El Trauco

Region: Andean & Southern Cone
Location:Southern Chile (especially Chiloé Archipelago)

El Trauco is one of the most infamous figures in Chilean folklore, particularly in the islands of Chiloé, where myth and daily life intertwine deeply. He is described as a small, dwarf-like man with a deformed face, coarse features, and legs twisted as if broken at the knees. He wears rustic clothing made of moss or bark and carries a stone hatchet believed to hold supernatural power. Despite his frightening appearance, El Trauco is said to have an irresistible magical influence on women. According to tradition, no woman can refuse him; his presence creates overpowering compulsion and trance-like vulnerability.
  Folklore often frames El Trauco as an explanation for unexpected pregnancies in isolated rural communities. If a young woman becomes pregnant without an acknowledged partner, families sometimes attribute it to El Trauco’s influence rather than accusing her of impropriety. This doesn’t mean the being is considered benign — he is feared for his unpredictable nature. Some stories claim he can kill a man with a single strike of his stone hatchet or merely by staring at him, while others depict him as more of a wandering spirit who seeks out vulnerable women in forests or by riverbanks.
  El Trauco’s legend reflects the Chiloé islands’ long tradition of supernatural beings closely tied to the landscape. Dense forests, foggy coastlines, and isolated settlements shaped a worldview where the natural world holds spirits that influence human life in intimate ways. Today, the legend persists in rural areas, kept alive through cautionary tales, whispered stories among elders, and the island’s dramatic storytelling culture. El Trauco remains one of Chile’s most unsettling supernatural figures — not monstrous in size or shape, but in the quiet inevitability of his influence.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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