Mask
Part Nodens, healer god and dog friend, echoed in the silver handed Nuada of the Irish, Nudd of the Welsh, a web of myths I was entangled in at the time. But also heavily influenced by a recent experience… When staying in the Peruvian Rainforest, I was lying in a hammock one night looking out at the obliterating darkness of the jungle. I felt a presence and heard a voice calling to me. Climbing down to the forest floor, I sensed something moving nearby. A few cautious steps further and I discovered the source, the dog of my hosts was stumbling confused, then falling into a ditch by the side of the hut. I slid down and helped her out, carrying her inside.
I felt the presence that called me to aid the sick dog as Pan. The dog’s owner thought it was more likely Chullachaki, a trickster known for taking the form of loved ones or even prey animals to lure the unsuspecting into dark corners of the losing jungle. A forest guardian liable to punish disrespect for his domain, identifiable only by his one clubbed foot or sometimes hoof.
Tetanus, from an infected insect bite, got the better of their dog in the end. But at least she didn’t die in a ditch. The poem below tells of some of what is carved into the mask.
