Histories of Witches – Historias de Brujos
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos)
062. The Cave of Cardillas (La Cueva de Las Cardillas)
(The 12-year old child D. Oscar Salinas told me this story in 1912. He heard it told in Melipilla.)
On a hill located near the Cardillas (Golden Thistles), in the district of Melipilla, there is a cave that, according to people, is inhabited by witches.
A young man once decided to visit the cave, and indeed, he went there and entered with a lighted lantern. After walking for a short time, he found himself in a very beautiful room, luxuriously furnished, and sitting in the exquisitely made chairs were five girls between the age of 18 and 20, very beautiful and dressed in expensive clothes and valuable jewelry. They invited him to stay for dinner and he accepted [their offer]. The tableware were made of silver and the cutlery of gold, and the delicacies were so delicious that he, a rich young man and food aficionado, had never eaten such exquisite entrees before. In a moment of inattention by the young women, he put in his pocket a full set of cutlery and a tortita de dulce (lit. small, sweet cake). When dinner was over, they asked him to sleep there for the night and he, who had fallen in love with one of the girls, did not hesitate and remained there with her. The next day when he woke up, he found himself hugging a skeleton; and in the bags, in place of the cutlery set, were three bones, and cow dung instead of the torta. The lantern had disappeared and it cost him much effort and more than an hour to leave the cave.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Cardillas – cardillo – golden thistle
En efecto – (in effect) indeed, sure enough; (used in affirmative answers) indeed, that’s right; (legal) into effect
Alumbrar – (to give light to) to light, to light up, to illuminate; (to clarify) to shed light on; (literary) (to inspire) to enlighten; (to deliver) to give birth to); (to invent) to conceive of; (to discover) to find (underground water); (to bewitch) to put under a spell; to cast a spell; (to emit light) to give off light; (to deliver) to give birth
Alumbrarse – (to get drunk) to get lit up
Linterna – (portable electric light) flashlight, torch; (portable light) lantern, lamp; (architecture) lantern; (figurative) (anatomy) eye
Ataviado – (wearing formal clothes; used with “con” or “de”) dressed up in, attired in, clothed in; (wearing a costume; used with “con” or “de”) dressed up as
Costoso – (high-priced) expensive, costly; (hard) difficult; (harmful) costly
Alhajas – (rings, necklaces, earings, etc.) jewelry
Servicios – (flatware and glassware) place setting, tableware, set, place; (attention to a customer) service, service charge
Cubiertos – silverware, flatware, cutlery
Sabroso – (good flavor) tasty, delicious; (gossip) juicy; (enjoyable) pleasant, nice; (lively) (Chile) fun; (substantial) considerable
Aficionado – (enthusiastic follower) fan, enthusiast, lover, aficionado; (nonprofessional) amateur; (enthusiastic; used with “a”) fond of, keen on
Exigir – (to order) to demand; (to necessitate) to call for, to require; (taxes) to levy
Abrazar – (to hold) to hug, to embrace, to hold; (to take up) to embrace, to espouse
Abrazarse – (to hold each other) to hug each other, to embrace each other
Esqueleto – (anatomy) skeleton; (underlying structure) skeleton, structure; (basic draft) framework, outline; (form) blank form
Bosta – dung, cow dung (from a cow), horse dung (from a horse)