Etiological configurations of the amazonian imaginary: Enchanted women in the legends of iara and the forest siren

Abstract

This article analyzes the etiological configurations of the Amazonian imaginary through the representation of enchanted female figures in two oral tradition narratives: the Brazilian legend of Iara (Cascudo, 1981) and the narrative known as the Forest Siren from Peru (Montalvo, 2025). The study examines the folkloric motifs, narrative functions, and etiological elements present in these legends, considering the symbolic relationship between nature and the supernatural. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative and comparative approach based on the textual analysis of the narratives. The analysis shows that both legends associate the supernatural female figure with specific natural spaces — the river in the case of Iara and the forest in the Forest Siren — and employ the motif of the seductive song as an enchantment mechanism leading to the disappearance or death of the human character. Both narratives fulfill explanatory and normative functions, offering symbolic interpretations of natural phenomena while warning about the dangers of the Amazonian environment. The theoretical framework draws on studies of folklore and oral literature, particularly Álvarez (2002), Coleman (2021), Cascudo (1981), Portocarrero (2013), and Vidal de Battini (1984). The study concludes that these legends express an animistic worldview in which nature and the supernatural are interconnected in the construction of the Amazonian cultural imaginary