The flood myth in Guarani mythology

The flood (or deluge) myth in Guarani mythology, particularly in traditions preserved among groups like the Mbyá-Guaraní and other Tupi-Guarani peoples, is part of a larger cyclical cosmology. It involves multiple creations and destructions of the world, reflecting themes of imperfection, moral transgression, renewal, and the ongoing search for a perfect existence (often tied to the quest for Yvy Marã Ey, the “Land without Evil”).

The First Earth (Yvy Tenonde or Yvytenonde)

In the beginning, Ñamandú (also called Ñanderuvusu, Ñanderuguasu, or “Our Great/True Father” — the supreme, self-created primordial deity) formed the First Earth (Yvy Tenonde), an ideal primordial world.

• Humans lived in harmony with the gods.
• There was no disease, no hunger, no suffering — food was always abundant, and existence was paradisiacal.
• People and deities coexisted closely.

This first world was perfect but fragile, as human actions could disrupt the balance.

The Cause of Destruction

The destruction stemmed from severe moral transgression, most commonly described as incest — a grave taboo in Guarani cosmology.

• In key versions (especially Mbyá traditions recorded by anthropologists like León Cadogan), a figure (often linked to early humans or a being like Jeupié) committed incest by copulating with his father’s sister (or similar close kin violation).
• This act represented the ultimate corruption of harmony and order, polluting the sacred balance.
• Other accounts mention general human wickedness, disobedience, or failure to follow divine precepts, but incest is a recurring trigger for divine wrath.

As punishment, the gods (led by Ñamandú) unleashed the great deluge (called Mba’e-megua guasu or similar terms meaning “great monstrous thing” or massive flood/inundation).

The Deluge and Its Effects

• The flood completely submerged and destroyed the First Earth.
• In some tellings, it began with or combined catastrophic elements: intense rains that covered everything, sometimes preceded by or linked to a great fire/incendio from the west that burned forests before being quenched by endless downpours (as in versions from Giralda Yampey or related hymns).
• The gods withdrew to a celestial abode (the heavenly dwelling).
• Outcomes for humanity varied:
  • Good/righteous people ascended to the sky/heaven with Ñamandú or were saved.
  • The wicked were transformed into animals (e.g., frogs, fish, and other creatures of water/earth), explaining the origin of many species.
  • In one survival motif, a virtuous couple climbed a tall palm tree (like a pindó or eternal palm) and clung to its top until the waters receded.

Recreation: The Second Earth

After the deluge, Ñamandú decided to create a Second Earth — our current, imperfect world.

• He enlisted help from his assistants, especially Jakairá (god of mist, fog, and visionary smoke), who spread the “vivifying mist” (bruma vivificante) over the new land to infuse it with life.
• This new earth included plants, animals, and humans, but it was deliberately imperfect: now there is disease, pain, suffering, hunger, and death.
• Survivors of the flood (or newly created/recreated humans) inhabit this flawed world.
• The cycle underscores why Guarani shamans and prophets historically led migrations seeking the “Land without Evil” — a return to or discovery of a renewed paradise free from these ills, often imagined as eastward toward the rising sun.