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Help[Facts] Re: Anahi
in reply to a message by Kezza
As I understand it, Anahi was not a South American goddess, but the main character in a legend from Paraguay in South America. She may have been an actual historical figure, but the ending of the story about her is more mythical.
According to the legend, Anahi was the daughter of a chief of the Guarani people, the original inhabitants of Paraguay. Her father led resistance to the Spanish invaders. The conquistadors captured Anahi, abused her, tied her to a tree, and set her on fire. The legend says that the next day the tree bloomed with flowers never seen before. The Spanish name for the flowering tree is the ceibo, and it's the national flower of Argentina. (Why Argentina and not Paraguay I don't know!)
You can find a picture of the flowers from the tree here:
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue227/ceibo.html
http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/nativeworld/Legends.htm
Anahi must originally be a Guarani word. Some sites claim the original meaning was something like "one who has a beautiful voice", and others that it's simply the Guarani word for the tree. I hope someone who's an expert on the Guarani language (still widely spoken in Paraguay) can clarify that for us some day.
According to the legend, Anahi was the daughter of a chief of the Guarani people, the original inhabitants of Paraguay. Her father led resistance to the Spanish invaders. The conquistadors captured Anahi, abused her, tied her to a tree, and set her on fire. The legend says that the next day the tree bloomed with flowers never seen before. The Spanish name for the flowering tree is the ceibo, and it's the national flower of Argentina. (Why Argentina and not Paraguay I don't know!)
You can find a picture of the flowers from the tree here:
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue227/ceibo.html
http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/nativeworld/Legends.htm
Anahi must originally be a Guarani word. Some sites claim the original meaning was something like "one who has a beautiful voice", and others that it's simply the Guarani word for the tree. I hope someone who's an expert on the Guarani language (still widely spoken in Paraguay) can clarify that for us some day.
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