Since earliest times the inhabitants of Chiloé recognised the primal forces of good and bad. The cyclical interplay of these opposites is depicted as a fundamental battle between the ocean and the land personified by the mythical reptiles CAI-CAI y TEN-TEN. Myth relates that for thousands of years all of Chiloé belonged to one body of land united to the American continent. The apparition of CAI-CAI, in the form of a snake initiated the battle. CAI-CAI caused the waters to rise rapidly inundating lowlands, valleys and hills, burying the inhabitants beneath the waves. As the waters threatened to cover everything, the protector TEN-TEN appeared, launching an attack upon his enemy and raising the land out of the sea to save its inhabitants. TEN-TEN helped people reach high ground, giving some men the power of flight and transforming others into birds. CAI-CAI found it impossible to cover the hilltops with his waters. The rains stopped and the waters receded. This great fight was repeated through aeons, eventually little survived it. Animals were transformed to rocks, people that did not reach high ground became fishes or seals. Valleys became channels or inlets between the islands and hills and mountains became islands forming an archipelago of incredible beauty.

 

The origin of the Chiloean archipelago lies in a fierce battle between two serpents, Ten Ten-Vilu (ten="earth", vilu="snake") and Coi Coi-Vilu (Co="water", vilu="snake").

[edit] Legend

The Ten Ten-Vilu is the goddess of Earth and Fertility, with a generous spirit and protecter of all earth's life, creator of the flora and fauna and according to some myths of Chiloé, everything she has created has flourished, including mankind.

Coi Coi-Vilu is the goddess of Water and the origin of all that inhabits it and is the enemy of terrestrial life, animal and vegetal.

According to this myth, thousands of years ago, what is now the Province of Chiloé was once one contiguous landmass with continental Chile. One day a monstrous serpent appeared inundating the lowlands, valleys, and mountains, submerging all the flora and fauna. Without delay, Ten Ten-Vilu appeared to start a confrontation with her enemy, elevating the land and protecting it from disaster. The battle persisted a long time. Ten Ten-Vilu reached a costly victory, she won the battle, but was unable to restore the land to its primavel state leaving it in its desmembered form which perdures til today.

At the end of the hostilities Coi Coi-Vilu left as her representative and owner of all the seas, the king Millalobo (Millalonco), who was conceived during the invasion when a beautiful woman fell in love with a sea lion.

This legend of the grand mass of the island describes the new region formed of water and earth and delineates the marine life style of Chiloé.