[ Feature Story ] [ Events ] [ Clubs ] [ Armed Forces ] [ College Network ] [ Chamorro Lessons ] [ Recipes ]
[ Legends ] [ Poems & Short Stories ] [ Photo Gallery ] [ Links ] [ Editorial ] [ About Us ] [ Archives ] [ Guest Book ]
[ Chat Room ] [ Acknowledgements ] [ Just for Fun ] [ Islander's Homepages!

Back to Legend Index


The Legend of Chaifi, The Beaten God


There once was a god named Chaifi, who lived in hell (Sasalaguan) where he made souls and used them as slaves.

One day, Chaifi built a very large fire in an open pit which suddenly exploded, scattering smoke and fire everywhere.   In the confusion, one of the souls escaped from Sasalaguan and landed on the southern end of the island of Guam.  It turned into a rock as it cooled. As the rain fell, the rock softened, and the sun transformed it into a man. 

The man, exploring his new surroundings, found that the island was very beautiful. He didn't like being alone, however, so he decided to make some companions to keep himself from becoming lonely. Having gathered up some red earth and some water, he formed them into the shape of a man.  He used the heat of the sun to give it a soul. He made many men and women and called them children of earth. 

Meanwhile, Chaifi, having controlled the fire in Sasalaguan, checked his remaining souls only to discover that one of his souls had escaped. After many long days of searching, he noticed a small child playing on the beach. Thinking it to be his lost soul, Chaifi sent in a big wave to destroy it, but the child escaped because his soul had come from the sun. Chaifi then tried many ways to destroy the child but was unsuccessful. 

In time, the child became a man. The man told Chaifi that he couldn't destroy him since the man came from the sun. He also explained that the soul which escaped from Sasalaguan was on Guam creating new souls with the aid of the sun. 
Having no power over the souls created from the sun, Chaifi returned to Sasalaguan,  an beaten god.