Mitos y Leyendas: The Legend of the Birth of the Ombú

• Mitos y Leyendas brings you the story of the origin of the Ombú tree.
• A tale in which a woman decides to lovingly undertake the task of protecting the tribe’s harvest.
• Genny de Bernardo is the one who shares this mythology with you.

Legend has it that when a Pampean tribe finished its first corn harvest, it was plentiful and good. The inhabitants performed dances and celebrations because of this.

From that moment on, the men were always in charge of taking care of the harvests. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, the tribe faced war conflicts and the men had to go to it.

Only the elderly and a couple of women remained in the tribe. The chief left the task of taking care of the crops to his wife, Ombí. The woman was nervous but committed to the task that her husband had entrusted to her.

Amby was always attentive to the sowing. After some time, she excitedly saw how the first shoots of the initial sowings began to sprout.

The Great Drought

The woman was excited and collected the fruits of the harvest, caring for it as if it were her family. But, to the misfortune of the people, a drought like no other struck the area.

The elders invoked the gods to send them rain so they could continue with their crops, but not a single cloud appeared in the place.

The sun’s rays were incredibly strong, to the extent that they damaged the awnings of the houses and made the earth hot, without the possibility of being fertile.

But that was not all, for, later, a hot wind ended up destroying what little remained in the region in terms of housing.

Ombí Worries About the Plants

The woman was worried about the plants, which one by one were drying up before the tribe’s eyes.

The elders saw how the chief’s wife slowly deteriorated due to the great effort and concern she experienced because of the situation they were going through.

Determined to save the plants, she always went to the field to do whatever it took to protect them from the relentless sun and weather conditions.

People begged her not to, but she was on a mission to save at least one for the following year.

The Sprout of the Ombú

One day, with extreme pain, she noticed that only one small corn plant was still alive in the sowing. She was determined to save this plant… no matter what.

She covered the plant with her body. As she did, she cried tears that resembled silver. The townspeople, seeing that she did not return, went to look for her.

When they arrived where she was, they realized that a large tree was protecting the still weak corn. It was a new tree. They understood what had happened and decided to name the tree Ombú.

Genny de Bernardo says goodbye to you and hopes that this story has been to your liking. See you next time!