Legend
Guarani - natives of South America, is a large tribe from Tupi-Guarani culture. Today, the majority of these Indians live on the territory of Misiones province in Argentina. Guarani are forest nomads. Today, as in the past, they live in family-tribal groups and are engaged in farming and hunting. It is generally thought that the basis of their religion originally was a passive cult of nature, which in the era of colonization was suppressed by the Christian plantings of Jesuits, but didn't disappear from their religious life completely, having organically absorbed some elements of "Christian morality."
Guarani culture is very ancient, and it contains plenty of myths and legends, including on the origin of yerba mate. All these legends are based on the presumption that the tree is of divine origin and is a gift of the gods as a sign of their disposition to the Indians.
This legend was born in times when people interacted with the Earth and the Sky just as they are now interacting with each other. Each action was penetrated by deep feeling. And every drink was a divine liquid with which people filled themselves.
In those old days, there lived in the sky a goddess – the Moon Yasi. And she had a friend, goddess Arai, the Pink Cloud, which always accompanied the Moon, at times hiding, at times displaying her beauty to match the mood of the Sky.
The Moon kept watch over what happens on earth, she took notice of the way people lived, their thoughts and aspirations. She noticed that people were gradually losing the ability to interact with her force, that they stopped hearing her rhythm. To find out why people are losing the natural connection and harmony with the Nature and the Universe, the goddess and her friend agreed to go down to earth.
The Moon and the Cloud came down in a thick rainforest, full of wild animals and birds, in order to experience the living conditions of the local people. The friends wandered through the rainforest for a long time, enjoying rustle of leaves, scents of herbs and flowers that surrounded them. Suddenly, they heard loud growling coming from behind the dense vegetation. It was a huge jaguar, and it seemed to be preparing to attack the Moon and the Cloud. As suddenly as the beast, out of the overgrowth emerged an old Indian. He diverted the attention of the jaguar from the goddesses, and, as it went to attack him, showed unprecedented courage and skill for a man of his age. The Moon and the Cloud didn't even get a chance to be scared, as they were safe again. The Indian greeted them as dear travellers and invited them to his hut, which was nearby, right in the middle of the wild forest. The Indian's wife and their young daughter, an amazingly beautiful girl, came to greet the guests.
The Indian told Yasi that there are no other people nearby, besides his family, and she wondered why these people live in such a wild place.
The hosts served their guests hot corn tortillas and left the goddesses to rest for the night. In the morning, the old Indian came and offered the strangers to show the way out of the forest, so that they could return home safely. All the way Yasi was asking the Indian questions, trying to find out his secret. Why an Indian, who has such strength that he can overpower a jaguar, lives in this wild forest, away from all the people? And how did he raise a daughter so beautiful that she is able to charm even the goddesses?
The Indian told them his story. A very long time ago, he lived in a tribe and was the son of a shaman. This was the strongest tribe. For centuries the main purpose in life for these people was the attainment of natural state and harmony with the surrounding world. And also - realization of power, through harmony and naturalness. The Indian didn’t become the shaman of the tribe, giving this honorary position to his younger brother. He married a decent girl, and soon their family experienced a joyful event - they had a daughter, as beautiful as the moon. Watching the life of the tribe, the Indian saw that with every passing year the subtle connection between the man and nature becomes weaker. Already his father told him that in the last few generations the Earth and the Sky started talking differently to the man, as if the gods were further, and their voices were becoming quieter. The years passed, and the Indian felt that there inevitably will be time, when the beauty, purity and naturalness which he kept in his family, may be violated. And then he decided to leave the tribe, and lead his family into the rainforest, trying to preserve what was the most valuable for his family.
Yasi was struck by this story. She had no idea that harmony and naturalness gives such power to the person who is able to live accordingly. Goddesses returned to heaven, and Yasi was closely watching the life of the Indian’s family. She saw that the owners of the hut, by welcoming them in their home, themselves spent the night out in the open, because there were no more beds in the house; and that corn tortillas that they were offered were the last food in the house. Since that time, the family of the Indian were surviving by eating fruits and roots of wild plants. Yasi decided to repay somehow these people for their kindness. But neither she, nor the Cloud could think of anything. What can be done for people who have gone away from everything and who see the highest expression of life in maintaining their natural state? Then friends decided to seek advice from the main god of heaven - the powerful Tupa. Wise Tupa said, that the only thing that friends could do for the Indian’s family, is to help them to remain in their natural state, to give them the strength to do so.
Then Yasi and Arai descended to earth once again, to create there something new. Something that, combined with the power of man, would open the way to heaven. Goddesses brought seeds to the earth. According to the legend, these seeds were emerald green, and glowed with blue light. Yasi planted them in the ground, and Arai wrapped the sprouts in heavenly moisture. That is how came to earth strong dark green plants whose flowers, fruits and leaves were filled with wonderful power. Goddesses made the Indian’s family go into deep sleep for the whole day and night, so that they wouldn’t see them at work. And when the Indians awoke, Yasi and Arai were already high in the sky. As if spellbound, Indian with his wife and daughter looked at the trees, which glowed with thin blue light and had delicate white flowers opening on them. They could hardly believe that this was not a dream, so suddenly appeared the plants that were so different from all the other plants in the forest. But when the Indian looked at the sky, in a pink cloud and in the moon that was faintly visible in the sunlight, he recognized the two strangers, whom he recently rescued from a jaguar. And when he looked back at the plants, he saw that they had the heavenly power of the supreme god Tupa in them.
Since then, the symbol of heavenly power on earth was the plant that is now known as Yerba Mate.
This legend was born in times when people interacted with the Earth and the Sky just as they are now interacting with each other. Each action was penetrated by deep feeling. And every drink was a divine liquid with which people filled themselves.
In those old days, there lived in the sky a goddess – the Moon Yasi. And she had a friend, goddess Arai, the Pink Cloud, which always accompanied the Moon, at times hiding, at times displaying her beauty to match the mood of the Sky.
The Moon kept watch over what happens on earth, she took notice of the way people lived, their thoughts and aspirations. She noticed that people were gradually losing the ability to interact with her force, that they stopped hearing her rhythm. To find out why people are losing the natural connection and harmony with the Nature and the Universe, the goddess and her friend agreed to go down to earth.
The Moon and the Cloud came down in a thick rainforest, full of wild animals and birds, in order to experience the living conditions of the local people. The friends wandered through the rainforest for a long time, enjoying rustle of leaves, scents of herbs and flowers that surrounded them. Suddenly, they heard loud growling coming from behind the dense vegetation. It was a huge jaguar, and it seemed to be preparing to attack the Moon and the Cloud. As suddenly as the beast, out of the overgrowth emerged an old Indian. He diverted the attention of the jaguar from the goddesses, and, as it went to attack him, showed unprecedented courage and skill for a man of his age. The Moon and the Cloud didn't even get a chance to be scared, as they were safe again. The Indian greeted them as dear travellers and invited them to his hut, which was nearby, right in the middle of the wild forest. The Indian's wife and their young daughter, an amazingly beautiful girl, came to greet the guests.
The Indian told Yasi that there are no other people nearby, besides his family, and she wondered why these people live in such a wild place.
The hosts served their guests hot corn tortillas and left the goddesses to rest for the night. In the morning, the old Indian came and offered the strangers to show the way out of the forest, so that they could return home safely. All the way Yasi was asking the Indian questions, trying to find out his secret. Why an Indian, who has such strength that he can overpower a jaguar, lives in this wild forest, away from all the people? And how did he raise a daughter so beautiful that she is able to charm even the goddesses?
The Indian told them his story. A very long time ago, he lived in a tribe and was the son of a shaman. This was the strongest tribe. For centuries the main purpose in life for these people was the attainment of natural state and harmony with the surrounding world. And also - realization of power, through harmony and naturalness. The Indian didn’t become the shaman of the tribe, giving this honorary position to his younger brother. He married a decent girl, and soon their family experienced a joyful event - they had a daughter, as beautiful as the moon. Watching the life of the tribe, the Indian saw that with every passing year the subtle connection between the man and nature becomes weaker. Already his father told him that in the last few generations the Earth and the Sky started talking differently to the man, as if the gods were further, and their voices were becoming quieter. The years passed, and the Indian felt that there inevitably will be time, when the beauty, purity and naturalness which he kept in his family, may be violated. And then he decided to leave the tribe, and lead his family into the rainforest, trying to preserve what was the most valuable for his family.
Yasi was struck by this story. She had no idea that harmony and naturalness gives such power to the person who is able to live accordingly. Goddesses returned to heaven, and Yasi was closely watching the life of the Indian’s family. She saw that the owners of the hut, by welcoming them in their home, themselves spent the night out in the open, because there were no more beds in the house; and that corn tortillas that they were offered were the last food in the house. Since that time, the family of the Indian were surviving by eating fruits and roots of wild plants. Yasi decided to repay somehow these people for their kindness. But neither she, nor the Cloud could think of anything. What can be done for people who have gone away from everything and who see the highest expression of life in maintaining their natural state? Then friends decided to seek advice from the main god of heaven - the powerful Tupa. Wise Tupa said, that the only thing that friends could do for the Indian’s family, is to help them to remain in their natural state, to give them the strength to do so.
Then Yasi and Arai descended to earth once again, to create there something new. Something that, combined with the power of man, would open the way to heaven. Goddesses brought seeds to the earth. According to the legend, these seeds were emerald green, and glowed with blue light. Yasi planted them in the ground, and Arai wrapped the sprouts in heavenly moisture. That is how came to earth strong dark green plants whose flowers, fruits and leaves were filled with wonderful power. Goddesses made the Indian’s family go into deep sleep for the whole day and night, so that they wouldn’t see them at work. And when the Indians awoke, Yasi and Arai were already high in the sky. As if spellbound, Indian with his wife and daughter looked at the trees, which glowed with thin blue light and had delicate white flowers opening on them. They could hardly believe that this was not a dream, so suddenly appeared the plants that were so different from all the other plants in the forest. But when the Indian looked at the sky, in a pink cloud and in the moon that was faintly visible in the sunlight, he recognized the two strangers, whom he recently rescued from a jaguar. And when he looked back at the plants, he saw that they had the heavenly power of the supreme god Tupa in them.
Since then, the symbol of heavenly power on earth was the plant that is now known as Yerba Mate.