Pillan


The Pillan is a powerful and respected male spirit in Mapuche mythology.
According to legend, the Pillan are good spirits, but they can also cause disasters, since they also punish with drought or flood, earthquakes, or diseases. The Antü is the most powerful Pillan, who governs the others. In the Mapuche tradition, a man that follows the laws of the admapu can also become a Pillan after death. The Mapuche perform a ngillatun ceremony for the Pillan, for the latter to grant benefits to the people, and to thank them for their gifts.
The Pillan have been described as spirits that live in the Wenumapu, and those that inhabit the earth generally live inside the volcanoes.. The accompanying female spirits of the Pillan are the Wangulen spirits.
The name Pillan was used by Chilean ENAER to name their 2-seat trainer aircraft, the T-35 Pillan.