O tutu is a legend present in Brazilian folklore and that it relates to the habit of singing terrifying lullabies to put children to sleep. Tutu is related to the bogeyman, and this legend is believed to have influence from European and African. Other variations of the story made him known as tutu-zambê and tutu-maramba.
Accessalso: Do you know the legend of the dry-body?
Knowing the legend of tutu
One of the legends of Brazilian folklore is the tutu, a monster well known for being present in lullabies, whose purpose is to make children sleep. In popular culture, the tutu is known as a monster obscureand with unknown form.
Tutu is very much associated with the bogeyman, and in the legends it was said that he was on the lookout for children who did not fall asleep. The place where the tutu waited to devour the children was behind the bedroom doors. Its legend is believed to have its origins in the terrifying lullabies traditions that existed in Europe.
However, it is also said that this story was influenced by African culture, since the name of the monster derives from delicacy, expression of the Kimbundu language (spoken in the region of Angola) which means “ogre" or "bogeyman". The translation of the term, as we can see, reinforces the association of the tutu with the bogeyman.
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Legend Variations
When we talk about tutu, we are talking about the formless monster that frightens and devours children in lullabies. However, this legend has regional variations, like all in Brazilian folklore. A variation on it presents it as a to bebrawler it's from big force.
Furthermore, variations in the narrative made it known by different names, depending on the region of Brazil. Some of the names are tutu-zambe, tutu-maramba, tutu-do-mato etc.
In the state of Bahia, the reputation of tutu, as a being that fights and has great strength, made him associated with the wild pig. Anthropologist Luís da Câmara Cascudo explains that this association may have an etymological explanation, as tutu was confused, in popular culture, with çatitution, another name by which the wild pig is known.
The researcher also points out that the term tutu-zambê may have originated from hybridismslinguistics that mix Tupi with languages from the African continent. In this theory, the tutu would then be a crooked or crippled monster or even a headless monster.|1|.
In the case of variation tutu-maramba, also known as tutu-marambaia, Câmara Cascudo points out that there is a hybridism of nhegatu with kimbundu. In this case, the term maramba would be an association with what is bad or bad|1|.
It is important to mention that, in the indigenous tradition, there was no practice of singing songs to children in order to frighten them. The best thing about this culture was the habit of singing so that sleepy animals would lend it so the children could sleep. Among the lullabies used, Câmara Cascudo presented this|1|:
shut up boy shut up
Calai, come tutu,
that in the forest there is an animal
Called tick.
Another song was presented as follows|2|:
Tutu marambaia
don't come here anymore,
that the boy's father
he tells you to kill him.
|1| CAMERA CASCUDO, Luís da. Geography of Brazilian Myths. São Paulo: Global, 2012.
|2| EDELWEISS, Frederick. Notes of fchlorine. Salvador: EDUFBA, 2001.
By Daniel Neves Silva
History teacher
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Daniel Neves. "Tutu"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/folclore/tutu.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2021.
