History Myth / BrazilianFolklore

[[folder:Boitat&aacute]]

** Boitatá is one of the most proeminent examples, being a ghostly flaming snake that eats the eyes of people wandering into the forest or drives them crazy.

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[[folder:Vitória-Régia ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_amazonica Amazonian Water Lily]])]]

[[folder:Saci or Saci-Pererê]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saci.jpg]]

'''Saci or Saci-Pererê''': A young black boy with a single leg, a red cap and a pipe. The Saci is easily the most iconic being from Brazilian folklore. He is known for playing (mostly) harmless tricks and pranks, such as scaring night travellers by imitating the sound of wild animals, disturbing cooks by switching the contents of salt and sugar pots and setting farm animals loose, among many others. The Saci is often depicted as being able to [[BlowYouAway move around riding a dust devil]]. It is also said that [[HatOfPower his red cap is the source of his powers]] and that whoever steals it shall be able to control the Saci to do their bidding... at least until he gets it back.

According to some versions the Saci must instead be lured with fubá (a type of corn flour) or tobacco, while others claim he CannotCrossRunningWater. In order to capture him, one must throw a sieve into his dust devil, take away his cap and lock him inside a bottle, topping it with a cork with the mark of a cross so he won't escape and cause havoc again. It is possible to make deals as well, and if gifted and well-treated, some Sacis may even help to find lost objects.

Most notably, the Saci is one of the most famous Brazilian myths because is one of the few creatures that exists and was conceived solely in Brazil, being equally influenced by indigenous mythologies (it is believed he comes from a being called Jasy Jaterê), African mythologies (in which he lost his leg and became a black boy) and Portuguese folklore (in which he received his red cap, a characteristic shared by other Portuguese beings such as the Trasgo and the Fradinho da Mão Furada). Therefore, the Saci-Pererê has been used by many scholars as a symbol of the miscigenation of cultures that created Brazil.
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During friday nights, their bodies remain home, while their heads leave the house, floating and on fire, in order to scare people.

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[[caption-width-right:350:Image by Anderson Awvas]]'''Pai-do-Mato (Woodsfather)''': A colossal giant with enormous claws who dwells in the wild woods of the Northeast and Midwest of the country. He is so big that towers over all trees, his roar can be heard from kilometers away and his footsteps can shake the ground. Seldom does he interact with humans, but it is said that if someone gets attacked by him, the only way of wounding him is by attacking his bellybutton.

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[[caption-width-right:139:]]'''Perna Cabeluda (Hairy Leg)''': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysontheTin An autonomous leg with dark fur]] that haunts the streets of Recife, in Pernambuco, as well as nearby states, hopping around desert streets and alleys at night. Some versions also say it has an eye and/or a mouth on its knee. It normally attacks drunks and adulterers, though passers-by might be chosen as well, by making them trip and kicking them, sometimes to the point of unconsciousness.

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[[caption-width-right:350:Image by Dudu Torres]]'''Porca-dos-Sete-Leitões (Seven-Piglet Sow)''': Some people wandering around empty streets, narrow alleys, churchyards or cross-roads in the dead of night might hear unbearable grunts and snorts from behind their backs following them. When they turn back, they see the figure of a huge sow accompanied by her seven piglets, that quickly disappears. And when they go back to their way, the sounds begin again. Despite this, however, the haunting often is said to be innoffensive and not malicious, as she normally targets absent husbands and adulterers. When a bad husband goes out at night planning to cheat on his wife, the sow and her piglets begin to follow him, pertubing him with their gruntings. The adulterer can do nothing, since as soon as he turns back to investigate, [[ParanoiaFuel the pigs disappear as if the whole thing had happened in his mind, and begin their sounds again as soon as he turns back]], until he gives up and goes back home.

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[[caption-width-right:321:Image by https://www.heloilustra.com.br/]]'''Serpentes de Igreja (Church Serpents)''': A common motif in many cities is myths about giant snakes that have been sleeping for centuries in the underground, resting their heads, tails or other parts of their body under the local church, see or cathedral. These legends can be found in Óbidos and Belém (Pará), Taubaté and Araraquara (São Paulo), Itacotiara (Amazonas), Lages (Santa Catarina), São Luís (Maranhão) and several other cities. While they have variations and different, unrelated origins -- the one under Araraquara, for example, is said to be a transformed child, while others can be conflated with Boiúna ¬, being there since before the city's construction -- they all share a habit of hibernating under the local religious building. They are so colossal that all the serpents need to do to destroy or sink the whole city is simply waking up, and their movements during sleep already cause tremors and landslides.

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Image by https://twitter.com/ikarow]]'''Mapinguari''': A cryptid said to live in the Amazon jungle. The Mapinguari is described as having characteristics of a ground sloth, and an anteater, as well as bright red bullet-proof fur. It is sometimes described, instead, as a giant fur-covered humanoid with a [[{{Cyclops}} single eye]] and a [[BellyMouth mouth in its belly]], that attacks and devours those that wander into the forest alone. Similar to Capelobo, it can only be defeated by attacking its belly button.

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[[caption-width-right:350:[[FridgeLogic If you are wondering where is her tack,]] some versions say she does have a head, but it is obscured by the flames]]'''Mula-sem-cabeça (Headless Mule)''': If a woman gets romantically involved with a priest, she is turned into a headless mule, also called ''Burrinha-do-Padre'' ("little female donkey of the priest") or simply Burrinha, either immediately or after she dies. The animal has a flame coming out of the hole in its neck and wanders the countryside haunting whoever it finds with its powerful kicks and sharp hoofs.

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[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/labatut_ikarow.jpg]] [[caption-width-right:260:Image by https://twitter.com/ikarow]]'''Labatut''': A humanoid man-eating monster in the Northeast region with long and hard hair across its body like those of a porcupine, round feet, [[{{Cyclops}} one single eye]] on its forehead and tusks in its mouth, similar to those of an elephant or wild pig. He roams cities at night looking for people to eat, with a preference for [[ChildEater children]] due to they having softer meat. The Labatut passes by the houses and stops at the door to hear if someone is inside; a whistle or whispering is what angers him the most. He is accompanied by a strong gale and said to be worse than the Werewolf, the Headless Mule, the Caipora and even the Devil.

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[[caption-width-right:235:Image by https://twitter.com/HETthePumpking. Posted with permission]]'''[[OurWereWolvesAreDifferent Lobisomem]]''': The Lobisomem is basically a Brazilian werewolf (and the word Lobisomem is, in fact, used as the translation of the english word 'werewolf' in Portuguese). However the Brazilian legends differ quite a bit from the usual European stories.

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[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1473168007_859623691_747x429.jpg]] '''Ana Jansen's Carriage''': In the dead of Thursday to Friday nights, a ghostly scary-sounding carriage can be seen across the empty streets of São Luís -- Maranhão capital city -- drawn by headless horses (sometimes said to be Headless Mules) guided by an equally headless coachman slave. It is the Ana Jansen's carriage, an influential and rich woman from Maranhão who began roaming aimlessly around the city after her death. She was a wicked aristocrat and slave-owner who was known for brutally torturing her many slaves for futile reasons, and for these crimes, was punished to wander through São Luís in a carriage followed by the sounds of old and worn gears and the slaves' laments. Ana herself seldom leaves the carriage, but when it passes by a person, she gives them a candle, that in the next morning reveals itself as a human bone.

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[[caption-width-right:200: Image by https://twitter.com/HETthePumpking. Posted with permission]]'''Besta-fera''': Translated to [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment beastial beast]], the Besta-fera is a monster with a vague appearance sometimes depicted as [[OurCentaursAreDifferent horse with a human torso]], believed to be either a servant of or [[{{Satan}} the Devil]] himself, who leaves {{Hell}} through cemeteries during full moon nights and the Lent to brand people with his mark, which dooms them to Hell. Some legends say that instead of marking people, its sight cause them to go insane, but only for a few days. It is also said that it roams forest areas in search of a blood-soaked red flower, and that when he finds it, he disappears. The term is often used as an insult, especially in the Northeast region.

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[[caption-width-right:350:Image by Mikael Quites]]'''Caboclo d'Água (Hillbilly from the Water) '''[[note]]the word "caboclo" in Brazil means the descendant of europeans and natives, though it can also sometimes be used to refer to natives in general or people from the countryside[[/note]]: Also called Negro d'Água (black man from the water), he is a strong humanoid river creature who perturbs fishermen and ferrymen by making them fail to catch fish, turning over their boats or even drowning people. His appearance can vary, but it is normally a [[FishPeople fish man]] covered by copper-colored scales or fur and with membranes on its fingers, sometimes one-eyed. He can be avoided by sticking an [[ColdIron iron or steel blade]] at the bottom of the boat, by painting a star of David at the hull, or by decorating the bow of the canoe with a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carranca Carranca]], a frightful statue traditionally used to scare away evil spirits from the river, what includes the Caboclo. The myth is famous across the river São Francisco, one of the most important rivers of the country, and the carrancas are a cultural tradition around the river course.

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[[caption-width-right:220:The Comadre scaring a passerby in a woodcut, a traditional art style in Cordel Literature]]'''Comadre Fulozinha''' [[note]] ''Comadre'' in Portuguese means the godmother of your child or the mother of your godchild, but it can also be used to mean "close friend", like "goodfellow". ''Fulozinha'' is a way of saying ''florzinha'', which means "little flower" in Portuguese [[/note]]: The spirit of a young woman with long dark hair covering her whole body. She lives in the forests and protects nature from those who would defile it. Fulozinha is known to have a whimsical personality, and to accept offerings of oats, candies, tobacco and honey. When pleased, she helps people find hunt and allows them to leave the forest alive. It is said that her whistling sounds lower the closer she is, thus confounding her victims. She can also use either a nettle vine or [[PrehensileHair her hair]] to cut and whip those who invade the forests without making proper offerings.