Historic Children’s Fairy Tales That Will Haunt Your Nightmares

Historic Children’s Fairy Tales That Will Haunt Your Nightmares

Aimee Heidelberg - December 10, 2023

Historic Children’s Fairy Tales That Will Haunt Your Nightmares
A statue of Jasy Jatere. Patty P (n.d.) Public domain.

South American Children Learn to Nap the Hard Way

In South America, around Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia, Guarani children were tormented into good behavior by the threat of Jasy Jatere (or Yasy Yateré). Jasy Jatere is a beautiful child (or small man) with luxurious golden hair. As the god of the siesta, he checks on children as they lay down for their naps. But if a child refuses to take a nap, Jasy Jatere would whistle, luring the children into a forest. Once he had tricked the children into the forest, he would put them in prison, where they would linger. Of course, for some of the more difficult cases, Jasy Jatere would offer the imprisoned child to his brother, the creature Ao Ao. Ao Ao loves to eat children, so their fate is sealed.

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