The Gift of the Moon (Inspired by the legend of mate tea of Guarani origin)

Yacy, the moon, was bored in the sky. Sometimes she would talk to the stars; but the
what entertained her the most were the stories about the earth that Araí used to tell her, the

cloud. –It's a world full of colors and sounds –Araí said to him. –Really? –he
I admired Yací who only knew the blue and white silence of the sky. -Yes -to him
Araí explained. And also filled with aromas that perfume the afternoons. - What are
those stars that turn on and off? –Yací asked, pointing to the
earth. –They are the isondúes, the little light bugs –Araí replied. –And that mirror
enormous where my face is reflected? - Yací wanted to know. - The waters of the river -

Araí replied. - And that light that filters in the distance? - The fire of a campfire.
in the village of the humans. They must be gathered around her, listening
stories. Yací sighed and stretched to be able to spy on the wonderful land that was
she described her friend. But she was so far away... From there, she couldn't feel the singing of

the birds, nor the sound of the river waters, nor the scent of the flowers, nor the voice of
humans. And besides, she only went out at night, when the uncertain shadows of
foliage and the thick darkness created diffuse figures, and the beings quieted in
the tranquility of sleep. –I want to go to the land –he told Araí one night. –How?
Araí was surprised. Everyone will notice your absence in the sky and will be alarmed by your

presence on Earth. –We will go at dawn –Yací explained to him– when the sun is
We will go to the horizon and return at sunset. So that no one recognizes us.
we will take human form. And so they did. With the first rays of the sun, Yací
she transformed into a beautiful blonde young woman and Araí into a dark-haired girl. And

they descended together to the earth. Yací was fascinated. The scented jungle
enveloped with its fragrances. The sounds of the animals seemed to him the most
wonderful music. She played the rough bark of the trees, caressed
the silky petals of the flowers, I immersed my hands in the cool waters of the
rivers, savoring the wild fruits, sweetened by the honey from the hives... And
I couldn't stop admiring the animals scurrying around, the multicolored plumage of the
birds, the phosphorescent glow of the fish... And so they traveled through the jungle, stopping
here, approaching there, discovering its secrets and its corners. So
the two were having fun and did not notice the fierce jaguar that lay in wait among
the foliage, stalked her. But at the very moment the beast pounced on
they, an old Indian shot an arrow at him that whizzed through the air with a buzz
deaf and wounded him in the side. The jaguar, enraged, turned towards the old man
to attack him, but he managed to shoot a new arrow that pierced him
heart. The old Indian then searched for the defenseless girls, but they
brave and you deserve a gift worthy of your noble heart. I will bring forth a new one.
plant that you will call Caá. You should roast its leaves before using them, as they
The opposite will be poisonous. The Caá will be the symbol of friendly brotherhood.
among men and will strengthen the bond between those who care for each other. It will have
the virtue of toning up the sick, comforting the tired, and providing companionship
to the lonely souls. When Yací finished speaking, her figure and that of Araí
they blurred and the old man woke up believing that it had all been a beautiful
dream. But then he checked with infinite joy that it was all true upon seeing the
new plant that stood before him, swaying its thick foliage with the breeze.
The yerba mate was born.
What does the legend do? It places a marvelous fact in the course of history: in
a moment, in a place. What happens there is supernatural but is grounded in the
reality has a truthful foundation, very convincing when it comes to believing. This is
important because it is believed in the legend. When they tell us 'I'm going to tell you a
legend" we lay down disbelief in the same way as before a show of
magic. Only fools hold disbelief in the presence of a legend or a magician.
The legend always happened once, it is past, it comes from back there. That makes it
undecided, vague, as if wrapped in a fog that erases the edges, blurring the
outline. It is a story that is told jokingly, leaving loose threads, areas without
to define, it is told because someone has told it to you, always adding something
detail and forgetting another, the voice hesitates in telling it, it is less accurate than its
relatives. The case, what is popularly known as 'the case', is specific: something
it happened only once to a known person, in an identifiable place, not long ago
a lot, and it never happened again: Mr. Rudecindo met the goblin Coquena
And since he did not greet him, the goblin kept him sick for several days; and it ended, everything.
What it leaves is a warning: let us be courteous to the goblins. [...] In the
legend, on the other hand, what happened that time lasts until today, survives in its
effects, endures: that sound of bells coming from the sea at midnight it
we will listen over and over again, always. And if it does not endure in its effects, it endures
like an enigma, like a mystery, like a question that people continue to ask
formulating over time and that has no answer, there is no explanation for
It will never exist, but the story continues in a permanent question.
The legend echoes, it continues to resonate. Perhaps this is its greatest appeal: in
link a distant point with the present, update something that happened perhaps
centuries ago. Walking casually along a certain beach and being able to connect with it
moment when Kidd was right there burying his treasure means that the
characters from the legend are inhabiting the place, and we are with them. That is the
what produces the legend: the impression that it has a cloak that wraps around a
site linking us with strange and remote people and events but to the
they are very lively. What is the intention of the legend? Basically, it is explanatory, but
Sometimes it seems that explaining is an excuse to entertain, which is its true purpose.
purpose. At times it also moralizes - that happens sometimes when the legend
it has a religious ingredient, when sin appears (...). Other times it is
knew in a practical sense because it teaches without moralizing, and teaches to preserve the
nature. This is understood by what I just told you: that the legend is
very connected to the productive life of a town, it then contains messages that in
they are definitely for self-protection, where no soul is sent to hell,
it issues to men the mandate to be careful with their environment
subsistence; in this sense, some would be highly applauded by a militant of
Greenpeace. But beneath the vocation to entertain, explain, moralize,
to teach, there is something deep that is linked to fear. It is told to
exorcise, conjure a danger: that of hunger due to the lack of fish, the assault of the
pirates, the terrifying beings, real or fantastical, that inhabit the sea, the
storm and the reefs that do not bring sailors back to their homes.