Brazilian mythology
Encyclopedia
The term Brazilian mythology is used to describe a series of cultural elements of diverse origin that are found in Brazil
, comprising folk tales, traditions, characters and beliefs regarding places, peoples and entities. It is a subset of the Brazilian folklore. The term was originally restricted to indigenous elements, but has been extended to include:
Because Brazil is a melting pot
of culture
s, many elements of Brazilian mythology are shared by the traditions of other countries, especially its South America
n neighbors and Portugal
.
(December 30, 1898 – July 30, 1986) was a Brazil
ian anthropologist, folklorist, journalist
, historian
, lawyer
, and lexicographer. He collected Brazilian legends and folk tales from the entire country, recording oral tellings from peasants, farmers and old slaves and writing extensively on the subject in 31 books, including a Dictionary of Brazilian Folklore. Câmara Cascudo is the most important and known folklorist of Brazil.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, comprising folk tales, traditions, characters and beliefs regarding places, peoples and entities. It is a subset of the Brazilian folklore. The term was originally restricted to indigenous elements, but has been extended to include:
- MedievalMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
ibericIberian PeninsulaThe Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
traditionsFolkloreFolklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
brought by the PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
settlers, some of which are forgotten or very disminished in Portugal itself; as well as other European nations folklore, such as Italy, Germany and Poland. - AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n traditions brought by Africans to Brazil as slaves during the colonialColonialismColonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
times—including their religious beliefs; - Lives of SaintsHagiographyHagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
and other devotionalReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
elements propagated by the Catholic Church which were appropriated by the folklore; - Elements originated in Brazil by the contact of the three different traditions;
- Contemporary elements that are re-elaborations of old traditions.
Because Brazil is a melting pot
Melting pot
The melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture...
of culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
s, many elements of Brazilian mythology are shared by the traditions of other countries, especially its South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n neighbors and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Prominent figures
- Alemoa — the ghost of a blond (German-like) woman that is connected to the island of Fernando de NoronhaFernando de NoronhaFernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2010...
. She is said to seduce imprudent men and carrying them to death. Alemoa is a wrong way to pronounce "alemã" ("german female genre" in PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
). - Anhangá — the Indian devil.
- Besta-feraBestial beastThe bestial beast is a Brazilian version of a centaur. The name can be translated either as bestial beast or ferocious beast and is often employed in a figured sense to refer to anyone that is exceedingly angered....
— a centaurCentaurIn Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
-like creature, thought to be the DevilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
. - Bernunça — strange beast of the folk tales of the state of Santa Catarina (state)Santa Catarina (state)Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
. - Boi-Bumbá (see Bumba-meu-boi).
- Boitatá — a headless giant snake with bull horns and enormous fiery eyes that crawls over the open fields at night. Sometimes described as a giant fire snake. Looking at its eyes blinds people.
- Boiúna ("Black snake") — a gigantic, nocturnal serpent that is the personification of the Amazonian rivers and feared by many fishers who live in that area.
- Boto — an enchanted dolphinDolphinDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
(Inia geoffrensis) that shapeshifts into a handsome man to seduce young women (Amazon). - Bumba-meu-BoiBumba Meu BoiBumba Meu Boi is a Brazilian folk theatrical tradition - the tale told through the music, the costumes and drumming involves a Bull, which dies and is brought back to life...
— an ox that is part of strange folk tale celebrated with dance and music by the peoples of the Brazilian north (states of Maranhão and Amazonas, where it is known as Boi-Bumbá). - CaiporaCaiporaCaipora is an entity of the Tupi-Guarani mythology in Brazil. It is represented as a dark-skinned, small Indian, naked with a very long black mane, smoking a cigar and very mischievous. Other depictions are as a stout hairy anthropomorphic being with the head of a fox. Sometimes it is said that is...
— jungle spirits that lived in trees but came out at night to haunt those who were astray. - Ci — Tupian primeval goddessGoddessA goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
(the name means simply "mother"). - Corpo-Seco ("Dry Corpse") — a man so evil that the earth would not rot its flesh and the devil would return his soul. Condemned to wander fruitlessly the earth until the judgment day.
- Cuca — menacing, supernatural, old hag that does evil things to small children who do not go to bed early.
- CurupiraCurupiraCurupira is also a genus of tree in South America .The Curupira or Curupura, or even Caipora is a male supernatural being who guards the forest in the Tupi mythology in Brazil....
— a (male) jungle genie that protects the animals and the trees of the forests. It has red hair and backwards feet to confuse hunters. Hates hunters and lumberjacks. - Cobra-Encantada (Enchanted snake) — a beautiful woman shapeshifted into a hideous snake to guard an immense treasure. One who breaks the spell will have the gold and marry the maiden.
- Cobra-Grande (see Boiúna).
- EncantadoEncantadoEncantado is a word in Portuguese roughly translating as "enchanted one", and is also a commonly used greeting in Spanish meaning "enchanted", as in "enchanted to meet you". The Brazilian term is used for creatures who come from a paradisiacal underwater realm called the Encante...
— someone who is magically trapped into another dimension, living an eternal, but unfruitful life (usually a punishment for pursuing riches at any cost or doing some wrong). - ExuEshuÈṣù is both an orisha and one of the most well-known deities of the Yoruba mythology and its related New World traditions.He has a wide range of responsibilities: the protector of travelers, deity of roads, particularly...
— a demonic, trickster or simply mischievous (depending on the tradition) supernatural being of African origin that is worshipped by the QuimbandaQuimbandaQuimbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion practiced primarily in the urban city centers of Brazil. Quimbanda practices are typically associated with magic, rituals involving animal sacrifice and marginal locations, orishas, exus, and pomba gira spirits. Quimbanda was originally contained under the...
, banished by UmbandaUmbandaUmbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African religions with Catholicism, Spiritism and Kardecism, and considerable indigenous lore....
, exorcised by Catholics or ignored by KardecistsSpiritismSpiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
. - Iara — a type of freshwater mermaid (Centre, South-East, North).
- IemanjáYemajaYemanja is an orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American religions. Africans from what is now called Yorubaland brought Yemaya/Yemoja and a host of other deities/energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as...
— the Afro-Brazilian sea goddess. - Jurupari — another Amazonian jungle devil.
- Lady in White — the most widespread type of ghost seen in Brazil. Urban legend.
- LobisomemWerewolfA werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
— the Brazilian version of the Werewolf. - Mother of the Gold — a powerful and lethal being that protects gold ores. Nobody has survived seeing it, so no description exists. It is usually seen from afar as a globe of fire that flies from mountain to mountain (South-East).
- MapinguariMapinguariThe mapinguari or mapinguary , also known as the Isnashi , is a legendary cryptid said to resemble a ground sloth-like creature with red fur living in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia...
— a large, bipedal, furry animal that wanders the Amazon jungle. Considered the Brazilian version of the YetiYetiThe Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
or the last memory of the now extinct giant slothSlothSloths are the six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae , part of the order Pilosa and therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws.They are arboreal residents of the jungles of Central and South...
s passed through generations by the Indians. - ManíManí (Amazonian legend)Maní, a Tupy myth, is the name of an indigenous girl with very fair complexion. The Amazonian legend of Maní is related to the cult of Manioc, the native staple food that sprang from her grave.-The legend:The daughter of a Tupy chief became pregnant...
— the name of an Indian girl with very fair complexion. The legend is connected to ManiocCassavaCassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America. - Matinta Pereira — a malevolent hag with supernatural powers whose legend is very well known in the state of ParáParáPará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
. - MuiraquitãMuiraquitãMuiraquitã , is the name given to various types of old artefacts of Amazonian Indian origin, carved in stone or wood, and representing animals or people...
— a greenish amulet of suprenatural qualities. - Mula sem cabeçaHeadless MuleThe Headless Mule is a character in Brazilian folklore. In most tales, it is the ghost of a woman that has been cursed by God for her sins and condemned to turn into a fire-spewing headless mule, galloping through the countryside from Thursday's sundown to Friday's sunrise...
— the shape taken by the woman accursed for having sex with a priest (South-East, North-East, Centre, South). - Negrinho do Pastoreio — a slave boy that died an awful death (similar to CandymanCandyman (film)Candyman is a 1992 horror film starring Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd and Xander Berkeley. It was directed by Bernard Rose and is based on the short story "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker, though the film's scenario is switched from England to Chicago. The film was scored by Philip Glass. The film was...
's) for not keeping his owner's horses. He helps people who are looking for lost things. - Pisadeira — An old hag that wears sneakers and stomps over people's stomachs at night making them breathless. Usually appears when people go to bed on a full stomach.
- Saci PererêSaci (Brazilian folklore)The Saci is considered the most popular character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black or mulatto youngster with holes in the palms of his hands, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes...
— a mischievous single-legged black elf-like creature who is blamed as the culprit of anything that goes wrong at a farm (Centre, South-East) and is the mascotMascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of Sport Club InternacionalSport Club InternacionalSport Club Internacional is a Brazilian football team and multi-sport club from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, founded on April 4, 1909, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Cruzeiro. They play in red shirts, white shorts and...
(South). The Saci is known as a trickster and usually appears in farms inside wind swirls. If someone steals its red cap he'll exchange it for a favour. - Cabeça Satânica — The wandering head is a widespread Brazilian ghost story of European origin. Appears to people that wander alone in the night as a stranger with its back turned to the victim. Its body melts to the ground and only the head with long hair, wide eyes and a large mischievous smile remains, hopping or rolling towards the victim.
Câmara Cascudo
Luís da Câmara CascudoLuís da Câmara Cascudo
Luís da Câmara Cascudo was a Brazilian anthropologist, folklorist, journalist, historian, lawyer, and lexicographer....
(December 30, 1898 – July 30, 1986) was a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian anthropologist, folklorist, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and lexicographer. He collected Brazilian legends and folk tales from the entire country, recording oral tellings from peasants, farmers and old slaves and writing extensively on the subject in 31 books, including a Dictionary of Brazilian Folklore. Câmara Cascudo is the most important and known folklorist of Brazil.