Guayota

File:Teide Tenerife3.jpg

Mount Teide on Tenerife. According to mythology was the home of Guayota.

Guayota, in Guanche mythology of the Tenerife (Canary Islands), was the principal malignant deity and Achamán's adversary.

Mythology

According to Guanche legend, Guayota lived inside the Teide volcano, one of the gateways to the underworld. Guayota was said to be represented as a black dog and was accompanied by demons, also in the form of black dogs, known as Tibicenas.

According to legend, Guayota kidnapped Magec (the sun) and shut it up in the Teide, plunging the world into darkness. Humans prayed to Achamán who saved Magec, and instead locked Guayota up in the Teide. Guayota is the king of evil genies, and was worshiped in the island of Tenerife in the Guanche religion.

Features

Guayota shares features similar to other malignant deity-inhabitants of volcanoes, as in the case of the goddess Pele in Hawaiian mythology, who lived in the Kīlauea volcano and was regarded by the native Hawaiians as responsible for the eruptions of the volcano.

In popular culture

Currently, like other aboriginal gods, Guayota remains a typical canary creature folklore. His evocation is present in many and varied elements of popular culture:

• In the northern city of Puerto de la Cruz is a pub named after him: the Pub Guayota.

• In Granadilla de Abona is based the association: Bomberos Guayota (Fire Guayota)

• There is also the Grupo Folklórico Guayota.

• A heavy metal band named after him.

• There is an ultimate team called ¡Guayota Ultimate!

• Guayota is featured as the principle antagonist in "Night Broken" by Patricia Briggs, the eighth novel in her Mercy Thompson series.

See also

• Guanche Religion