10+ Legends of Rich Brazilian Folklore Like You’ve Never Seen It

Brazil, in its continental territorial dimension, has many ethnicities and peoples sheltered under its geographical domains. To give you an idea, there are still 225 indigenous ethnic groups in the country that speak about 180 dialects. As a legacy of indigenous peoples and Portuguese and Spanish colonizers, from north to south, there are countless legends that inhabit the popular imagination.

O awesome.club selected some of them to show how we deal with the supernatural stories of our ancestors.

The legend of the headless mule originates from the Iberian peninsula and was brought to America by the Portuguese and Spaniards and is one of the best-known myths in our folklore. It is a black or brown donkey with a fire torch for its head and steel or silver horseshoes and its neighing is heard for miles around, sometimes sounding like a human sobbing. It runs through the fields and forests spreading fear in the inhabitants and animals.

Probably the most popular character in Brazilian folklore is the sacipererê, whose main characteristic is the pranks he commits and has a magic cap (the famous red cap), which gives him powers.

One of the most popular legends in the south and southeast of the country tells that Saci lost his leg playing capoeira and acquired the habit of smoking a pipe. His main antics with people and animals are braiding the manes of horses, whistling to cause fear in inhabitants and travelers, as well as disappearing with objects. He is also known for swapping ingredients in kitchens, causing terror to cooks. The legend also says that Saci is the guardian of medicinal plants, having responsibility for the handling and preparation techniques of infusions, also causing inconvenience to those who use herbs without consent. Legend still teaches how to capture Saci: just throw a sieve into the whirlpools of the wind and take off your hat to, finally, imprison it in a bottle.

This super sweet character even has a day just for him: October 31st.

Iara is a mythical figure from Brazilian folklore, reminiscent of the universal myth of the mermaid. According to legend, she was a warrior and hardworking Indian, who stood out in the tribe for her beauty and bravery, arousing envy in many members, especially her male brothers.

Daughter of the shaman and admired by her father, Iara, one night realized that her brothers were entering her village with the intention of killing her. Quick and agile, when defending herself she ended up killing them and fled through the woods. Her father, taken by fury, decided to go against his daughter and when he found her, he threw her into the meeting of the Solimões and Negro rivers so that she would die. Saved by the fish and taken to the surface, under the moonlight, she was transformed into a mermaid. Since then, Iara seduces men with her beauty and charm, and with her beautiful song she takes them to the depths of the rivers so that they never return. The few survivors of Iara’s attempts ended up going crazy and can only be cured by shamans.

Boitatá is a character from Brazilian folklore who is motivated to protect forests.

The legend of Boitatá describes the character as a giant fiery serpent. He defends animals and forests from their aggressors, especially those who burn and deforest.

The legend tells that the serpent can turn a log on fire to deceive the invaders and that those who look into the eyes of Boitatá will become blind and mad.

The dolphin is an aquatic animal similar to the dolphin and that has intelligence as a characteristic. Legend has it that on June nights, especially on festivities related to popular saints, the boto transforms into a man dressed in white and with a large hat, which would be to hide its nostrils, part of the body that does not change during the mutation. .

With heartthrob style, he chooses the most beautiful girl at the festivals and takes her to the depths of the river, where he impregnates her and then abandons her. This legend is often used to justify pregnancy in which the father is unknown.

A legend originating in the south of the country, it brings together Christian and African elements and tells how enslaved Africans were treated in the country. The legend tells the story of a young man who suffered a lot of punishment when he was assigned to look after some horses for his farmer and let one of them get away.

Upon arriving home, the farmer missed Baio, his favorite horse, and made the black man go to meet the horse, which happened without success. The farmer punished the black boy with many lashes and ordered the foremen to throw him over an anthill, certain that he would be dead. At dawn the next day, the farmer came across the little black man riding the Baio and without any injuries, accompanied by the Virgin Mary, his patroness, which made him ask for forgiveness and repent. Nowadays, it is common to light a candle for the shepherd boy to help him find lost objects.

The curupira is a species of dwarf whose main characteristic is the feet facing backwards. The legend of the curupira says that he is red-haired and that his mission is to be the protector of the forests, who lives in the woods and is very mischievous. With its turned walk, the curupira manages to deceive someone who intended to follow it by the footprints left, making the persecutor think that it went in the opposite direction. He is known as the “demon of the forest”, and has a habit of whistling and using false signals.

It is surrounded by stories that involve great mysteries, such as the disappearance of hunters, and the forgetting of the ways back.

Legend of Tupi-Guarani origin that tells the case of the Indian Naiá, who wanted to be touched by the goddess Jaci (the moon, for the Indians) who chose and kissed the most beautiful virgins of the tribe to transform them into shining stars. Even knowing that after the kiss and Jaci’s choice would end her flesh and blood, Naiá didn’t give up on her dream, until one day, she stopped at the edge of a lake to rest and saw Jaci’s image reflected in the water.

Without thinking, Naiá threw herself into the lake and ended up drowning. Jaci, feeling sorry for Naia’s sacrifice, decided to turn her into a bright star, but different from the ones that shine in the sky. Naiá then became a star of the waters, unique and perfect, with fragrant flowers that open at night in white, turning pink at dawn, called the water lily.

The Caipora, which depending on the region is represented by a man or a woman, is an indigenous species of short stature that is the guardian of forest animals against hunters and animal traffickers. Every time Caipora senses danger approaching, it lets out howls and screams that startle the intruders. Legend still says that its strength is greatest on religious holidays and weekends.

A legend very present in the imagination of the people of Rio Grande do Sul and also of Uruguay and Argentina, Salamanca do Jarau would be a Moorish princess never touched by any man and feared by the Jesuits, as they said she had a pact with the Anhangá-pytã , the red devil.

On a very hot afternoon, the sacristan of the Argentine town of Santo Tomé went to cool off in a lake that was boiling and from which Teiniaguá, a lizard with a head of fire, emerged. The sacristan imprisoned the salamanca in a guampa (a kind of cup made of horn) which he used precisely as a cup.

During the night, the salamanca transformed into the beautiful princess and asked the sacristan for wine, who stole it from the mass. These encounters would be repeated for many nights until, suspicious, the priests invaded the sacristan’s cell and caught them, and he ended up arrested and chained and later sentenced to death, while she turned into a lizard and fled towards the fields of the Uruguay River. . On the day of the execution, feeling a strong tightness in her chest, Teiniaguá went to save her loved one and after many days of escape they stayed in Cerro do Jarau, a mountain on the border between Brazil and Uruguay, where they were the parents of the first inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro. Great South.

And you, do you know this and other legends of Brazilian folklore? Share with us in the comments.