O Brazilian folklore it is marked by its richness and great diversity, and the legends that are part of it are always a great highlight. Among these, one of the best known is the saci-pererê, a being black and little who inhabits the forests and is known for the mischief he performs. The legend of the saci originated in southern Brazil, was influenced by elements of African and indigenous cultures, and became nationally known under the influence of Monteiro Lobato.
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The history of saci-pererê
The saci-pererê is a mythical being that inhabits the forests and has as a great characteristic the fact that it is mischievous and play tricks in people. He is a small being, about half a meter tall, although there are versions of the legend that say he can be as tall as three meters if you want.
Following the description, in the legend saci is black and has only one leg, with which it moves quickly. He is also known for not having hair or body hair, wearing a
hatRed in the head and practice the habit of smoking through a pipe. Some versions of the legend show him with red eyes, while others do not.As we mentioned, the classic image of the saci shows it as a mythical and mischievous who plays games, and, therefore, many mentions of the past refer to him as "demonic”. Being agitated, Saci is usually mischief wherever he goes. Important to mention that within the legend there is not only one saci, there may be several doing their mischief at the same time.
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One of the most common practices performed by saci is the act of bother the horses, especially at night. It is said that the saci usually suck the blood of horses, in addition to frightening them at night, so whenever the horses are restless at night it is because a saci has been there. A sign that indeed a saci has done his mischief with horses is the knots and braids that can be found in their manes.
Saci is also used to bother travelers that it finds by the road. He whistles a very high-pitched sound that torments them and makes them uncomfortable because they don't know where and from whom the sound is coming. In addition, he tends to drop the hats worn by travelers, damage the brake of the carts, among other antics.
the saci too invade the houses to do your pranks. It can burn the food being cooked, sour it if it's ready, in addition to disappearing with objects, extinguishing the light from lamps, etc. O swirl it has been seen by many as the work of the saci to lift foliage and spread dirt.
During this phenomenon, legend has it, it is possible capture the saci. To do this, just launch a certain type of sieve in the middle of the whirlpool. The one who captures the saci must remove the cap from his head so that he loses his supernatural powers. The last act is to imprison him in a bottle with a cross drawn on it. The purpose of this one is to prevent your escape.
It is said that the saci lives for 77 years, and after that period it can become a mushroompoisonous or in those mushrooms that are found on the trunks of trees, the “wooden ears”.
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When did the legend of saci appear?
In legend, saci is known to be in every whirlpool that is formed.
The study of the origins of Brazilian folklore legends is of interest to many folklorists. In the case of saci, these studies show that its legend goes back to the late 18th century or early 19th century. This is because there are no reports about saci in the first centuries of the Brazil's colonial period as there are from other legends, such as the one of the curupira, which is mentioned in an account from 1560.
The legend of saci emerged, according to studies, in the South region of Brazil among the Guarani Indians. It is said that, at first, it was known in the Tupi-Guarani language as haa cy perereg. The influence of this legend in the South was so great that she was not confined to Brazil and spread to neighboring countries. In Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, the saci-pererê is known as yacy-yateré, and there are some differences between these versions.
O Yacy-Yateré, unlike Saci, he is not bald and has hairblondes, use one stickingold like magic wand (which makes you invisible) and a hatinstraw. It's a dwarf just like the saci, but it plays different tricks: the Paraguayans believe that yacy-yateré attracts children to do evil to them: steal, or make them crazy or deaf, depending on the version.
You Argentines, in turn, they say that yacy attracts single girls so that they can get pregnant and, unlike the Brazilian saci, that one has two legs. The differences between the legends are a result of the differences in the cultures that influenced them.
The legend of saci, as mentioned, emerged in southern Brazil, but ended up spreading throughout the entire territory Brazilian and incorporating elements from other regional legends that present beings with characteristics similar, like the redneck, in the central region of the country, and the mattinapereira, in the region North.
Brazilian folklorists also point out several legends of european origin that may have influenced the characteristics of the saci. One of the most cited examples is the goblin, a being of small stature that does evil things and is part of the folklore of Portugal. O smoking habit that the saci has is attributed to the influence of indigenous and African cultures, in which this act was common. Another element of African culture is the fact that Saci lost one of his legs after a capoeira fight.
At origin of the legend of saci, he was a forest protector and, therefore, many consider him as a character derived from the legend of the curupira. As its history spread, it incorporated other elements that are part of the folklore of each region and that may come from other cultures.
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Saci-pererê and Monteiro Lobato
![Monteiro Lobato's work as a writer was responsible for popularizing the legend of saci in Brazil. [1]](/f/aa257bfa03a278cce34d0c27926f136c.jpg)
Monteiro Lobato's work as a writer was responsible for popularizing the legend of saci in Brazil. [1]
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the legend of the saci was well known in the corners of the country, but through MonteiroWere, it gained new importance and dimension. This is a famous writer from the beginning of the 20th century who became famous for having created one of the best known children's stories in Brazil: Site of the Yellow Woodpecker.
the association of MonteiroWere with the legend of saci began in 1917, when the writer performed a inquiry in the newspaper The state of Sao Paulo, aiming to harvest answersFromreaders about what they knew or had heard about her. The return was considerable, and Monteiro Lobato received dozens of responses from the newspaper's readers.
Based on these answers, the writer and folklorist systematized the legend of saci to give rise to bookSacy-pererê: result of an inquiry, published in 1918. This book was the first in Brazil about the legend of the saci and was responsible for spreading it to regions that did not know it. In 1921, Monteiro Lobato adapted the legend for a children's audience by publishing the saci, book that is part of the collection of Site of the Yellow Woodpecker.
Image credit
[1] rook76 and Shutterstock
by Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
