Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Eldorado
Tagged: Theme.
A legend that obsessed the Spanish conquistadores in South America: El hombre dorado, the Golden Man, was said to be chief of a rich tribe whose Ritual was to coat him daily with gold that he washed off in a lake – which thanks to this and other gold offerings became a repository of fabulous wealth. El Dorado was generalized as a sought-after Imaginary Land of treasure. [DRL]