Rainforest Maiden and Salamander

In the beginning of the world, there laid an enchanted island on the middle of the Caribbean Sea. A group of people known as the Tainos inhabited it. But one lived far from them; on the day of her birth, her parents died by the bite of Salamander. Yuquiyu, the god of the rainforest, buried the couple under the earth and rescued Salina. He placed her on top of a canopy and ordered all the animals of the forest to gather around:

"Venga - come. Two thieves who stole the sacred jewels from Salamander's cave faced the fatal consequence and left a child - a newborn girl who I have spared. Raise her as your own as la virgen de la selva - the rainforest maiden."

The animals protested:

"¡Ay no! ¡Porfavo no! - She'll stink up the whole place!" complained the mice.

"Are you sure you want to leave the child with us Señor Yuquiyu?" the Guarango questioned him.

"¡No sabemos! - We don't know how to raise a human child!" squawked the

Parrots.

"¿Por què nosotros? - Why us?" the San Pedritos asked.

Yuquiyu disappeared without a word and all the animals decided to raise the child as their own despite their doubts and complaints. They named her Salina because she was saved by Yuquiyu; many noches de luna passed by and the girl brought up by the animals of the rainforest blossomed into a striking courageous maiden. Her hair and eyes were the color of the mud after the rain. A mark in the shape of a leaf showed visibly on her right shoulder. She could speak the tongues of the animals in the rainforest: the parrots, the mice, the Guarangos, the Coqui and the snakes. The Guarangos have sewn her clothes out of flower petals and banana leaves. Her bow and arrows - her weapons of defense - were made from the barks of trees, cobwebs, and thin sharp stones; a bag constructed out of leaves was used to keep her supplies and weapons. Salina ate the fruits from the trees and drank the water from the river and waterfalls. Her best friend, Coqui - the big worrier of all the animals - became her loyal and trusted companion.

When Salina finally grew old enough to set out on her own, she left the forest with the aid of Coqui: