Myths and Legends: the Origins of Supai

I love mythology. I read my first book about Greek Mythology in Grade 6 and have been hooked ever since. It inspired me to take an introductory Classical Studies course in my first year of university, which then became my arts specialty for my degree. I find it fascinating how closely intertwined myth and culture are, with histories full of stories so captivating they have stood the test of time.

These stories teach the values of the culture or society, which in turn inspire the stories. Since I was exploring what our world would look like if magic were real when writing Demons at the Doorstep, it made the most sense to me that all myths would be real. I used western magic as the base of the magic system, with Camelot serving as a foundational myth for the way the world is now, because that was closest to me. But I wanted to ensure that there was a place for all kinds of myths and legends from history, and around the world.

Since I knew I needed some kind of legendary being as a villain, a god of death made the most sense. Hades has been done many, many times, so I set out to explore a different ancient civilization for inspiration. I didn't want to retell a myth; I wanted to bring them into our world and see how they would react.

Introducing Incan Mythology

Supay, from Incan Mythology, sparked my creativity. The god of death and ruler of Uku Pachu came with impressive iconography and reputation. On the surface level, Supay is equated to the devil, but that is due to the influence of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century. The attempts to convert the indigenous people to christianity greatly shaped the way that the god was perceived, even today the name Supay means the devil in some areas of the Andes. But as is the case with most death gods across mythologies, his role is far more complex than that.

It seems Supay was both respected and feared in equal measures. There were many efforts made to appease him, including some sources mentioning the ritual sacrifice of children. He was the lord of death after all, and had major influence over determining a person's fate in the inner world. However, this fear doesn't seem to be because any malice from the god, but more so out of respect for his immense power. There is a great emphasis on the balance of the natural world in Incan civilization, and death is just as much a part of that as anything. Despite his association with death and suffering, Supay was greatly revered for his influence over the connection between humans and the inner world.

His rule of the underworld also gave Supay a deep connection to the earth, including influence mining and agriculture. Incan miners would try to appease Supay in hopes of assuring their safety for underground expeditions, believing they were entering into his realm and that he had a hand over natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. This link between the human realm and the inner world was also centred around water, with the subterranean water being a vital resource for life. Supay had a practical influence over the lives of the Incan people as much as a spiritual one.

The duality of fear and respect for this underworld realm, the punishment it delivers but also the life-sustaining resources it provides, demonstrates how deeply intertwined the sense of place and society were for the Incan people.

Bringing Myth into Fiction

What I loved most throughout my research was seeing how these gods had human flaws. They reflected the people who created them. So I was curious what would happen if you took a once powerful, highly feared and revered god, stripped him of his importance and power, and threw him into a strange new world where he has no control. That became the basis of Supai as a character — and I changed the spelling of the name to reflect that fictionalization.

The fact that Supay was known to command a legion of demons also created a intersection between his power and the various kinds of demons that persist across mythologies, which was perfect for what I had planned for the character in the series.

By the way, if I could fan-cast I would choose Benjamin Bratt, though in my head Supai sounds like Javier Bardem.

I hope that Supay, and the many mythological creatures mentioned throughout the Wicked Conjuring, inspires readers to dig a little deeper. This series introduces many incredible creatures that, big or small, all have stories of their own in some way shape or form. I hope you meet someone or something new, and get curious enough to do a bit of your own research.

Resources:

Nair, Nitten. 2024. “Supay : God of Death - Mythlok.” Mythlok. April 9, 2024. https://mythlok.com/supay/.

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Van Dop Dejesus, Jessica. 2023. “Inca Civilization Facts and History.” History. National Geographic. March 29, 2023. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/inca-civilization.

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“Inca Gods and Religion | Blog Machu Travel Peru.” 2021. Peru Travel Blog | Machu Travel Peru. March 1, 2023. https://www.machutravelperu.com/blog/inca-gods.

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‌History Archives - How to Peru. (2019). How to Peru. https://howtoperu.com/category/about-peru/peru-history/

del Carmen García Escudero, María. July 23, 2009. “El mundo de los muertos en la cosmovisión centroandina.” www.ugr.es, December. https://www.ugr.es/~pwlac/G25_51Carmen_Garcia_Escudero.html.

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“Inca Gods : The Gods of Incan Mythology.” 2009. Machupicchu-Inca.com. 2009. http://www.machupicchu-inca.com/inca-gods.html.

Photo of Machu Picchu by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash