Lobizón

The Lobizón (called Luisón in Paraguay) is a werewolf-like being of Guaraní-derived folklore in Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina. In Guaraní mythology it is the seventh and last child of the deities Tau and Kerana, one of seven legendary monsters of Paraguay.

Popular belief adds that in a family with seven sons in a row, the seventh will turn into a Luisón on his thirteenth birthday or in his teens. At night, especially on Tuesdays and Fridays, he becomes a huge dog-like beast that visits cemeteries. Some tellings say he can create others by kissing their foreheads. The legend resembles European werewolf stories, and scholars suggest it merged settlers’ lore with Guaraní myth, with the maned wolf as a possible model.

The belief had a real social consequence. Since the nineteenth century the president of Argentina has been the godfather of every seventh son, reportedly because some superstitious families harmed such boys. The custom became official in 1907, when the first presidential baptism took place, and it was formalised by Decree 848 on 12 March 1973 under Juan Perón, which provides a scholarship. In 2026 the government and a legislator were reported to be seeking to repeal it as outdated.

A large, ugly, dog- or wolf-like beast, in the original tale a giant dog-like creature.

Cemeteries and rural paths at night in north-eastern Argentina and Paraguay, in the range of the maned wolf.

The Luisón is among Paraguay’s seven legendary beasts, and in Argentina the “lobizón law” keeps the legend alive in public life.