Supay

In the Quechua, Aymara, and Inca mythologies, Supay (from Quechua: supay "shadow"; Aymara: Supaya) was originally an ambivalent spirit, both benevolent and harmful, a denizen of the Incan netherworld (Hurin Pacha). He is a central figure in the Andean worldview, particularly in the Inca and Quechua-Aymara traditions. He is not a simple "demon" in the Christian sense, but rather an ambivalent deity embodying the positive and negative forces of the universe. Supay was the supreme lord of Uku Pacha (the Inca underworld). He was a primordial and multifaceted force that represented shadow, night, darkness, chaos, and the inevitable transition of death. According to the 1560 Quechua-Spanish dictionary by Friar Domingo de Santo Tomás, the term in its original form was neutral and could be used to refer to a morally good spirit (allisupa, 'good angel') or a morally bad spirit (manaallisupa, 'bad angel'). Later, the term was used to refer to the Christian devil. Either way, in the Spanish Christianized conception the Supay was turned more or less into the Devil or demons living in Hell.