Iara, Mother of the Waters

The myth

Iara, or Uiara, comes from Nheengatu and means something like "lady of the water". She is the water-mother of Brazil's rivers: a woman who sings on the bank and draws down whoever follows her. The figure mixes roots: older Indigenous water beings, such as the ipupiara Anchieta mentioned in 1560, and the Great Snake, together with legends brought from Europe, such as the Portuguese enchanted Moorish maiden and the sirens. Câmara Cascudo noted that the image of a blonde, blue-eyed Iara only appears after the mid-nineteenth century. She is a Brazilian myth born where cultures met.

Why it has this power

Level 9, ATK 3300 and DEF 3100: few cards get past her, in the water or out of it. She is a water-element Spirit, because the river is her body. Moon is the hour of her song; Fox, the charm that deceives and draws you in. Legendary, like the stories boatmen have told for centuries.

Did you know

Until the eighteenth century there is no record of the seductive Iara; earlier accounts describe a monstrous male water being.

Connections

• In Jaci-Miri, Sentinel of the Forest's deck

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0.0035% per pack (Legendary 0.03% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.014% per pack · 0.084% in the themed pack (Legendary 0.05% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.028% per pack · 0.17% in the themed pack (Legendary 0.1% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 0.099% per pack · 0.59% in the themed pack (Legendary 0.4% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 0.23% per pack · 1.4% in the themed pack (Legendary 1% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.21% of days · 6,000 gems
• Craft with card dust: 4,800 dust

Sources

1. Iara (mythology) — Wikipedia
2. Dicionário do Folclore Brasileiro — Luís da Câmara Cascudo