Jarjacha

The Jarjacha is a monstrous creature from Peruvian myth. It’s believed that everyone has a Jarjacha within them, and it can emerge when one is overcome by anger, jealousy, or any other negative emotions. When this happens, the Jarjacha takes over the mind, body, and soul. If released from a soul, then it can take everything from a person in life and after death. Once they are satisfied with the fear and suffering they have caused, they may return to rest in the soul. Jarjachas can turn others into Jarjachas and some become Jarjachas after breaking taboos or because of incest. They take the form of llamas with human faces, or llamas with two heads, with long necks and glowing eyes. They can be recognized as they call out “jar jar jar” and their presence makes peoples hair bristle. If seen from far away, they should be avoided. Jarjachas appear at night and cause dogs and normal llamas to become barren. They can paralyze people with their gaze and spit poison or hot blood. They eat human flesh, especially of those who are guilty of incest. They are thought to be so strong that not even the gods could stop them. They have the strength of a hundred men and are impossible to catch. One way to identify a Jarjacha is to throw soot in its face, and seeing what person has the soot on them the next morning. Depending on the severity of their actions, a caught Jarjacha may be exiled, executed, or magically sealed away in the soul. They can be tamed or controlled if a clay version of them is made and the spirit of the Jarjacha is trapped inside of it.

Citations:

Bustamante, Manuel E.. Apuntes para el folklore peruano. Peru, Imp. “La Miniatura,”, 1943.

Mitología Inca: El pilar del mundo. N.p., PLUTÓN EDICIONES X SL.