- Pillan
The Pillan (of
Mapudungun origin; singular "pillán" and plural "pillanes" in Spanish) is a powerful and respected malespirit inMapuche mythology .Legend
The Pillan are good spirits, but they can also cause disasters, since they also punish (or they allow the "
wekufe " to punish) with drought or flood, earthquakes, or diseases."Antü" is the most powerful Pillan, who governs the others. In the
Mapuche tradition, a man that follows the laws of the "admapu " can also become a Pillan after death. The Mapuche perform a "ngillatun" ceremony for the Pillan, for the latter to grant benefits to the people, and to thank them for their gifts.The Pillan have been described as spirits that live in the "
Wenumapu " (a spiritual world of good), and those that inhabit the earth generally live inside the volcanoes. (Example: Osorno andQuetrupillán Volcano ).The accompanying female spirits of the Pillan are the Wangulen spirits.
Name Usage
The name Pillan was used by
ENAER to name their 2 seat trainer aircraft, theT-35 Pillan References
: Alberto Trivero, Trentrenfilú, (in Spanish). Proyecto de Documentación Ñuke Mapu.(1999).
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