Lampião is a type of flashlight which uses fuel to soak a wick that is lit with fire, and the flame produced serves as illumination. Popularly, however, Lampião is known as the nickname of one of the most iconic cangaceiros in Brazil.
Virgulino Ferreira da Silva was the real name of “Lampião”, one of the best known cangaceiros in the country. Lampião's gang terrorized the lives of several Northeastern farmers and landowners during the first decades of the 20th century.
Lampião was known as the "King of Cangaço" and "Lord of the Sertão". Such nicknames arose as consequences of his famous and legendary actions of boldness and cruelty.
Nobody knows the exact date of his birth, but it is known that Lampião was born in the Pernambuco backlands and lived in a very poor family.
According to history, what motivated Lampião to enter into banditry was the revolt he felt towards the to see your parents murdered by police officers after losing their property to landlords locations.
For the poor, Lampião was seen as a kind of “justice hero”, as he stole from the rich and shared part of his achievements with those who needed it most.
See also: O meaning of Cangaço.
Lampião and Maria Bonita
Lampião's relationship with beautiful Maria (Maria Gomes de Oliveira), his wife, helped create the dramatic and romantic narrative of the life of the “king of Cangaço” that is known today.
The stories of the band of Lampião and Maria Bonita were widely disseminated through strings and other literary genres. Jorge Amado and João Guimarães Rosa, for example, were some of the authors who explored popular tales about Lampião in their works.
Lampião and Maria Bonita were murdered, as well as several other members of their gang, on July 28, 1938, in an armed siege organized by the police of Aracaju.
All were decapitated and their heads were exposed in several northeastern cities, as a sign of intimidation for other cangaceiros.
See also: O meaning of Cordel Literature.
