Curupira
Also called Curupir, Kurupira.
In Brazilian and broader Amazonian folklore, this forest guardian spirit is known for feet turned backward, a trait used to confuse and mislead hunters and loggers who threaten the woods.
At a glance
- Tradition
- Brazilian folkloreGuarani mythology
- Region
- Brazil (place of origin)Amazon Rainforest (habitat)
- Trait family
- The False Guides
Near this figure
and 2 more
Symbols
Judged against the description by a model. Meanings are our own paraphrase.
- Color bears image-domain Colour denotes expression and differentiation, carrying feeling, rank and season, evolved for survival and taken by alchemy as the sign that transformation is under way.
why
The Curupira is typically described as a small, boy-like being with fiery or bright red hair and skin sometimes described as green or otherwise unusual in color.
- Hair bears image-domain Hair denotes vitality and the state of the head it grows from, ordered or wild, shorn in renunciation, and red for ardour and suspicion alike.
why
The Curupira is typically described as a small, boy-like being with fiery or bright red hair and skin sometimes described as green or otherwise unusual in color.
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Form
- Backward facing feet confuse trackers
why
its feet point backward, heels facing forward and toes facing behind
Behaviour
- Forest guardian punishes poachers
why
It is said to punish hunters who kill more game than they need, who harm pregnant or nursing animals, or who set forest fires, by luring them into the woods until they become hopelessly lost, sometimes driving them to madness or death.
- Confuses travelers into losing their way
why
The Curupira's signature power is rooted directly in its backward feet: anyone attempting to track it, or whom it wishes to mislead, is fooled by footprints that point the wrong way, sending pursuers deeper into the forest rather than out of it.
- Mimics human voice to mislead
why
In some tellings the Curupira can also mimic animal calls and human voices to lure victims off their path.
Utility powers
- Vocal mimicry
why
In some tellings the Curupira can also mimic animal calls and human voices to lure victims off their path.
Curses
- Confuses travelers
why
The Curupira's signature power is rooted directly in its backward feet: anyone attempting to track it, or whom it wishes to mislead, is fooled by footprints that point the wrong way, sending pursuers deeper into the forest rather than out of it.
Roles
Judged from the works' own entries, not from the description. Carries: the figure holds the role. Meets: the role is in its stories, held by something it meets.
- Hero meets
1 citation
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Curupira."