The Men from the Sea (South American myth)
"The Men from the Sea" comprises a collection of three interrelated myths reflecting the seaborne invasions of Ecuador in ancient, pre-Columbian times. The first myth depicts the arrival of male giants to the Santa Elena Peninsula, who establish a village and exploit local resources, ultimately leading to violence against the indigenous people. Their defeat comes when a divine figure punishes them with fire. The second myth recounts the arrival of the Caras, an American Indian tribe, who invade and establish a kingdom near modern-day Quito, worshipping celestial deities and practicing human sacrifice. The third myth features Naymlap, a chief who leads another seaborne group, builds a temple, and mysteriously departs, leaving a legacy for his people. These myths intertwine historical elements and cultural beliefs, providing insight into the region's indigenous populations and their interactions with foreign invaders. While some aspects are based on historical events, such as the Caras' establishment of a kingdom, the narrative of Naymlap remains speculative, drawing interest from scholars. Overall, "The Men from the Sea" serves as a rich narrative tapestry reflecting the complexities of cultural identity and historical memory in ancient Ecuador.
On this Page
Subject Terms
The Men from the Sea (South American myth)
Author: Traditional Ecuadorian
Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE
Country or Culture: South America
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
As presented in English, “The Men from the Sea” comprises three thematically linked myths. They tell of seaborne foreign invasions of Ecuador in ancient, pre-Columbian times. The first myth describes how, one day, male giants arrive at what is contemporary Santa Elena Peninsula in Ecuador in big boats made of reeds. They are either dressed in animal skins or remain naked, and ordinary humans reach up only to the knees of the giants.
The giants build a village on the coast. They dig out very deep wells from the rocks, lining them with masonry to endure for a long time. The giants forage for meat in the countryside and catch fish from the sea because they require fifty times the food of a regular person. The giants sexually assault and even kill the local people, causing the locals to pray to their god for deliverance. In response, a fire comes down from the heavens, and an angelic figure kills the giants with a shining sword as fire consumes their fallen bodies. All that is left of them are the bones by which people can remember their punishment.
The second myth tells of humans coming ashore. As calculated by the Spanish later on, this happens about six to seven centuries after the giants were destroyed at the beginning of the Common Era. The new “Men from the Sea” call themselves the Caras. The Caras arrive on balsas—boats that are made of logs bound together to form a hull and topped by a platform on which masts for sails are erected. After their successful invasion from the sea, the Caras expand their territory by war and conquest. By around 980 CE, the Caras establish their stronghold near Quito, the contemporary capital of Ecuador. They call their king Scyri and rule until the fifteenth century until they are defeated by the Incas. The Caras worship the sun and moon and build them temples. They worship the sea as well. To their war god Tumbal, they offer prisoners as human sacrifices.
The third myth tells of “The Men from the Sea” led by the chief Naymlap. Naymlap, his wife Ceterni, their court officials, and their common people arrive from the north with a fleet of balsas. They land just south of Ecuador’s Santa Elena Peninsula. A court officer called Fongasigde spreads shell dust before the feet of Naymlap as he lands. The seaborne invaders build a temple called Chot. They place an idol in the temple called Llampallec, or “figure of Naymlap.” Naymlap reigns for many years until he flies away on wings he has grown.
Naymlap’s successor, Cium, bricks himself up in an underground cave. There, he starves himself to death so that his people outside may think he remains immortal, never to reappear. The tenth king after Cium, Tempellec, lets himself by seduced by a demon that looks like a beautiful woman. As result, it rains for an unprecedented thirty days. A year of famine follows. The priests tie up Tempellec and throw him into the sea before changing the kingdom to a republic.
SIGNIFICANCE
After the Spanish conquered the region of contemporary Ecuador from the Incas by 1534, they collected the myths of the local people. Before the Spanish, the Incas had just conquered this region from 1462 to 1500. Local myths of the region far predate the Inca conquest. They originate with South American Indian tribes like the Caras mentioned in “The Men from the Sea,” or others no longer known.
In 1920, American philosopher Hartley Burr Alexander presented “The Men from the Sea” in English in his collection of myths from Latin America. Burr bases his rendition on Spanish texts. For the myth of the giants, Burr used the account of sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador Pedro de Cieza de León. The myth of the coming of the Caras is told by eighteenth-century Ecuadorian priest and historian Juan de Velasco. The myth of Naymlap’s arrival was recorded by sixteenth century Spanish priest Miguel Cabello de Balboa. Today, only Cieza de León’s text is available in English.
Significantly, the three myths of “The Men from the Sea” tell of seaborne invasions of Ecuador. The balance between their purely mythological elements and elements affixed to historical and material evidence varies considerably from myth to myth. However, at least two myths can be traced to historical events.
For the myth of the invasion by the giants, an American archaeological expedition to Ecuador from 1906 to 1908 revealed the existence of deep stone-lined wells just as described in the myth. The archeologists found many stone seats carved with images of animals and humans. These stone seats resemble those found in the Antilles and as far north of Ecuador as across the Isthmus of Panama. This indicates archaeological evidence for the arrival of a foreign people in Ecuador bringing along these artifacts as a material source of the myth.
The origin myth of the Caras describes the arrival in Ecuador of an American Indian tribe that still exists there. There is historical evidence that the Caras arrived on the Santa Elena Peninsula. From there, they traveled inland along the Esmeraldas River. They defeated the people of the local Quitu culture and established a kingdom centered on contemporary Quito by the tenth century CE. They were conquered by the Incas by 1470. The ancient name for the Caras kings mentioned in the myth, Scyri, has even been adopted by the contemporary Ecuadorian navy.
So far, no archeological or other evidence has been found to identify the people led by Naymlap in “The Men from the Sea.” However, scholars are convinced of the authenticity of the myth by its narrative detail, suggesting that it belonged to a South American Indian tribe that is no longer known.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexander, Hartley Burr. “The Men from the Sea.” The Mythology of All Races: Latin-America. Vol. 11. Boston: Jones, 1920. 204–9. Print.
Cieza de León, Pedro de. The Travels of Pedro de Cieza de León, AD 1532–50, Contained in the First Part of His Chronicle of Peru. Trans. Clements Markham. 1883. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print.
Klein, David, and Ivan Cruz Cevallos, eds. Ecuador: The Secret Art of Precolumbian Ecuador. New York: 5continents, 2007. Print.
Lauderbaugh, George. The History of Ecuador. Santa Barbara: Greenwood, 2012. Print.
Saville, Marshall Howard. The Antiquities of Manabi, Ecuador. New York: Irving, 1907. Print.