The Living Mountain

I was told this story by Vivi as we were making our way to a womens' project where Maximo Nivel is doing some work, supporting the project now that it's ONG funding is coming to an end. She was sitting in the front of the taxi as she was recounting it and  it wasn't easy to follow her Spanish but I got the general drift of it and I thought it was a such a great story I asked her to write it for me which she very kindly did. Any mistakes are down to my misreading.

It's an INCA legend and as she was telling me the story I thought of my friend John LLewelyn in Edinburgh and all the things he has taught me, and of Nan Shepherd, Scottish writer who wrote a book called "The Living Mountain", about her passion for the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland. It also brought to mind Robert Macfarlane and a story he tells in his book "The Wild Places" about a Glasgow man called W.H. Murray, which I will tell you about soon.

Anyway to get back to the legend. It tells the story of two mountains near Cusco, one called El Apu Wanakauri (Huanacaure in Spanish) and the other called El Apu Pillqu Orqo (Picol). The Incas venerated the mountains, the earth, the water, and many celestial objects, considering them to be living, sentient beings. Hence Apu is a Quechua word meaning a god, or sacred, divine being.

The two mountains were in love with the same female being (ser femenino) and proceeded to have an argument over her, which then lead to a fight. Apu Wanakauri had a big sling, similar I imagine to the one used by David to smote Goliath, except on a bigger scale, obviously, which he used to throw a huge rock at his opponent Apu Pillqu.

This rock left a huge crevice or hole in that sacred mountain, which can be seen to this day. However and lamentably for both these sacred mountains neither of them was able to win the love of the ser femenino.

Taita Inty, the Inca Sun God, got wind of what was going on between them and, would you believe it, blamed the ser femenino for causing the fight and as punishment turned her into a pillar of stone and so she remains to this day. I'm going out to try to find her, as the legend has it that she is outside the city. Maybe one of you knows her whereabouts? If so let me know please.

I like this story, and apologies to any of my Peruvian friends if I've got it wrong or misunderstood Vivi's recounting of the legend. Vivi did include the legend of the Ayar brothers in her account which is connected to this one, and is important in Inca history, which is also mixed up with Inca myths. Maybe I will tell you the story of the Ayar brothers another time.

I can hardly believe it's the first day of October today. It's just gone 9 am so better head off to La Comisaria to see what awaits, or who awaits.