8 Northeastern folk legends you'll love

Brazil is quite culturally diverse and, consequently, so is the country's folklore.

Legends are an important part of folk traditions, and each Brazilian region has different stories or versions.

We selected 8 legends present in the Northeast region so you can learn more about these fantastic myths that delight - and frighten - people over the years. Check out!

1. Quibungo legend

According to this legend, which is often told in Bahia, the kibungo is a monster that chases rebellious children.

The creature's appearance resembles that of the bogeyman. He's furry as a wolf, very ugly and mean, and has a huge mouth full of teeth on his back.

The animal chases children who refuse to sleep and who are naughty. When captured, children are devoured and instantly digested.

2. legend of the oriole

According to legend, this being is an old and ragged man who lives wandering around with a bag on his back where he keeps the bones of the children he captured.

Also known as the "sack man", this figure would have the intention of catching children to eat their livers, hence the name "pape-fig".

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In some versions, he would have the appearance of an old man, in others he also has large vampire ears and teeth.

The story is told to children with the aim of causing fear and keeping them away from strangers.

3. Redbeard legend

The legend of Barba Ruiva is related to the creation of the Paranaguá River, in Piauí.

According to locals, there was a girl who became pregnant with her boyfriend and was very sad. Embarrassed and in despair, she had the child, placed him in a copper pot, and set him down in a small stream.

Mãe-D'água, who lived in the stream, was angry at the situation and created a great flood, leaving the waters enchanted, from which a baby's cry was evoked. That was how the Rio Paranaguá was born.

After that, it is said that a man began to come out of the river waters. In the morning he appeared as a boy; in the afternoon as a young man with a red beard; at night, like an old man with a white beard.

This man emerges from the river with the intention of grabbing the girls who go to the edge of the Paranaguá to wash clothes. It is said that if he is blessed by one of these women, the spell is broken.

4. Legend of the Cabriola Goat

Cabra Cabriola is a legend told mainly in Pernambuco and originated in the late nineteenth century.

As they say, this character is half goat, half monster, has sharp teeth and a foul smell.

She is always looking for children to feed, but she also attacks people who walk the streets alone at night.

The worst thing is that the goat also has the ability to enter houses looking for naughty boys.

5. Legend of the Enchanted City of Jeriquaquara

Jeriquaquara, in Ceará, has a legend about an ancient enchanted city that existed in the place where a lighthouse is located today.

It was an amazing and thriving city, where a princess lived who was bewitched and turned into a snake. With golden scales, she kept the head and feet of a woman, being an abominable figure.

She must be disenchanted with the blood of some human, sacrificed so that she can return to being a princess and the city to exist again.

As no one gave their life for the spell to be broken, the snake princess remains cloistered.

6. Alamoa Legend

This is a legend present in the Pernambuco archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.

There, it is said that there is a woman living on a rocky rise near the sea, Pico, which is 323 meters high.

The woman looks like a German (hence the name "alamoa"). White, with light hair and eyes, the girl enchants men, attracting them to her home.

When they reach Pico, the Alamoa turns into a skull and throws the men off the cliff.

7. Legend of the Cuia Head

There is a story involving the Parnaíba River, which divides the states of Maranhão and Piauí.

Legend has it that there was a very poor family. The mother prepared thin soups for her son and put bones in the preparation.

The boy - named Crispim - one day became angry with the shortage of food and threw the soup bone at his mother, who died from a shot to the head.

But, before dying, the woman cursed her son, forcing him to wander down the river with his enormous head, shaped like a gourd.

The curse would only be broken if Crispin killed and ate seven virgins named Maria. The boy then despaired and killed himself, drowning in the river.

Since then, her body has not been found and it is said that her spirit continues to wander in search of the virgins.

8. Legend of Comadre Fulozinha

Comadre Fulozinha is a folkloric character well known in the northeast, mainly in the Mata Region, which includes Pernambuco and Paraíba. There she is also called "Mãe da Mata".

According to legend, this figure is a cabocla with long black hair who lives in the forest protecting plants and animals. Because of this, it can also be confused with another folklore character, the redneck.

Comadre Fulozinha can be very kind, but she becomes very nasty with men who enter the forest to hunt or deforest. She uses her whistle to leave them stunned and lost in the forest.

Besides, she likes to tie knots in horse manes and scare people who don't take porridge for her as an offering.