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)
066. The Phantom of the Culebra (La Aparicion de la Culebra)
(The 16-year old child D. Juan Pereira from Cauquenes told me this in 1911.)
A gentleman invited a friend who was a witch to lunch, and during lunch he asked her if it was true what was said about her, and if it was indeed true, that she should make a snake appear coiled around his right arm. The friend didn’t say anything; but in a short while the gentleman felt as if his arm was going numb, and little by little a culebra appeared, which moment by moment strengthened its grip on his arm. Then the gentleman asked her to make it disappear, but the friend told him that she could not do it herself; that he had to go to the house of another witch, which she gave him the directions to; and that he should take along some herbs, which she gave him a handful of. He went there, and the other witch rubbed his hand with the juice of the herbs and the culebra disappeared little by little.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Aparición – (act of appearing) appearance; (act of publishing) publication; (phantom) apparition
Enroscado – (entangled) coiled; curled up, curling, threaded
Enroscar – (to tighten) to screw in (screw), to screw on (lid); (to roll up) to coil, to wind
Enroscarse – (to twist around) to coil up, to coil around; (to huddle oneself) to curl up
Adormecer – (to make drowsy) to make sleepy, to lull to sleep, to send to sleep; (to lull) to calm; (to deaden) to numb
Adormecerse – (to become sleepy) to fall asleep, to go to sleep, to doze off, to nod off; (to become desensitized) to go numb, to go to sleep
Estrechar – (to reduce the width of) to narrow, to take in (tailoring); (to hold close) to hug, to embrace, to hold; (to become close with) to strengthen
Estrecharse – (to reduce in width) to get narrower, to narrow; (to get close) to grow stronger; (to economize) to reduce costs; (to compress) to squeeze in, to squeeze together; (to hold) to embrace, to hug
Manojo – (group) bunch, handful
Sobar – (to feel repeatedly) to handle, to finger, to touch; (to stroke) to massage, to rub; (to work with hands) to knead (dough); (to touch sexually) to fondle, to paw, to grope, to touch up; (to beat) to wallop; (to flatter) to suck up to; (to rest by closing one’s eyes) to sleep, to have a nap (for a short time), to have a snooze, to catch some Zs, to have a kip
Sobarse – (to massage oneself) to rub oneself, to rub; (to caress) to make out, to smooch, to neck
Zumo – (beverage) juice