Mitos y Leyendas: The Fire and Ojo de Águila

• Genny de Bernardo shares the bravery of Ojo de Águila and origin of fire.
• This is about a warrior who brought fire to the peoples of America.
• A fantastic story worth knowing.

A long time ago, in the distant lands of the south, there was a tribe that lived without the gift of real fire. They had something similar to fire, but it was useless; it didn’t serve to heat or cook their food.

They subsisted on vegetables and raw fish and longed for the warmth and light of true fire.

In the regions to the west, fire also existed, but it was equally ineffective for cooking. In the north and the west, many people lived, but they lacked the fire they so needed.

Everyone wondered where they could find the real fire and how they could obtain it.

The origin of Fire

One day, a big worry spread through the community. People of all ages decided to go on a journey to find the fire they really wanted.

They traveled a large area, looking everywhere in their eager search, but they couldn’t find it; the fire was hard to get.

The community’s main people gathered and made a brave choice.

The bravest among them, a young man named Ojo de Águila, would be sent to hell, where they believed the true fire was located.

Ojo de Águila descends to hell

Without pausing, Ojo de Águila went into a dark hole that got bigger like an upside-down cone, going down into the underworld to look for fire.

There, in hell, he was surrounded by bad spirits who made the flames burn really brightly and strongly.

Ojo de Águila looked and waited calmly for many days, even though in hell, time seemed to move in a different way than on Earth.

Finally, during an infernal ceremony that gathered all the evil spirits of the place, Ojo de Águila saw his chance and seized some flames.

Purification of the flames

To his astonishment, the flames did not burn him, despite their intensity and the unbearable heat they emitted.

With the flames in his possession, Ojo de Águila managed to escape from hell and returned to his tribe as the bearer of fire.

However, the sorcerer of the community insisted that the fire needed to be purified, as it came from hell.

A ritual dance was carried out that lasted three days, after which the sorcerer declared that the fire was purified and ready to be used in the tribe’s daily activities.

The gift of fire

From that day on, the indigenous tribes of North America began to enjoy the benefits of real fire thanks to the bravery of Ojo de Águila.

The fire warmed their homes and allowed them to cook their food, improving their lives in unimaginable ways.

The legend of the fire and Ojo de Águila became part of their history, always remembering the courage of the one who descended into hell to bring them the gift of fire.

Undoubtedly, a story full of fantastic elements and fascination. Genny de Bernardo mentions how interesting it is that, curiously, many cultures have their own stories about these types of elements, but sometimes they share certain characteristics.