The Skunk in Love with the Moon
Añathuya, the skunk, fell in love with Pajsi, the moon. All night long, with tears in his eyes, he watched her move across the sky. The other animals wanted to help him reach his love, but none could fly or climb that high. Except, perhaps, for Mallku, the terrifying condor.
A few brave animals went to the condor and begged him to help their friend. “No way!” growled Mallku at first. “That skunk stinks!” But at last he said yes. With the lovesick skunk on his back, he soared into the sky.
The thin air made Añathuya feel dizzy and weak. Even the condor was tiring by the time they reached the moon. Añathuya kissed Pajsi’s cheek, but the air was too thin for the skunk an
the condor, and soon they had to return to earth.
In time, Añathuya got over his passion for the moon, but you can still see the smudges where the skunk kissed her with his dirty little nose.
Version by María Cristina Brusca and Tona Wilson.
From the book When Jaguars Ate the Moon. Henry Holt, New York.
The skunk in love with the moon is an Andean, Quechua and Aymara legend.
The condor, a powerful presence in the heights, represents the spirit and strength of the mountains.