10 Brazilian Legends Based On The History Of Their Cultures
Brazil is a beautiful land, with a rich history and culture in which the heritage of pre-Columbian and indigenous peoples mixes with the influence of European cultures. There are many Brazilian myths and legends that have emerged over time, which aim to give an explanation to the world, reality and the different phenomena and events that worried or amazed its inhabitants.
In order to exemplify and show the folklore of said land, throughout this article we are going to see a dozen different Brazilian legends
Below we present a dozen Brazilian myths and legends, many of them dealing with the origin of natural elements and/or phenomena such as rainbows, nightmares, some fruits or animals or even elements typical of the religious beliefs of its natives.
1. The birth of the night
One of the phenomena that has always drawn the attention of all cultures and for which they have always sought an explanation is the arrival of night, and the pre-Columbian legends of the tribes that populated Brazil are no exception.
The legend says that At the beginning of time there was only day, but one day the daughter of the Big Cobra told her husband that she wanted to see the night Even though her husband told her that it did not exist, she insisted that she did and that her father kept it. The husband sent his employees home to the Big Cobra in search of the night.
The Big Cobra decided to satisfy her daughter’s wishes, giving her employees a tucumán coconut in which she housed her but warning them not to open it or else everything would get dark. However, on the return trip, curiosity got the better of them and they failed to comply with the god’s recommendation, opening the coconut and causing darkness to appear
Along with her, the creatures of the night and various animals would appear. Only the daughter of the Big Cobra would understand what had happened, deciding to put an end to the darkness by tearing out a hair and passing it through the middle of her: this action would separate the light from the dark and would make the day return, but with the result that from now on half of the time was day and the other half night, the current succession being born between both moments. In addition, the employees were punished, being transformed into monkeys.
2. Iguazú Falls
There are also numerous legends that tell us about the history of the emergence of different geographical features of Brazil One of them is the legend of the Iguazú Falls.
This legend tells us that the gigantic Boi snake lived in the Iguazú River, to which the Guaranà natives offered a young girl as a sacrifice, whom they threw into the river. However, on one occasion a man named Tarobá fell in love with the young NaipÃ, who was going to be the sacrifice of that year.
Tarobá, who had previously tried to convince the village elders not to sacrifice her, decided to take a canoe and kidnap the young woman to save her. The great snake, furious at the kidnapping of what was going to be his sacrifice, chased them and ended up hitting the river, dividing it in two in such a way that Tarobá and Naipà were trapped and creating the Iguazú falls together with them. The waters that fall from them are the hair of the young woman, while Tarobá would end up being transformed into a tree The great snake watches over them from the bottom, but when the rainbow forms at the falls, both young people meet again.
Some of the legends originating from Brazil also refer to historical phenomena of great relevance, such as the experience of the indigenous population of the arrival and the conflicts and fights with the first Europeans and specifically in this case the Portuguese. It also tells us the story of one of the best-known indigenous leaders of the Manaós tribe, Ajuricaba.
Legend has it that Ajuricaba was born in front of the Black River, being predicted by his grandfather that he would become the leader of his people and that he would always be protected by the goddess of the river, Maori. His prowess and warrior spirit were notable even from a young age. However, one day the large ships of the first Europeans arrived to arrive on the coasts of Brazil, commanded by Belchior Mendes and with much superior weapons. Conflicts soon broke out between both towns, which continued for years.
The Portuguese retreated up to five times, but knowing that they would return, Ajuricaba’s grandfather would give him command of the combat. Ajuricaba would use multiple ambushes and fight bravely, but in one of the battles he would eventually be taken prisoner and chained by the Portuguese, who planned to use him as a war trophy and take him to Portugal. However, before reaching that point, Ajuricaba decided to die: he threw himself into the river, into the hands of the goddess that his grandfather predicted would protect him. It is said that on full moon nights you can still see a white canoe in the river in which Ajuricaba travels.
4. The legend of the Amazon River
The Amazon is the longest and largest river in the world, being an important source of water and life for the territories through which it passes, including Brazil. In this land there is also a legend regarding its origin.
Legend has it that at a time when animals could not yet speak, the Sun and the Moon fell in love with each other. However, soon They were both aware that their love was impossible since their proximity caused the destruction of the other: while the Moon extinguished the Sun, it melted the Moon.
And not only that, but their union would cause floods that would end the Earth. This would make them finally decide to separate, something that would cause the Moon to cry inconsolably for days. Their tears reached the planet, but the fact that they were fresh water would cause them to be rejected by the sea, in such a way that they would end up becoming a gigantic river: the Amazon.
5. Curupira, the guardian of the forest
Brazilian indigenous tribes highly valued the importance of the jungle and forests, which have their own protective creature/deity. We are talking about the legend of Curupira, typical of the Tupi.
This powerful being is small in size but has great strength and speed is often described as bald or red-haired and has large ears, and one of its most distinctive features is the fact that it has inverted feet (i.e., facing the back instead of the front).
It is a protector of trees, animals and nature, often making those who invade and damage it get lost and forget the way back as punishment.
Hunters and woodcutters are usually their enemies, interrupting their activities (although tolerating hunting in those who carry it out out of hunger). Due to the inversion of his feet, his footprints are also extremely confusing, making it difficult to find him. It is also said that he sometimes takes children into the forests to teach them to love them, returning them to their families when they turn seven years old.
One of the legends of Brazil tells us about the creature known as the Pisadeira, which It is considered the physical representation of nightmares
This creature has the body of a skeletal old woman, with long, yellowish nails, a hawk’s nose, and an open mouth from which only horrible laughter emerges that only those she chooses can hear. This creature is said to stalks people from rooftops jumping on the chest of the sleeping (especially after drowsiness after dinner) and generating asphyxiation that paralyzes its victim.
This person is aware of what is happening, but is not able to move or react and will often have the feeling of drowning and about to die when they wake up. The Pisadeira may find the situation funnier the more afraid the person is, and may prolong and repeat their attack.
7. The legend of Guarana
Among the many myths and legends that exist in Brazil, we can find many that refer to the origin of foods typical of these lands. One of them is the one that tells us about Guaraná.
But The god of darkness Jurupari began to envy the boy and his strength, peace and happiness , making the decision to put an end to him: at a time when the little boy went to collect fruit, the god turned into a snake and bit him, killing him with his venom. The parents were devastated, but the god Tupá sent a storm that the mother understood as an indication that she should plant his eyes: from them a plant capable of giving strength and vigor would be born. By doing so, the grieving parents discovered that guarana would be born from their son’s eyes, whose seeds actually resemble that of human eyes.
8. The legend of AçaÃ
Although not well known in the West, açaà is the fruit of a palm tree of great importance for the people of the Amazon and great relevance in the territory of Brazil. This fruit has been consumed since pre-Columbian times, and there is a sad legend regarding its origin.
Legend tells us how a long time ago a tribe located on the Pará River suffered a time of great scarcity, so the continued growth of the population posed a serious danger to survival. Due to the critical situation, the leader, named Itaki, would agree with the tribal council that from now on any baby born would be sacrificed However, one day his daughter Iaçá became pregnant and gave birth to a girl. The council demanded that what was agreed be fulfilled, something to which Itaki would agree despite Iaçá’s pleas.
After the death of little Iaçá, she would spend days locked in her tent, praying to the god Tupá so that the village leader would learn a way to fix the situation without more children having to die. At night, the woman heard crying, which she followed to a palm tree. There she saw her daughter, smiling, rushing forward to hug her. However, when he touched her, he only found her palm tree, something that would make him hug her and cry sadly.
However, the next day the woman woke up, still embraced, dead but happy as she looked at the leaves of the palm tree. Upon seeing her body and the direction of her gaze, her father Itaki discovered some small fruits, açaÃ, from which wine could be obtained. The birth of these fruits meant that his people could have food, something that in turn would cause the sacrifices to cease as they were no longer unnecessary. The fruits received the inverse name of the leader’s daughter, Açai.
9. The legend of the uirapurú
One of the birds whose origin has been represented by the legends and myths of the native peoples of Brazil is the uirapurú. This bird with its beautiful song was believed to be a magical and supernatural being to the point that their feathers are a lucky charm when it comes to love.
According to the legend that tells us its origin, there was once a tribe in which two women had fallen in love with the same chief, who had to choose one to become his wife. The chief decided that the chosen one would be the one with the best aim, establishing an archery test of which one of them was the winner. The other woman, named Oribici, cried inconsolably and She prayed to the god Tupá to transform her into a tree in such a way that he could continue seeing his loved one without him knowing.
The god made her like this, something that made it possible for Oribici to gradually witness how his beloved was happy and deeply in love with his wife. The young woman decided to leave for the north, where Tupá seeing her sadness made her small and gave her the gift of singing in order to help alleviate her pain. Thus, he transformed her into the uirapurú.
10. Iasá and the origin of the rainbow
This legend tells how A young woman from the Cashinahua tribe, Iasá, was so beautiful that the god Tupá fell in love with her , something to which she reciprocated, both of them becoming a loving and happy couple. However, the demon Anhangá would also notice the girl, who in order to prevent her from getting engaged to Tupá and obtain her love, would go to the woman’s mother with the purpose of asking for her hand, offering in exchange all the food he had. he would need for the rest of his life if it was granted to him. The mother agreed to the deal, and Iasá then had to marry the Anhangá and separate from Tupá.
Iasá asked her future husband to grant her wish to see her beloved Tupa again before agreeing to marry and live in the underworld. The demon accepted but would set one condition: cut his arm so that the blood would create a path that he could follow.
Knowing this and in order to mislead Anhangá, Tupá would try with the help of the gods of the Sun, the Sky and the Sea to create different strokes of different colors (yellow, sky blue and navy blue respectively) that would make the demon lose his mind. track of Iasa. The woman, however, would lose strength as she lost blood, to the point of falling to the ground and dying on the beach, never being reunited with her loved one. The mixture of her blood and the sand dust that would arise from her collision with the ground would also form orange, violet and green strokes. The combination of all these traces would form the first rainbow.
