally started to feel tired. When she looked around herself, she noticed that she introduced herself into the labyrinth of leaves, however she continued to feel more and more tired. They baby girl kept crying.

When she stopped to inspect the baby girl if she was harmed, Itatí was relieved to see that nothing had happened to her. However... she noticed a stream of blood coming out her own stomach, above her navel. Itatí 's legs trembled to fall again on her knees. With the little strength she had left, she calmed the baby girl's cries by whispering her a Yanomamí lullaby. After a few moments, the baby girl fell asleep.

Everything stood calm and quiet for a moment. Itatí was starting to haver her vision blurred and to lose consciousness before she saw some unexpected creatures in front of her... three curious monkeys were gazing at her.

After that, Itatí raised her head to look up above her, just to see dozens of the same monkeys watching upon her from the branches of the trees. One monkey stepped next to Itatí, to see the baby girl in her arms. Then, Itatí knew what she had to do... she gave the baby to the monkey in front of her.

—"N-n-nang'arekova... h-h-het'a..." Itatí said to the monkey, just before to fall dead to the ground.

A few monkeys contemplated Itatí's inhert body, while some other gathered around the baby to see her closely... And suddenly, all the monkeys disappeared, from one moment to another, taking the baby girl with them.

This may sound like a sad love story, but it's only the emergence of a real legend...

Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning...