Elk Guardian (Tupi)
Not independently attested as an elk guardian in Tupi folklore, and wrongly tagged as Mexican. The Tupi are a Brazilian/Paraguayan indigenous people; their genuine forest guardian is Curupira, a red-haired, backward-footed being who protects the forest and punishes hunters. Elk do not occur in South America, and no Tupi source records a lake-guarding elk. The record is a cross-continental mashup.