An imbunche
The imbunche (lit. "short person") is a legendary monster that protects the entrance to a warlock's cave in the Chilote folklore and Chilote mythology of the Chiloé Island in southern Chile. It is said by John Constantine that the imbunche rampaged the Earth during the time of Noah, but were presumed destroyed in the Great Flood.
Appearance[]
The imbunche is a deformed human with its head twisted backwards, along with having twisted arms, fingers, nose, mouth and ears. The creature walks on one foot or on three feet (actually one leg and two hands) because one of its legs is attached to the back of its neck. It has blue skin and sharp teeth. The imbunche cannot talk, and communicates only by guttural, rough and unpleasant sounds.
Overview[]
According to legend, the imbunche is a first-born child less than nine days old that was kidnapped, or sold by their parents, to a Brujo Chilote (a type of warlock of Chiloé). If the baby had been christened, the warlock debaptizes them through unknown means of black magic.
The Brujo Chilote transforms the child into a deformed hairy monster by breaking their right leg and twisting it over their back. When the child is three months old their tongue is forked, their teeth turn sharp, their skin turns blue, and the warlock applies a magic cream over the child's back to cause thick hairs. During its first months the imbunche is fed on black cat's milk and goat flesh, and when old enough, with human corpses from cemeteries.
Besides guarding the entrance to the warlock's cave, the imbunche is used by warlocks as an instrument for revenge or curses. And, because it has acquired magical knowledge over its lifetime spent guarding the cave, even if the imbunche is not initiated into wizardry, it sometimes acts as the warlock's advisor.
The imbunche leaves the cave only in certain circumstances, such as when the cave is destroyed or discovered and the warlock moves to another cave, or when the warlocks have need of it and carry it thrashing and yelling, scaring the townspeople and announcing misfortune to come. The imbunche also comes out when the warlocks take it to the Warlock's Council. The imbunche is fed solely by warlocks and is only allowed to search for its own edibles if food is lacking inside the cave.