Mãe-de-Ouro: legend, origin of myth and explanation

THE Mother of Gold she is a character in Brazilian folklore.

Although not well known, the legend is popular in some parts of Brazil, such as in the interior regions of the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast of the country.

The Golden Mother is described as a beautiful woman with long, golden hair. She always appears wearing a white silk dress.

In some versions of the legend, she is shaped like a large fireball that has the ability to transform into a beautiful woman.

Versions of the Legend of the Golden Mother

The Golden Mother's skill lies in finding hidden treasures or even gold deposits. Thus, the Golden Mother has the power to fly and, therefore, can locate the places where there are buried treasures.

For this reason, she is known as the protector of treasures and gold. In addition, she is considered the protector of nature, especially rivers and mountains.

But it's at night that she acts, especially on dark nights without moon and stars. Its fireball form travels through the skies where it detects exactly where something is hidden.

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Note that her intention is not to indicate to men where they can be explored, but rather to protect the gold from being mined. It is believed that due to her performance, there are still some unexplored gold deposits.

In another version of the legend, the Golden Mother also takes care of women who are mistreated by their husbands and therefore unhappy in their marriages.

So, with her stunning beauty, she takes her unwanted husbands to a cave far away from her family. There, the Golden Mother binds them for the rest of their lives. Likewise, she finds other husbands who will make their wives happy.

The Golden Mother and the Slave

Finally, there is also a well-known version of the legend in which a slave worked for days looking for gold for his cruel master.

Tired of looking and certain that he would suffer mistreatment by his owner, the Mother of Gold appears indicating exactly where he should look.

In return, the slave offers her what she had asked for: colored ribbons and a mirror. Also, the Golden Mother made it clear that she would help him, but he was never supposed to tell people the location of the mine. However, after taking enough gold for his master, he soon wanted to know where the slave had found it.

Although he tried to keep the secret, he ended up revealing the place, of course, after receiving many lashes from his evil boss. Upon arriving at the site, the slaves dug and finally found the gold. However, a massive landslide killed everyone, including the cruel miner.

Origin of the Legend of the Golden Mother

There is controversy about the origin of the legend, but it is believed that it arose at the time of the gold cycle (late 17th and early 18th century).

During this period, the extraction of gold was the main economic activity in the country, which occurred mainly in the states of Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais.

Learn more about the country's folklore by reading these texts:

Folklore Legends
Indigenous Legends
Legends of the North Region that you need to know
Northeast Region Legends You'll Love
Unmissable Legends of the South Region
Legends of the Southeast that you can't miss
Fantastic Legends of the Midwest Region

Scientific Explanation

Some ufologists are investigating the appearance of fireballs in the interior of Brazil. According to them, they are UFOs (unidentified flying objects) that appear in the skies on the darkest nights.