Pombero

The Pombero, in Guaraní Karai Pyhare (“lord of the night”), is a short, hairy spirit of Paraguayan folklore, also known in north-eastern Argentina and southern Brazil. He is nocturnal, silent on his hairy feet, and announces himself with a whistle. He can imitate birdsong, squeeze through tiny gaps and turn invisible.

He is a guardian of birds, particularly against children with slingshots, and he is a trickster who frees cattle, steals eggs and honey, frightens horses and scatters supplies. Rural families leave tobacco, cane liquor or honey for him; respect brings protection of crops and animals, while mockery brings misfortune. Children are taught not to whistle at night or speak ill of him.

Darker beliefs also circulate. He is blamed for unexplained pregnancies, and babies born ugly or hairy are called his children – ideas that function as folk explanations and have been used to excuse harm to women. Narciso Colmán’s 1929 Ñande Ypy Kuéra is an early written source for these Guaraní traditions.

The figure combines a pre-Columbian view in which every plant and animal has a spirit guardian with later Christian reinterpretation as a demon. Today he is part of Paraguay’s intangible cultural heritage, appearing in music, a video game and countless stories.

Short, ugly and hairy, with very short arms and hairy hands and feet, sometimes said to have feet turned backwards. He is cold to the touch and moves silently.

Forests, farms, abandoned houses and barns in Paraguay, Misiones, Formosa and the Chaco, at night.

Parents in Paraguay still teach children to respect the Pombero, and some adults leave rum or cigars out. The figure features in the band Kchiporros’s album Sr. Pombero and in the 2020 game Pombero – The Lord of Night.