ThePincoya is, according to local mythology, a female "water spirit" of theChilotan Seas. The Pincoya is said to have long blond hair, be of incomparable beauty, be cheerful and sensual, and rise from the depths of the sea.
Naked and pure, she personifies the fertility of marine species. Through herritual dance she provides thechilote (resident of Chiloé) with an abundance or deficiency of fish and seafood. If she performs her dance facing the sea, it means that these shores will have an abundance of fish. When she dances facing the mountains, her back to the sea, seafood will be scarce.Chiloean mythology is appreciative of the Pincoya, believed to be good, beautiful and humanitarian. According to other legends, Pincoya is the daughter ofMillalobo (king of sea, in chilote mythology) and the human Huenchula. Her sister is theSirena chilota (a type ofMermaid) and her brother isPincoy (who also is her husband). The three siblings lead and guide the drowned sailors onto a large phantom ship,theCaleuche, sailing the seas at night around the southern island ofChiloé in southern Chile. The ship appears briefly intact with sounds of a party on board, but quickly vanishes. Myth has it that, once on board, the dead can resume an existence as if they were alive again.
In 2013, the newly discoveredPincoya Storm Petrel (Oceanites pincoyae) was named after Pincoya.
In 2019, starHD 164604 was officially namedPincoya after a poll organized by theNameExoWorlds campaign in Chile, during the 100th anniversary of theIAU.[3][4]
