Brazilian Folklore

I would like to show in a brief work the Brazilian Folklore.

These myths are very popular in Brazil. In order to understand Brazilian concept, it is very important to look at every local stories.

Jorge Brito.

Brazilian Folklore is a set of popular cultural expressions that encompass aspects of national identity.

Examples are myths, legends, games, dances, parties, typical foods and other customs that are transmitted from generation to generation.

The Brazilian folklore is very diversified and has attributes of the Portuguese, African and indigenous cultures.

Despite this richness, folklore only began to appear in the official narratives from the 19th century onwards^[1].

These are some of the characters from folklore:

Iara Mermaid

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Iara is a legend of Brazilian folklore. She is a beautiful mermaid who lives in the Amazon River, her skin is dark, has long hair, black and brown eyes.

Iara usually bathes in the rivers and sings an irresistible melody, so the men who see her can’t resist her desires and jump into the river. She has the power to blind those who admire her and take to the bottom of the river any man she wishes to marry.

The Indians believe so much in the power of Iara that they avoid passing near the lakes at dusk.

According to legend, Iara was a warrior Indian, the best in the tribe, and received many compliments from her father who was a shaman Iara’s brothers were very jealous and decided to kill her at night while she slept. Iara, who had a very sharp ear, listened to them and killed them.

Afraid of her father’s reaction, Iara ran away. Her father, the shaman of the tribe, carried out a relentless search and managed to find her, as punishment for the deaths he threw her at the meeting of the Negro and Solimões Rivers, some fish took the girl to the surface and turned her into a beautiful mermaid^[2].

Saci-Perererê

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Saci-Perererê is a legend of Brazilian folklore and originated among the indigenous tribes of southern Brazil. The saci has only one leg, wears a red cap and always has a pipe in his mouth.

Initially, saci was portrayed as an endiveled curumim, with two legs, dark color, besides having a typical tail. With the influence of African mythology, the saci became a little black man who lost his leg fighting capoeira, and inherited the pito, a kind of pipe, and gained from European mythology a little red fat.

The main characteristic of saci is its trickery. He is very playful, has fun with animals and people. For being very young, he ends up causing problems, such as: making the beans burn, hiding objects, throwing the sewing women’s thimbles in holes, etc..

According to legend, the Saci is in the whirlpools of wind and can be captured by throwing a sieve over the whirlpools. After capture, the hood of the creature must be removed to ensure its obedience and hold it in a bottle.

 Legend also says that Sacis are born in bamboo shoots, where they live seven years and, after that time, they live seventy-seven more to pay attention to the life of humans and animals, then they die and saw a poisonous mushroom or a wooden ear^[3].

headless mule

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The headless mule is a legend of Brazilian folklore. Its origin is unknown, but it is well known throughout Brazil. The mule is literally a headless mule that sets fire from the neck, the place where its head should be. It has in its hooves, horseshoes that are silver or steel and have brown or black coloration.  

According to some researchers, despite having unknown origin, the legend was part of the culture of the population that lived under the domination of the Catholic Church.

According to the legend, any woman who dated a priest would be transformed into a monster. Thus, women should see the priests as a kind of "saint" and not as a man, if they committed any sin with the thought of a priest, they would end up becoming a mule without a head.

According to legend, charm can only be broken if someone takes off the iron bridle that the headless mule carries, so a woman who repents for her "sins" will emerge^[4].

Boitata

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Boitata

The legend of boitatá is told in several regions of Brazil. And in each part of the country it is told in a different way.

The legend of boitatá was brought by the Portuguese at the time of colonization. It was the Jesuit priests who described boitatá as a gigantic snake of wavy fire, with eyes that look like two lighthouses, transparent leather, that sparkles on the nights when it appears sliding in the meadows and on the banks of the rivers. Legend has also it that boitatá can be transformed into a hot log to burn and punish those who set fire to the woods.

Legend has also it that those who come across boitatá usually go blind, may die or even go crazy. Thus, when someone meets the boitatá must stand still, without breathing and with their eyes closed.

As most of the popular legends and beliefs that are passed from generation to generation through the "hear and tell", the legend of boitatá suffered some modifications, and in many parts of Brazil the legend is told differently. In Santa Catarina, for example, boitatá is described as a bull with a "paw like the giants and with an enormous eye right in the middle of the forehead, shining like a firecracker"^[5].

Curupira

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The myth of Curupira

Curupira, one of the legends of Brazilian folklore, is a cunning boy, with his heels forward, and a great protector of the fauna and flora.

Have you ever heard of Curupira? What about Brazilian folklore? Curupira is one of the legends that make up Brazilian folklore. Folklore is the set of traditions, legends or popular beliefs of a country or a region expressed in dances, proverbs, tales or songs. Curupira is one of the legends created by the Brazilian populations that inhabit areas close to forests.

Curupira itself is an inhabitant of the forests, protector of its flora and fauna against hunters and those who extract the wealth of these places, such as loggers. Commonly represented as a ginger boy, Curupira has its feet reversed, with its heels forward, which makes the hunters fool themselves with their footprints, leaving them lost in the forests. In addition, the Curupira has the power to perform enchantments and transform itself into other creatures, still having much speed, strength and cunning.

The meaning of the word comes from the Tupi-Guarani, being "curu" a derivation of curumim, which means boy, and "pira", body. Curupira would mean the body of a boy. The Portuguese had contact with the legend right at the beginning of its arrival in the territory where today is Brazil, and even the Jesuit José de Anchieta had reported the legend of Curupira, making the first reference in 1560. For the Portuguese, he was a demon or a bad spirit; others saw him as a benfazejo leprechaun, a gnome or a bogeyman to scare the children^[6].

Cuca

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Cuca is one of the main beings in Brazilian folklore, mainly for having become a character in children’s books by Monteiro Lobato.

Cuca is undoubtedly one of the main beings of Brazilian folklore, mainly because the character was described by Monteiro Lobato in his children’s books and in his adaptation for television, the Sítio do Pica-Pau Amarelo. The Cuca originated through another legend: The Coca, a tradition brought to Brazil at the time of colonization.

According to the legend, the Cuca is an ugly old woman who has the shape of an alligator and steals from disobedient children, being used many times to make children afraid of not wanting to sleep^[7].

Negrinho do Pastoreio

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It is one of the most popular legends in Brazil, especially in the southern region. Legend has it that a farmer ordered a boy, his slave, to shepherd his horses. After a while, the boy returned, and the farmer realized that a horse was missing: the baio.

As a punishment, the farmer whipped the boy until he bled out and ordered him to go and look for the missing horse. The boy was able to find the bay, but he couldn’t capture it, so the farmer punished him even more, trapping him in an anthill. The next day, the farmer found the boy without any injury, the virgin Mary by his side and the bay horse. After the farmer had asked for forgiveness, the boy did not answer, mounted on a baio and galloped out^[8].

All these stories are from indigenous tribes from Brazil.

All stories are in the public domain.