In the Quechua, Aymara, and Inca mythologies, (from "shadow"; ) was originally an ambivalent spirit, both benevolent and harmful, a denizen of the Incan netherworld (Hurin Pacha). He is a central figure in the Andean worldview, particularly in the Inca and Quechua-Aymara traditions. He is not a simple "demon" in the Christian sense, but rather an ambivalent deity embodying the positive and negative forces of the universe.
Supay was the supreme lord of Uku Pacha (the Inca underworld). He was a primordial and multifaceted force that represented shadow, night, darkness, chaos, and the inevitable transition of death. According to the 1560 Quechua-Spanish dictionary by Friar Domingo de Santo Tomás, the term in its original form was neutral and could be used to refer to a morally good spirit (allisupa, 'good angel') or a morally bad spirit (manaallisupa, 'bad angel'). Later, the term was used to refer to the Christian devil.
Either way, in the Spanish Christianized conception the Supay was turned more or less into the Devil or demons living in Hell.
Etymology The anonymous dictionary of 1586, as do Father Diego González Holguín (1608)Holguín (1608) Vocabulario apud , Jorge A. Lira (1945) and Jesús Lara (1971), the name Supay comes from the Quechua word "Supa", which translates as shadow, illness, death, possessed, or crazy.Lira, Jorge A. (1945) Diccionario kkechuwa-español apud Lira, Jorge A. (1978) Diccionario Qheshwa-Castellano apud In early Quechua-Spanish usage, the sense of "shadow" or "soul" or "anima" is followed.
Other forms include: zupay, çupay, hupai, hupee.
Features According to Inca mythology, the term Supay refers to an entire race of demons, as well as the god of death, ruler of the underworld and of a race of abyssal warriors.
Supay is commonly described as having a “demonic” appearance, with long horns, glassy, star-like eyes, and a feline face adorned with long fangs and ears. Like other Andean gods, Supay is a multiform deity, capable of manifesting in any form. Combining this with his conflicted and unpredictable personality, Supay is classified as a Trickster, as he can both protect humanity on its journey to the afterlife and has the power to deceive and/or urge humanity to reveal its most twisted side. These characteristics and abilities made him a very dangerous being to those who did not show him respect.
Even so, there were and still are people who firmly believe in his power to the point of worshipping him, so that the god might grant them favors, whether for good or for evil. His worship took the form of offerings, altars, and rituals.
Supay is commonly regarded as the personification of all evil. Despite this, the original concept of Supay portrays him as an ambivalent god who could be considered both good and evil. Ancient legends mentioned that Supay went beyond the evil he evoked, as he is described as the protector and guide of the path taken by the dead.
Supay was created by Viracocha to show humanity that there will always be evil in the world, but not enough of it. Because of this, the Incas believed he was a being who balanced the scales between good and evil. The fact that Viracocha created him makes him the brother of the gods Inti, Illapa, and Mama Quilla.
He could be benevolent toward the living whom he favored and those who had died a dignified death, but he was terrible and evil toward the rest, both in the underworld and on earth, because he could tip the scales of misfortune simply by thinking about it.
The Incas believed that Supay was the deity who maintained the balance between positive and negative supernatural forces.
Supay was a Machiavellian deity who mocked the suffering of others, their beliefs, and even their knowledge, for he cast doubt on everything and was capable of altering ideas and thoughts, turning a holy man into a villain and a wise man into a madman devoid of conscience or understanding.
Hurin Pacha was his natural home, but he could come and go between Earth and Heaven as he pleased. This established him as an unpredictable, capricious deity with a ubiquitous nature (he could be benevolent or Machiavellian; he could manifest in any form and in any place, proving himself to be omnipresent and showing that the laws were not entirely subject to him). Wherever he manifested, Supay spread a cloak of terror and despair. Likewise, this deity reminded each and every one (gods or humans) that they were always under the threat of destruction, disappearance, and death. This applied to anything they believed to be beautiful or secure, since it could vanish in an instant and forever, thwarting all the dreams and plans of gods and men (as the personification of death, Supay and his ubiquitous nature evoke the omnipresent and inevitable reality of death itself, which lies in wait at every corner of the universe).
Supay was also the creator of men, but they were made in his image and likeness, eventually becoming terrible demons of the depths, the roads, the mountains, the waters, the jungle, and the caves.
The Spanish equated him with the Devil because, according to Andean traditions and legends, Supay appears as a huaca (deity) of good and bad luck, of sexual love or infatuation, of transgression and adventure, of excesses and fun that does not take life seriously, because life is fleeting and nothing is serious.
Supay according to chroniclers Like the early evangelists, many chroniclers have described and portrayed the divinity Supay in the same erroneous manner.
The most atavistic reference to Supay is found in the lexicon of Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás. In it, he alleges the nature of Supay as follows:“And these evil angels (Supays) were cast out of heaven by God for their sins, and banished here below to earth, to hell in great fire, darkness, and stench, where they remain to this day, and will remain forever imprisoned, suffering for their sins. And these are the ones you call ‘manaalliçupay’ in your language.” («Y a estos ángeles malos (Supays) por sus pecados los echó Dios del cielo, y desterró acá baxo de la tierra, al infierno en gran fuego, oscuridad, y hedor, donde hasta agora están, y estarán para siempre encerrados, padesciendo por sus pecados. Y estos son los que en vuestra lengua llamays "manaalliçupay"»)
~ Léxicon, o Vocabulario de la lengua general del PerúIn this testimony, Supay is equated with evil angels, who are considered manaalliçupay. The quote falsely suggests that the souls of those who became ancestors and went to Uku Pacha were demons. This was done to forcibly equate Andean concepts associated with death with the devil and hell. This equation of Supay with the devil was questioned by some, including the clergyman Bartolomé Álvarez. He questioned the aforementioned equation, recognizing that doing so would confirm that the devil could only be the dead individual.
Another interpretation is the description of Supay as a dual-aligned deity. Dualism in Inca gods is very common, since gods can be benevolent or, due to their fury, cause misfortune.
Regarding the link between souls and Supay, Guamán Poma de Ayala also highlights this relationship in his work Nueva corónica y buen gobierno (New Chronicle and Good Government). The chronicler states that:"Idols, Uacas of the Inga of the others in this kingdom, which was in the time of the Inga of how it was first followed, of how Topa Inga Yupanqui spoke with the uacas and stones and demons, and knew by luck from them the past and the future of them and of the whole world, and of how the Spaniards were to come to rule; and so because of this the Inga was called Uiracocha Inga. But he did not teach them anything else about God, although they say that they said there was another Lord greater than them, they were devils, and so they said Supay, which is how they knew him as Supay."
(«Ídolos, Uacas del Inga de los demás de este reino, que fue en tiempo del Inga de cómo se siguió primero, de cómo Topa Inga Yupanqui hablaba con las uacas y piedras y demonios, y sabía por suerte de ellos lo pasado y lo venidero de ellos y de todo el mundo, y de cómo habían de venir los españoles a gobernar; y así por ello el Inga se llamó Uiracocha Inga. Pero lo demás de cosa de Dios no le enseñó a saber, aunque dicen que decían que había otro Señor muy grande más que ellos, eran diablos, y así decían Supay, que por tal conocían por Supay».)
~ Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, capitulo 12, pagina 264Two important aspects stand out in this quote: the first refers to the origin of idolatry in the Andes, associated with the Inca ruler. The second refers to the term Supay, which is again translated as devil, to indicate that the Incas already had knowledge of the devil. The Supay presented by Guamán is related to the authority of the Inca and his transformation after death into a “demon,” who demanded veneration and sacrificial offerings from the natives.
As is axiomatic, not all deceased persons could be considered Supay or ancestors, since only those who had had a certain prestige, that is, those who had been political leaders or prominent figures whose investiture allowed them, even after death, to demand the fulfillment of the rituals that corresponded to them.
It is worth mentioning that when the Inca died, he passed into his state as an ancestor, in which he was mummified in a fetal position and offered as a sign of support for his soul to cross over into the afterlife. The mallqui (mummy or body of the ancestors) of the ruler and/or ethnic leader was placed in tombs called machays (caves). In various ceremonies and special events, the mummy was displayed outside its enclosure and carried around to various sites.
The work also alludes to Supay in a non-explicit way, using the terms devil and/or demon to replace it. However, in a quote from his work, he writes the following:"When snakes appear or enter their homes, and owls and little owls sing, bats that they call tuco, chuchic, pacpac, pecpe, chicollom, cayaycuuan. Taparanco yaycuuan. Uro nina, ayacta ayzaycuuan. Ycjapas maycan uanoson. Atocmi “zupayta” ayzan uarmitam ychapas carita. [The owl, the barn owl, the paq paq, p'iqpi, chiqallu (species of owls) have called me. A moth has entered inside me. The will-o'-the-wisps have dragged my corpse away. When will we die? By the way, the fox has dragged away the demon, a woman, or perhaps a man.]"
(«Quando le paresen o se les entran en sus casas las culebras y cantar de lechuzas y muchuelos, murciélagos que los llaman tuco, chuchic, pacpac, pecpe, chicollom, cayaycuuan. Taparanco yaycuuan. Uro nina, ayacta ayzaycuuan. Ycjapas maycan uanoson. Atocmi "zupayta" ayzan uarmitam ychapas carita. [El búho, la lechuza, el paq paq, p'iqpi, chiqallu (especie de búhos) me han llamado. Una mariposa nocturna ha entrado dentro de mí. Los fuegos fatuos me han arrastrado el cadáver. ¿Quizá cuándo vamos a morir? Por cierto, el zorro ha arrastrado al demonio, a una mujer o quizás a un hombre.]»
~ Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, capitulo 12, pagina 284This quote is complemented by the illustration in the section Abuciones y agüeros (Omens and Portents) of his work, as the illustration depicts what appears to be an Inca sorcerer surrounded by various animals, including a fox in the foreground. In the drawing, the fox is dragging something in its mouth that appears to be a small reptile or a large insect. This act alludes to a superstition of that time, an omen that was, in turn, interpreted by the Inca sorcerer.