Mitos y Leyendas: The Dog and the Fire

• Genny de Bernardo shares a story from the Tobas about a dog and fire.
• Sometimes, in ancient texts, humans were put to the test by the gods.
• Metamorphosis is common among the gods and is used to truly know mortals.

In Greek mythology, it is very common to find stories in which the gods take certain forms to walk among mortals.

This had many purposes; sometimes to help a hero or to punish someone, although they also did it to have fun from time to time.

Just as the Greeks have this idea, we also have it in the magnificent stories we have in America.

Today’s story may need to be read more than once to understand it. The key, in some way, would be to understand that many times we are put to the test by these gods.

The Legend of the Dog and the Fire

A long time ago, a cannibalistic woman appeared, which led the Tobas to unite against her and finally defeat her.

Once they subdued her, they sacrificed her in a fire to symbolize the end of her transgression.

At another time, a sick dog appeared that wandered around the area where the Tobas lived.

Shortly after, a dense sinister fog took over the town, which made people think there might be some connection between the dog and the strange fog.

A couple helps the dog

The community despised the dog and tried to expel it from the town by throwing stones at it. The dog went to another town, but was also violently expelled there.

However, during the night, the dog returned and after visiting several houses, it arrived at the home of a childless couple.

Feeling compassion for the dog, they invited it to come closer to the fire. They prepared a comfortable place with abundant grass for it to rest and fed it.

The couple even considered taking care of it and having it as a guardian of their home.

A messenger appears

That night, after going to bed late, the man was awakened by a messenger who instructed him to start cutting wood from a tree and stack it until it reached a specific height under the crown of another tree.

During this task, the messenger assured him that they would experience thirst but not hunger, and instructed them to wait for two dark days before lighting the cut wood and starting to cook.

The messenger, who dressed unusually for the region, convinced the man, who carried out the task precisely.

The next morning, he and his wife undertook the task and managed to reach the required height.

The fire

However, at noon the next day, it began to rain and all the wood in the town, except for what the couple had cut, got wet, which prevented the others from lighting the fire.

The people of the town approached the couple asking for wood, but they refused to help, as they had committed to follow the instructions received.

At first glance, it might seem that the couple is selfish or bad, but this is not the case. Attention must be paid to discover what the message behind all this is.

Mitos y Leyendas says goodbye for now and hopes you enjoyed the legend of the dog and the fire. Until next time!