Folclore brasileiro is part of Brazilian culture and represents popular culture and social identity from different parts of the country. There are various myths, tales and legends which originated from either cultura africana (African culture), tradição indígena (indigenous tradition), a igreja católica (the Catholic Church) or medieval Iberian traditions brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. In some cases the contos e personagens (tales and characters) are a mixture of two or more of them. Most Brazilians know contos de folclore (tales) and characters because we hear the stories as children.

Some famous personagens:

1. Saci-pererê

He is a black single-legged boy who wears a pair of shorts vermelhos (red shorts) and a red chapéu (hat). Saci is known for playing tricks on people and he is to blame for everything that goes wrong on a farm. Spooking cavalos (horses), burning food, waking up people in the middle of the night by laughing out loud are some of his favorite pastimes as well as hiding chaves (keys) and other objects. The mito (myth) has its origins in the sul e sudeste (south and south-east) of Brazil and it is known all over the país (country). Depending on the região, Saci is seen just as a mischievous creature who has fun by playing tricks on people or an evil being who enjoys seeing things go wrong and people suffering.

Photo by Cozinhando Fantasias

2. Mula sem cabeça

Mula sem cabeça is a mulher (woman) who at sundown takes the shape of a headless mule which has fire coming out of the hole where the head should be. According to the lenda (legend), she was cursed by God for having sex with a priest and is now forced to correr pelos campos (run through the fields) over the territory of seven parishes every night. If you encounter her, you should either play dead by laying on the chão (ground) and hope she does not see you or be brave enough to try and temporarily undo the maldição (curse) by drawing sangue (blood) from her – even the smallest amount would do.

3. Iemanjá

Iemanjá is a spirit from the Yoruba religion, of African origin which received a different name in Brazil (Candomblé) since it absorbed some elements of the Catholic Church as well as some indigenous traditions. Iemanjá is the patron spirit of women and the mãe (mother) of all the Orishas (manifestation of God, much like saints for the Catholics). She is the raínha do mar (queen of the seas) and on the coast of Brazil it is very common for people to bring presentes e flores (presents and flowers) for Iemanjá on Reveillón* (New Year’s Eve) for good luck, even if you don’t have a religion or are part of a different one.

* Reveillón is a French word used in Portuguese. Some people in Brazil say Ano Novo (which also means New Year’s Eve) and some people say Reveillón.

4. Curupira

Curupira is a jungle entity that depending on where you are in Brazil could be male or female. He/she looks like a native Brazilian indian, has red hair (very much like a mane) and protects the plantas e animais (plants and animals) in the floresta (forest) by punishing those who harm them. Its feet are backwards so the lumberjacks as well as the hunters have the impression that the Curupira went on a different direction judging by its footprints. When someone goes missing in the floresta (woods) local people usually blame it on Curupira.

5. Iara

Iara is the Brazilian version of a mermaid. Her name means mãe das águas (mother of the water bodies) in tupi-guarani (language spoken by Brazilian natives before Portuguese arrival). She is either a nymph, siren or mermaid depending on the stories told in different regions of Brazil. Her beleza (beauty) could be deadly, she has cabelos longos e verdes (long green hair), light brown skin and eyes and is metade humana metade peixe (half human half fish). Iara lures men into the water in order to satisfy her sexual urges and feeds on their juventude (youth), killing the men and making her immortal.

So now that you know a little about the folclore brasileiro, you can go and impress people and mention one of these personagens in conversation. The next time someone loses their key  blame it on Saci-pererê.