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Curupira
Alternatively known as Kurupira, Curupiri
and Matuyu.
South American mystical creature and/or nature
spirit, described as a wild boy with pointed ears, green teeth,
fiery eyes and hair, his feet pointing backwards, which supposedly help the wild
animals and is a defender of nature and ecology. His name comes from "tupi":
curu, boy, and pira, body.
According to legend, Curupira is unpredictable
and can occasionally seem wicked. His dedication to nature and knowledge
of mankind wickedness and weaknesses can often make him seem cruel.
His most interesting features are his feet. They are backwards, so an
enemy who is tracking him will go the wrong way, and an enemy who is
fleeing will run right to him. Sometimes the Curupira appears riding a
wild animal, usually a wild pig. He is credited with having a wife and
children living with him in the trees and undergrowth.
The Curupira protects the forest from the
destructive habits of man. It happily tolerates those who hunt for food but is
infuriated by those who hunt for the pleasure of it and will lay traps and
confuse them so that they become eternally lost in the forest. It is considered
wise to propitiate the Curupiras with
their favorite rum, tobacco and honey to avert such a trick. Curupira and his
family have been blamed for the theft or destruction of crops where the forest
has been cleared.
These spirits are 'encantados' (enchanteds) of the
Afro-Brazilian
cult
Batuque. The Curupira are tree spirits whose usual abode is the dense thorn
trees in the rain forest. When a medium is
possessed by a Curupira, it may be known by the wild manner in which the human
will dance and make yelping noises and is able to climb the thorn trees without
feeling the thorns. The Curupiras belong to the Japetequara "family" of spirits,
and when they materialize are said to look like black children.
The Curupira blends many features of West-African
and European fairies but was usually regarded as a demonic figure. It is said to
be the first Brazilian legend, being told by
José de Anchieta when he wrote about
Indians fears.
See Agogwe,
Abominable
Snowman, Almas, Sasquatch,
Chuchunaa,
Curumin,
Didi, Higabon,
Kaki Besar,
Bigfoot,
Mapinguary, Yeti,
Meh-teh, Nguoi Rung, 'X', Windigo,
Orang Pendek and Wildman of China.
Sources: (1) Rose, Carol,
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An
Encyclopedia, W. W. Norton & Company; (2)
Anderson, Ivan T.,
Abominable Snowmen: Legend
Come to Life,
Adventures Unlimited Press;
(3)
Wilson, Colin and Damon,
The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved,
Carroll & Graf.
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