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{{Short description|Mythological creature in Tupi–Guarani folklore}}

{{External media|width=240px|image1=https://kr.pinterest.com/pin/587930926391751689/<br />Oil painting of an orange shaggy curupira intruding on a girl in hammock{{right|{{small|―{{illm|Manoel Santiago|pt}} (1926) ''O Curupira – Lenda Amazônica''}}<ref name="silva_neto2012"/>}}}}

The '''Curupira''', '''Currupira''' or '''Korupira''' ({{IPA|pt|kuɾuˈpiɾɐ}}) is a forest spirit in the myth of the [[Tupi-Guarani language|Tupí-Guaraní]] speaking areas in the [[Brazil]]ian and [[Paraguay|Paraguaian]] [[Amazon rainforest|Amazon]] and [[The Guianas|Guyanas]]. It is a guardian of the rainforest that punishes humans for overcutting.

The ''Curupira'' notably has feet pointing backwards allowing it to leave a backward trail of [[footprint]]s, and by this confusion and other supernatural means causes the traveler to lose his way.

It is often said to look like a short-statured {{linktext|tapuio}} or ''[[caboclo]]'' (civilized ''indigene'' or one of mixed race), but also said to be a bald but otherwise shaggy man (though the women have flowing hair). Some say it has blue or green teeth. The red-haired image has become fixture, perhaps due to conflation with the ''[[caipora]]''.

The Curupira according to early Jesuits was a feared being known to leave gruesomely scarred  bodies, to be appeased by offerings. But it underwent a mutation via European influence, and was recast into more of a mischievous trickster type spirit, often bungling and letting humans outsmart it, though it could still cause misfortune and death.

== Origins ==
The Curupira (var. '''Korupira''') legend spans across [[Venezuela]], Guyana, Peru and Paraguay, and appears to have been passed from [[Karaib languages|Karaib]]-speakers to Guarani-speaking populace.{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=3}}

==Nomenclature==
The lore of the ''Curupira'' is not only found in Brazil, but also in [[Paraguay]] and [[Guiana]] coinciding with the distribution of the [[Tupi–Guarani languages]].{{sfnp|Smith|1879|p=566}}

The name ''Curupira'' means "covered in wounds or blisters",<ref name="sampaio_t.1928-vocab-curupira"/> and derives from an agglutination of 
[[Nheengatu language|Nheengatu]]: {{lang|yrl|kuru}} "grain, rough", etc. and {{lang|yrl|piré}} "skin" (cog. Guarani/Tupi: {{lang|gn|pí}}), thus "rough or pimply skin". This kurupire may have been passed on perhaps from Nheengatu-speakers in Brazil to the Tupinambá speakers, then to the Guaraní-speaking population in the south.<ref name="blache1977"/><ref name="gonzalez1984"/>

The name is normally styled "Curupira" (in [[Pará]]) and spelt "Currupira" in the south.{{sfnp|Couto de Magalhães|1876|p=138}} It is also argued that curupira goes by other names depending on region, namely  Çacy tapereré ([[Saci (Brazilian folklore)|Saci Pererê]]) in the south, Caipora in the central region ), and Maty-taperé in the North{{efn|Barbosa Rodrigues contends "tapere" is truer to original than "perere", but Cascudo amends to "Saci Pererê".}}.<ref>{{harvp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=13}} cited in {{harvp|Cascudo|1952|pp=113–114}}</ref> Sometimes transcribed "Korupira".{{Refn|By {{illm|Carlos Teschauer|pt}}<ref name="alexander1920"/>}}{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=3}}

Some commentators have argued the ''Curupira'' and ''Caipora'' to be the same, others say they are different.{{sfnp|Hartt|1885|p=154}} The usage is regional, for example, from [[Maranhão]] south to [[Espírito Santo]], its persistent nickname is '''''Caipora'''''{{sfnp|Cascudo|1967|p=146}} (cf. {{section link||Conflation with Caipora}}).

==Legend==
The ''Curupira'' is a "[[hominoid]] spirit"<ref name="smith_njh1981"/> or god,{{sfnp|Couto de Magalhães |1876|p=138}} perhaps a "[[wild man]]",{{Refn|"Curupíra, the wild man or spirit of the forest"<ref name="bates1864"/> Some told as bedtime stories "myths about the Curupíra, and other demons or spirits of the forest", p. 85}} considered the guardian  of the forest. It punishes humans who wantonly harvest lumber by making him lose his way, wander timelessly in the forest, so he becomes unable to reach his home.<ref name="magalhaes-quote-sapopema">{{harvp|Couto de Magalhães|1876}}, {{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?pg=RA1-PA139 |2='''II''': 139}} and p. 138; cited and quoted in English by {{harvp|Smith|1879|p=564}}.</ref>

The ''Curupira'' is described as a small-statured ''{{linktext|tapuio}}'' ("brown man"{{sfnp|Smith|1879|p=561}}{{efn|The term ''tapuio'' signifies one from a "non-Tupi" tribe, or native who has become civilized and do not follow traditional modes of living.}}),<ref name="magalhaes-p138"/> or a "''caboclinho''" ([[diminutive]] of ''[[caboclo]]''), of similar meaning.<ref name="wagley1953"/>

Notably, the ''Curupira'' has his feet turned backwards,{{efn|"{{langx|pt|pés voltados para traz(trás)}}".}} to mislead trackers with footprints proceeding in the opposite direction, so that one trying to flee the ''Curupira'' actually pursues it.<ref name="magalhaes-p138">{{harvp|Couto de Magalhães |1876|p=138}}; {{harvp|Smith|1879|p=561}}</ref>{{Refn|name="bates-apud-cascudo"}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|While "some say his feet are double; some that he has but one rounded hoof".<ref name="alexander1920"/>}}

The ''Curupira'' allegedly has family, a wife and children{{Refn|name="bates-apud-cascudo"|Bates,<ref name="bates1864"/> also cited by Cascudo.<ref name="cascudo1952"/>}}<ref name="mascarenhas1898"/> living in the hollow of dead trees. The women have long hair<!--and are not bald-->.<ref>From a woman informant in [[Manaus]], {{harvp|Hartt|1873|p=2}} apud {{harvp|Smith|1879|p=561}}, note *.</ref><ref name="cascudo1952"/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|But "in [[Nogueira, Fraião e Lamaçães|Nogueira]] and [[Tefé]] they say that Korupira has beautiful hair, just [[unibrow|one eyebrow]] in the middle of the forehead and breasts are under the arms"{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=5}}}} Sometimes they trespass upon a human ''{{linktext|roça}}'' (crop field) to steal the mandioca ([[manioc]]).<ref name="bates1864"/> Or else it is said that the wife is some old, ugly evil ''[[tapuya]]'' woman who plays accomplice to his misdeeds, and among their children, the youngest is the [[Saci (Brazilian folklore)|Saci]]{{efn|Or else the youngest "Benjamin" is the "Korupira pitanga" or "mitanga".}}{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=5}} Note that [[Caipora]] (Kaapora) has been discussed as a variant of Curupira, and its wife is identified as Tatácy (in Amazonas) and Tatámanha (in Pará).{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=12}}{{efn|And Tatámanha has been stated as Saci's mother. cf. Saci article.}}

Curupira was blamed for causing bad thoughts and nightmares.<ref name="sampaio_t.1902"/> It is also said to have been a "mischievous wood-sprite"{{efn|{{langx|de|neckischer Waldgeist}}}} that engages in conversation with humans, foments distrust and dissent among individuals, and enjoy watching them fall into misfortune,{{sfnp|Spix|Martius|1831|p=1109}} but this description, taken to mean a "comical spirit" has been viewed unfavorably.{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=4}}{{sfnp|Hartt|1885|p=154}} The Curupira is attested as being regarded as a "god of thinking" or of "lies and deception"{{Refn|De Laet, Marcgravius: "{{linktext|nuomen |mentis}}".{{sfnp|Cascudo|1983|p=85}}}} (cf. {{section link||History}} for further details), which may have to do with it being seen as playing with one's mind in general.

The ''Curupira'' is fond of tobacco, and rewards hunters for offering it, but they must keep it secret from their wives.{{sfnp|Cascudo|1967|p=148}}<ref name="alexander1920"/> Besides tobacco it loves ''[[cachaça]]'' (sugarcane booze),{{Refn|Casucudo in one piece of writing describes the female Caipora with the flowing hair is crazy over "{{lang|pt|fumo e cachaça}}" and talks about the male Caipora.{{sfnp|Cascudo|1967|p=148}} Elsewhere, he quotes from [[Graça Aranha]]'s novel {{illm|Canaã (novel)|pt|Canaã (romance)|lt=''Canaã''}} (1902) 3rd ed. p. 102, where a man suspects the ''currupira'' for his debilitation in the forest. He tries to retrieve his tobacco and bottle ''restilo '' (sugarcane [[Vinasse]]) for a chew and swig, but finds them missing; he remembers the warning from his old uncle to give the "cachaça e fumo" straightaway to the  ''currupira'' in order to get rid of it.{{sfnp|Cascudo|1983|p=90}}}} and hunters <!--and rubber tappers and farmers{{cn}} --> are known to offer these as propitiation to the Curupira.<ref name="dean1997"/><ref name="medaets2020"/>

''Curupira'' can also be regarded as a rider of a deer, rabbit, or pig,<ref name="alexander1920"/> or a [[peccary]], variously given to be a [[white-lipped peccary]] (''[[Tayassu pecari]]'')<ref name="oren2001"/> or a [[collared peccary]] (''[[Tayassu tajacu|T. tajacu]]''{{Refn|name="silva-peccary"}} ; cf. {{section link||Conflation with Caipora}}). In the lore of the state of [[Pernambuco]], the ''Curupira'' or ''Korupira'' (though the sources consider these a variant of the [[caipora]]/caapora) rides a deer, and is accompanied by his dog named “Papa-mel".{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=9}}<ref>Casucudo ''Geograf''. "§ Caapora/Caipora" ({{harvp|Cascudo|1983|pp=95, 97}}; {{harvp|Cascudo|2002|pp=117, 119}})</ref><ref name="zeitlin2016"/>

=== Physical description ===
The physical appearance is described variously.{{sfnp|Smith|1879|p=561}} He is said to have enormous ears and blue or green teeth (in the [[Solimões River]] basin).{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=6}}<ref name="cascudo1952"/>{{sfnp|Smith|1879|p=561}}<!--"red and green teeth and big ears"<ref name="roth1997"/> appears mistaken--> It is also said to be balding or bald-headed ({{langx|tpn|piroka}}{{efn|{{langx|pt|"calvo ou de cabeça pellada"}}.}}) but hairy-bodied with long body hair (in the [[Rio Negro (Amazon)|Rio Negro]] basin).{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=6}}{{sfnp|Smith|1879|p=561}} Naturalist [[Henry Walter Bates|Bates]] remarked that it was like an [[orangutan]] with shaggy hair, living in trees,<ref name="bates1864"/> so that in later commentary the curupira was generally attributed with red/orange hair.{{efn|{{langx|pt|"cabelo vermelho"}}.}}<ref name="cascudo1976"/><ref name="silva_neto2012"/> Others have said it has a bright red face and cloven feet.<ref name="bates1864"/> Other regions  held that it was one-eyed<ref name="alexander1920"/> ([[Rio Tapajós]] basin), or that it has no [[anus]] hence becomes solidly or massively built (according to Pará lore).{{efn|{{langx|pt|mussiço}} equiv. ''massiço'', ''{{linktext|maciço}}''.}}{{sfnp|Couto de Magalhães |1876|p=138}}{{Refn|The regional identifications by river system are from {{harvp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=6}}}}

==== Conflation with Caipora ====
While Bates considered the ''Curupira'' and ''[[Caipora]]'' as distinguishable,<ref name="bates1864"/> they were considered to be the same by German naturalist [[Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius|Martius]].{{sfnp|Hartt|1885|p=154}} 

Long red body hair seems to have been ascribed originally to the ''Caipora'', said to be similar to ''Curupira''.<ref name="roth-Smithsonian1915"/> The Caipora is said to ride a [[collared peccary]] (''taitetú''),{{sfnp|Sampaio|1902|pp=546–547}} and the Curupira has come to be commonly portrayed riding one also.{{Refn|name="silva-peccary"|{{langx|pt|"O curupira... em algumas vezes, montado em um caititu ([[Tayassu tajacu]])".}}<ref name="silva_neto2012"/>}}

=== Sounds and smell ===
The ''Curupira'' also confuses travelers in the woods by producing high pitched whistling sound [[Mimicry|mimicking]] the call of the [[tinamou]] (''[[wikt:inambu|inambú]]'') bird.{{sfnp|Smith|1879|p=564}}

The ''Curupira'' allegedly beats on the projecting root of the tree ({{lang|tpn|sapopema}}, i.e., [[buttress root]]) to diagnose if it remains sturdy enough to resist storms. Thus when paddlers traveling by canoe in the rivers of Pará hear beating noises in the forest, they will say it is the sound of Curupira performing that chore.<ref name="magalhaes-quote-sapopema"/>{{Refn|And while penetrating the Pará rainforest, Bate's group would hear "a sound.. like the clang of an iron bar against a hard, hollow tree, or a piercing cry rends the air", followed by dead silence, which the locals attributed to the ''Curupira''<ref name="bates1864"/>}}

According to the fieldwork of [[Charles Wagley]] conducted in the 1950s, the ''Curupira'' was known not only to make "long shrill cries" from the depths of the forest, but could mimic human voices to lure [[rubber tapper]]s or hunters and lead them astray.<ref name="wagley1953"/> In an old anecdote of an actual encounter, the child-sized ''curupira'' was strong enough to throw the man up in the air and break his legs. The man took out holy wax from his pouch, causing the creature to come no closer, but it had such ''{{linktext|catinga}}'' (bad odor) about him it rendered the hunter unconscious.{{efn|The "Itá" community is alias for [[Gurupá]], Pará, but the local creek "lgarapé Arinoá" was edged by an impenetrable forest called "place of the curupiras". The encounter was by a newcomer to the community, known to the grandfather of the informant hunter "old Enéas Ramos" (p. 76)<!-- So it was decades ago when Enéas heard it, and decades before that when it happened-->.}}<ref name="wagley1953"/><ref name="smith_njh1981"/>

Supposedly the Curupira sings a certain enchanting song that attracts humans, and the lyrics literally mean "I'm walking along my path, behind me come walking, walking".<ref>{{harvp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=6}}: <poem>"{{lang|yrl|Cha uatá, uatá
Ce rapé rupi
Cha uatá, uatá,
Ce rakakuera
Yure uatá, uatá}}"</poem></ref>

===Protection===
To counter against the ''Curupira''{{'}}s effect of losing one's way, the traveler must fashion a cross or a wheel made of ''[[liana]]'' vine ({{langx|pt|cipó}}), and while the spirit is engaged trying to unravel it, the traveler gains opportunity to escape.<ref name="cascudo1952"/> The naturalist [[Henry Walter Bates|Bates]] also records that the [[mameluco]] youth who frequently accompanied him refused to proceed without hanging a charm made of [[Palm leaf|palm-leaf]] formed into a wheel, in order to ward against the curupira.<ref name="bates1864"/>

== Narratives ==
[[Herbert Huntington Smith]] (1879) records a story{{efn|collected from informant Maria dos Reis of [[Santarém Novo|Santarém]].}} where a ''Curupira'' kills a native hunter and brings back the heart to the man's wife and child to eat. The wife realizes the deception at night and flees with the child. She is helped by a frog that spits a gummy substance, which lifts her up to a tree. The ''Curupira'' gets stuck on the frog's sticky goo trying to climb, and dies.{{sfnp|Smith|1879|pp=562–563}}

Another story was given by [[Charles Frederick Hartt]] tells of a hunter who was asked to hand over his heart, but outwits the ''Curupira''. The man passes off a monkey heart as his own, persuading ''Curupira'' to carve out its own heart, thus committing his own murder. Hartt compared it to the Norwegian folktale "[[About Ash Lad, Who Stole the Troll's Silver Ducks, Coverlet, and Golden Harp|About Askeladden who Stole from the Troll]]" ("Boots and the Troll"). The hunter later goes to collect the green teeth of the ''Curupira'', and discovers it has revived, giving him a magic bow, but sworn to secrecy. The inquisitive of his wife loosens his tongue and the hunter dies.<ref>{{harvp|Hartt|1873|p=3}} apud {{harvp|Smith|1879|pp=564–565}} in English tr.</ref><ref name="mascarenhas1898"/> In a variant version, the hunter breaks the taboo against using the magic bow to hunt birds, and is pecked to death by a flock. The hunter is mended by the ''Curupira'' using [[wax]] to replace his flesh, but the warning not to eat hot foods thereafter goes unheeded by the hunter, who melts away due to the heat intake.<ref name="alexander1920"/>{{Refn|This tale type is catalogued under #442. "The Hunter and the Curupira" ed. Juan Carlos Galeano, ''Folktales of the Amazon'', a version localized in the [[Içá River]]. This is a resource of English-translated tales. Variants given.<ref name="elswit2015"/>}}

== History ==
The oldest mention of his name is by the Jesuit [[Joseph of Anchieta|José de Anchieta]], in São Vicente, on 30 May 1560:{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=3}}
{{Blockquote |
"It's a well-known thing and it's rumored by everyone that there are certain demons, which the Brazilians call '''''corupira''''', that often attack Indians in the bush, wound them with the whip, tormenting and killing them. Our Brothers are witnesses of this, having seen [the dead] killed by them. Therefore, the Indians [in order to appease the demons] traverse the path through the ''[[sertão]]'' hinterlands, full of rough woodland and steep hills, to reach the highest mountain, leaving  bird feathers, fans, arrows and such things [as a kind of oblation], begging [the demons] to do them no harm".<ref>{{cite journal|access-date=30 September 2023|date=Spring 1997|journal=Série Cadernos da Reserva da Biosfera da Mata Atlântica|location=São Paulo|page=32|publisher=Conselho Nacional da Reserva da Biosfera da Mata Atlântica|title=Caderno nº 7, Carta de São Vicente, 1560|url=http://www.rbma.org.br/rbma/pdf/Caderno_07.pdf}}</ref><ref name="chakravarti2017"/>
}}

Other early mentions{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=3}} were made by Jesuit {{illm|Fernão Cardim|pt}} (1584),<ref name="clastres1995"/> and by the Dutchman [[Johannes de Laet]] (director of [[Dutch West India Company]], in 1640)<ref name="clastres1995"/> 

[[Cristóbal Diatristán de Acuña|Acuña]] (1641) is mentioned as an earlier testimony, but he writes on the Mutayu tribe, reputed to have feet facing backwards, known to be a great craftsmen of [[stone axe]]s, whom Acuña said were a subbranch of the [[Tupinambá people|Tupinambá]].<ref>[[Cristóbal Diatristán de Acuña|Acuña, Cristóbal]] (1641) ''Nuevo Descubrimiento'', LXX ''apud'' {{harvp|Smith|1879|pp=565–566}}, note†</ref> However, [[Sérgio Buarque de Holanda]] (''Caminhos e Fronteiras'' 1957) argued the "fabulous Mutayu" and the ''Curupira'' myth to be a product derived from the rainforest people's tactical practice of wearing shoes to throw enemies off their path.<ref name="wegner2000"/>

=== Corruption to picaresque deity ===
Cardim records that ''Curupira'' is the devil the indigenous people revere and fear above all else, but do not craft any idols of them.<ref name="clastres1995"/> De Laet's mentions it,{{sfnp|Smith|1879|p=565}} and together with his collaborator Marcgravius ([[Georg Marcgrave]]) wrote in Latin that the names for the Devil among the populace was "[[Anhangá|Anhanga]], [[Jurupari]], Curupari{{sic}}",{{sfnp|Cascudo|1983|p=85}} of which the Curupira was called a {{lang|la|{{linktext|nuomen |mentis}}}}, perhaps meaning "spirit of thoughts" as glossed by Father {{illm|Simão de Vasconcelos (priest)|pt|Simão de Vasconcelos (padre)|lt=Simão de Vasconcelos}} (1663).<ref name="brinton1896"/>{{efn|{{langx|pt|"espirito dos pensamentos"}}}}{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=3}} But this Latin can also be construed as meaning the deity of “lies” and “deceptions” according to [[Gonçalves Dias]] (1867).<ref name="dias1867"/>{{sfnp|Cascudo|1983|p=85}} [[Luís da Câmara Cascudo|Cascudo]] does not appear to warm to that interpretation, and writes that Father João Daniel (1797) would have disagreed.{{sfnp|Cascudo|1983|p=85}} João Daniel had described a deity that shouted out loud demanding offerings, and the populace got straightforwardly "beaten" for being derelict in their propitiation obligations.{{sfnp|Cascudo|1983|p=85}}

As the "god of thoughts" (or "god of lies" perhaps), ''Curupira'' had been treated as a venerated part of the [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]], but later got corrupted to a sort of "[[imp]] or [[buffoon]]" according to [[Daniel Garrison Brinton]].<ref name="brinton1896"/> Compare mythographer [[Hartley Burr Alexander]] who characterized ''Curupira'' as less Satan and more [[Pan (god)|Pan]]-like.<ref name="alexander1920"/>

[[Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius|Martius]]'s characterization as "mischievous wood-sprite",{{sfnp|Spix|Martius|1831|p=1109}} which were taken to mean a "comical spirit" has been cited by other scholars, but they may have taken exception to this view.{{efn|"esprito comico"}}{{sfnp|Hartt|1885|p=154}}{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=4}} Martius's point that ''Curupira'' as less sinister than the [[Jurupari]]{{sfnp|Spix|Martius|1831|p=1109}} seems lost to them.

Also, there used to be compartmentalization of the different gods' duties where Anhanga protected large game, Caipora/Caapora small game, and the [[boitatá|Mboitatá]] the grasses and shrubbery. But this divide broke down, and Curupira later came to be regarded as the unchallenged ruler over not just the forestry but all the wonders in it, according to the analysis of [[Luís da Câmara Cascudo|Cascudo]].{{sfnp|Cascudo|1983|p=84}}

=== Urbane view ===
{{illm|Eduardo Galvão (anthropologist)|pt|Eduardo Galvão (antropólogo)|lt=Eduardo Galvão}} (1955) informs: "''Currupira'' is a genius of the forest. In the city or in the ''capoeiras'' in its immediate neighborhood there are no currupiras. They live further away, far inside the forest. The people of the city believe in their existence, but they are not a reason for concern because currupiras don't like heavily populated places".{{Refn|[[:pt:Eduardo Galvão (antropólogo)|Galvão, Eduardo Enéas]] (1955) ''{{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNQ-AAAAIAAJ&q=Currupira |2=Santos e visagens: um estudo da vida religiosa de Itá, Amazonas}}'', p. 99 ''apud'' Cascudo (1967).<ref name="cascudo1967"/>}}

== Parallels ==
Mapinguari has been paralleled with the Pokái in the tradition of [[Macushi]]{{efn|given as "Makuchys".}} who inhabit the forests in the mountain chains of [[Roraima|Roraimá]] state, is an identical myth. The Pokái is "a small, long-haired country urchin with a long nose, with feet turned backwards, lame in one leg, and using the heel of his foot to hit the drums".{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=6}} The lore about the  ''Iuoroko'' or ''Iuoroco'' among the Pariqui{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Given as "Parikys" by Barbosa Rodrigues.}} people of [[Jatapu River]] may also be the same myth.{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=6}}<ref name="roth1997"/>

Other counterparts are the Máguare of In Venezuela; the Selvage of Columbia, the [[Inca Empire|Incan]] [[Chullachaki|Chudiachaque]] of Peru, and the Kauá of [[Kokama people|Kokamas]] of Bolivia.{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=6}}

The ''Curupira'' has also been paralleled with [[Rübezahl]] the alpine god of the [[Sudeten Mountains]].{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=5}} 

=== Cognate tales or motifs ===
[[Charles Frederick Hartt]] named three foreign mythical beings comparable to the curupira: Norwegian [[troll]] as aforementioned, the Russian [[leshy]], and the Algonquian "Manabozho/Manobozho" (cog. [[Ojibwa]]: [[Nanabozho]]).{{sfnp|Barbosa Rodrigues|1890|p=3}}{{rp|note 1}} 

In one narrative, Manabozho watches the [[moose]] man magically extract a large piece of meat from his own wife (but heals her afterwards using ''meeta'' or 'magical cure'<ref name="schoolcraft1999"/>); Manabozho then tries to imitate this on his own wife, nearly killing her. This parallels the motif in the narrative (cf. above) where the hunter tricks the curupira into carving out his own heart.{{sfnp|Hartt|1885|p=156}}

A ''[[Russian Fairy Tales]]'' story collected by [[Alexander Afanasyev|Afanasyev]], about the fox that tricks the bear into smashing its own forehead and eating the contents, also exhibits the same motif.<ref>{{cite wikisource|last=Afanasyev |first=Alexander |author-link=Alexander Afanasyev |script-chapter=ru:Лисичка-сестричка и волк 7. |trans-chapter=Little Sister Fox and the Wolf 7. |title=Narodnyye russkiye skazki (Afanas'yev)/Lisichka-sestrichka i volk |script-title=ru:Народные русские сказки (Афанасьев)/Лисичка-сестричка и волк#7[48] |trans-title=Russian Folk Tales (Afanasyev)/Little Fox Sister and the Wolf |chapter-url=https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/Народные_русские_сказки_(Афанасьев)/Лисичка-сестричка_и_волк |date=1984 |orig-date=1855 |quote=Облакомился Мишка и ну тискать себе изо лба кишочки, до тех пор надрывался, пока не околел Mishka ate [the chicken] then and started squeezing the stuff out of his forehead, until it burst and he died.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Afanasyev |first=Alexander |author-link=Alexander Afanasyev |translator-last=Haney |translator-first=Jack V. |translator-link=<!--Jack V. Haney--> |chapter=Little Sister Fox and the Wolf 7. |title=The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas’ev: Volume I |publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi |date=2014 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQQbBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT54 |page=<!--unpaginated-->  |isbn=<!--1626743150, -->9781626743151}}</ref>{{sfnp|Hartt|1885|p=156}} The Russian leshy ("lyeshy") with green hair and green teeth is only superficially similar to the ''Curupira''.{{sfnp|Hartt|1885|p=156}} 

== Modern commemorations ==
[[File:Recina Vicinal Curupira - panoramio.jpg|thumb|A curupira statue in Olímpia, São Paulo<ref>{{cite web|last=Redação |first=|author-link=<!--Redação--> |title=Bairro a Bairro pergunta: o correto é Currupira ou Corrupira? |website=Tribuna de Jundiaí |date=31 May 2021 |url=https://tribunadejundiai.com.br/especiais/bairro-a-bairro/corrupira/bairro-a-bairro-pergunta-o-correto-e-currupira-ou-corrupira/|access-date=8 March 2025}}</ref>]]
The [[State of São Paulo]], as decreed by law of September 11, 1970, signed by governor Roberto Costa de Abreu Sodré, "establishes the ''Curupira'' as the state symbol of the guardian of the forests and the animals that live in them". On [[Arbor Day]], September 21 of that year, a statue monument of Curupira was placed in what was then [[Horto Florestal de São Paulo|Horto Florestal]] (now [[Albert Löfgren State Park]]), in the state capital [[São Paulo]]. The statuette was vandalized and removed to museum, but a new version was commissioned from Thirso Cruz, and the replacement restored to the park. Cruz had originally created the (since stolen) Curupira statue that stood in Fábio Barreto municipal forest, [[Ribeirão Preto]], based on which the original Horto statue got created.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|author-link=<!--no byline--> |title=No Dia de Proteção às Florestas, relembre a saga do Curupira no estado de São Paulo |website=Estado São Paulo |date=2024-07-17 |url=https://www.infraestruturameioambiente.sp.gov.br/ipa/2024/07/no-dia-de-protecao-as-florestas-relembre-a-saga-do-curupira-no-estado-de-sao-paulo/ |access-date=8 March 2025}}</ref>

In the municipality of [[Olímpia]], in that state, for over thirty consecutive years, no official documents are signed during the week in which the Folklore Festival takes place, in the month of August, a period in which the municipal authority is represented by ''Curupira'', which exercises its power by protecting the local population and visitors who come there, birds, forests, etc.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

The Fundaçao Brasileira para Conservação da Natureza (FBCN) has adopted the curupira as its official symbol in 1958.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://revistahcsm.coc.fiocruz.br/artigo-aborda-criacao-da-fundacao-brasileira-para-a-conservacao-da-natureza-em-1958/ |title=Artigo aborda criação da Fundação Brasileira para a Conservação da Natureza, em 1958 |website=História Ciência Saúde Manguinhos |date=June 2024 |access-date=7 March 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Costa Gomes de Souza |first1=Juliana da Costa Gomes de Souza |author1-link=<!--Juliana da Costa Gomes de Souza--> |last2=Andrade Franco|first2=José Luiz de |author2-link=<!--José Luiz de Andrade Franco--> |last3=Drummond |first3=José Augusto |author3-link=<!--José Augusto Drummond--> |title=The creation of the Fundação Brasileira para a Conservação da Natureza |journal=História Ciência Saúde Manguinhos |volume=31 |date=May 2024 |url=https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-59702024000100019en |doi=10.1590/S0104-59702024000100019en |pmc=11100313 }}</ref><ref name="dean1997"/>

== In popular culture ==
A being called the Demon Curupira was featured in several episodes of the 1999–2002 television series ''[[Beastmaster (TV series)|Beastmaster]]''. Played by Australian actress [[Emilie de Ravin]], this Curupira, while still possessing the backwards feet, had the appearance of a young and deceptively sweet-faced blonde girl clad in green. She was a spirit of the forest and very capricious; she protected the animals, particularly tigers, and with a kiss she could drain humans of their lives, reducing their bodies to mere husks. She was an uneasy ally of the title character, Dar.

In the 2020 animated film [[The Red Scroll]], the character Idril is inspired by ''Curupira'', although she does not have backwards feet, she clearly demonstrates the ability to leave inverted footprints on the ground in one of the scenes.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 September 2021 |title=O Pergaminho Vermelho |url=https://rodrigosantosescritor.com.br/site/o-pergaminho-vermelho-16-referencias-que-voce-nao-viu-na-primeira-animacao-brasileira-da-disney-plus/ |website=Rodrigo Santos Escritor}}<!-- auto-translated from Portuguese by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

The 2021 Netflix series ''[[Invisible City (TV series)|Invisible City]]'' features numerous characters of Brazilian lore, including Curupira. Curupira, played by [[Fabio Lago]], is portrayed as a homeless person who is actually an entity that guards and protects Brazilian forests, perceived by his backward feet, flaming head, and illusion-like high whistles that combine nature and human voices.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Silveira |first=Luísa |date=28 March 2023 |title=Boiuna, Cuca, Curupira: conheça todas as lendas de Cidade Invisível |url=https://www.techtudo.com.br/listas/2023/03/boiuna-cuca-curupira-conheca-todas-as-lendas-de-cidade-invisivel-streaming.ghtml |access-date=29 September 2024 |work=[[TechTudo]] |language=Portuguese}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{annotated link|Caipora}}
* {{annotated link|Cipitio}}
* {{annotated link|Headless Mule}}
* {{annotated link|Leshy}}
* {{annotated link|Mapinguari}}
* {{illm|Matinta-Pereira|pt}} - Werewolf, often she-wolf of the Amazon <!--cf. Wagley-->
* {{annotated link|Mohan (legendary)}}
* {{annotated link|Tapire-iauara}}, also ascribed ''catinga'' or dizzying stench<ref name="smith_njh1981"/>
* {{annotated link|Uaica}} Note {{illm|Uaicás|pt|Uaicás|lt=}} is a real existing tribe.
{{div col end}}

==Explanatory notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="alexander1920">{{cite book|last=Alexander |first=Hartley Burr |author-link=Hartley Burr Alexander |title=Latin-American [mythology] |edition=2 |location=London  |publisher=arshall Jones Company |year=1920 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-QbAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA300 |pages=300– 301|series=Mythology of all races 11}}</ref>

<ref name="bates1864">{{cite book|last=Bates |first=Henry Walter |author-link=Henry Walter Bates |title=The Naturalist on the River Amazons: A Record of Adventures, Habits of Animals, Sketches of Brazilian and Indian Life |edition=2 |location=London |publisher=John Murray |year=1864 |orig-year=1863 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=taYwVwodeusC&pg=PA40 |pages=40–43}} (engraving on pp. 41–42). Latter part is quoted in {{harvp|Smith|1879|pp=561–562}} under note *.</ref>

<ref name="blache1977">{{cite book|last=Blache |first=Martha |author-link=<!--Martha Blache--> |title=Structural Analysis of Guarani: Memorates and Anecdotes |location= |publisher=Indiana University |year=1977 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEEeAQAAMAAJ&q=kuru |page=94}}</ref>

<ref name="brinton1896">{{cite book|last=Brinton |first=Daniel Garrison |author-link=Daniel Garrison Brinton |title=The Myths of the New World: A Treatise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Red Race of America |edition=3 |location= |publisher=Indiana University |year=1896 |orig-year=1868 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eIw3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA194 |page=194}}</ref>

<ref name="cascudo1952">{{cite book |last=Cascudo |first=Luís da Câmara |author-link=Luís da Câmara Cascudo |others=Sob a direcão de Álvaro Lins |title=História da literatura brasileira: Literatura oral |location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=José Olympio |year=1952 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eDbu7ptMkdwC&dq=Curupira |page=111 |language=pt}}</ref>
<ref name="cascudo1967">{{Cite book |last=Cascudo |first=Luís da Câmara |author-link=Luís da Câmara Cascudo |title=Folclore Do Brasil: Pesquisas E Notas |location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=Editôra Fundo de Cultura |year=1967 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HDUKAQAAIAAJ&q=currpira |page=143 |language=pt }}</ref>
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<ref name="chakravarti2017">{{cite book|last=Chakravarti |first=Ananya |author-link=<!--Ananya Chakravarti--> |chapter=Chapter 2. Invisible Cities: Natural and Social Space in Colonial Brazil |editor-last=Morzé |editor-first=Leonard von |editor-link=<!--Leonard von Morzé--> |title=Cities and the Circulation of Culture in the Atlantic World: From the Early Modern to Modernism |location= |publisher=Springer |year=2017 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nnIqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 |pages=24–25<!--12–36-->|isbn=<!--1137526068, -->9781137526069}}</ref>

<ref name="clastres1995">{{cite book |last=Clastres |first=Hélène |author-link=<!--Hélène Clastres--> |title=The Land-without-Evil: Tupí-Guaraní Prophetism |location= |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DaonOlyvP98C&pg=PA10 |page=10 |isbn=<!--0252063511, -->9780252063510}}</ref>

<ref name="dean1997">{{cite book|last=Dean |first=Warren |author-link=Warren Dean (historian) |chapter=Chapter 2. Humans Invade: The First Wave |title=With Broadax and Firebrand: The Destruction of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest |location= |publisher=University of California Press |year=1997|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S68wDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |page=37 and [https://books.google.com/books?id=S68wDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA372 note 33]|isbn=<!--0520208862, -->9780520208865}}</ref>

<ref name="dias1867">{{cite journal|last=Dias|first=Gonçalves |author-link=Gonçalves Dias |title=Brasil e Oceania: Memoria apresentada ao Instituto..  |journal=Revista trimensal do Instituto Histórico, Geográphico e Ethnographico do Brazil |volume=30 |issue=Parte secunda |date=1867 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_I6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA103 |page=103}}</ref>

<ref name="elswit2015">{{cite book|last=Elswit |first=Sharon Barcan |author-link=<!--Sharon Barcan Elswit--> |chapter=442. "The Hunter and the Curupira" |title=The Latin American Story Finder: A Guide to 470 Tales from Mexico, Central America and South America, Listing Subjects and Sources |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland |year=2015 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUunCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA272 |page=272 |isbn=<!--0786478950, -->9780786478958}}</ref>

<ref name="gonzalez1984">{{cite journal|last=González |first=Gustavo |author-link=<!--Gustavo González--> |title=Mitos, leyendas y supersticiones guaraníes del Paraguay |journal=Revista de la Sociedad Científica del Paraguay |volume=19|date=1915 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=29q4AAAAIAAJ&q=kuruf |pages=87, 92}}</ref>

<ref name="mascarenhas1898">{{cite book|last=Mascarenhas |first=Aníbal <!--aka Viriato Padilha--> |author-link=:pt:Aníbal Mascarenhas |title=Curso de historia do Brasil |volume=1 |location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=Livraria do Povo |date=1898|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZNQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA140 |pages=140–141}}</ref>

<ref name="medaets2020">{{cite book|last=Medaets |first=Chantal |author-link=<!--Chantal Medaets--> |title=“Tu garante?”: aprendizagem às margens do Tapajós |location=|publisher=Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul |year=2020 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JBosEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA178 |page=178|isbn=<!--655725040X, -->9786557250402 |lang=pt}}</ref>

<ref name="oren2001">{{cite journal|last=Oren |first=David C. |author-link=<!--David C. Oren--> |title=Does the Endangered Xenarthran Fauna of Amazonia Include Remnant Ground Sloths? |journal=Edentata: A Newsletter of the IUCN Edentate Specialist Group |number=4 |date=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pelGAAAAYAAJ&qCurupira |page=3<!--2–5-->|postscript=;}} {{URL|1=https://www.scribd.com/document/421880062/Edentata-4|2=fulltext}} @scribd</ref>

<ref name="roth1997">{{cite book|last=Roth |first=John E. |author-link=<!--John E. Roth--> |chapter=Isolates an Unclassified |title=American Elves: An Encyclopedia of Little People from the Lore of 380 Ethnic Groups of the Western Hemisphere |location= |publisher=McFarland |year=1997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWCBAAAAMAAJ&q=iuorocco |page=79|isbn=<!--0899509444, -->9780899509440}}</ref>

<ref name="roth-Smithsonian1915">{{cite journal|last=Roth |first=Walter E. |author-link=Walter E. Roth |title=An Inquiry into the Animism and Folk-lore of the Guiana Indians|journal=Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution |volume=30 |date=1915 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K6xKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA174 |page=174<!--117–164-->}}</ref>

<ref name="sampaio_t.1902">{{cite journal|last=Sampaio |first=Theodoro |author-link=Teodoro Fernandes Sampaio |title= O Tupi na Geographia Nacional |journal=Revista do Instituto histórico e geográfico de São Paulo |volume=6 |date=1902 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImxOAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA547 |page=547<!--Ch. III 515–549-->}}</ref>

<ref name="sampaio_t.1928-vocab-curupira">Sampaio, Theodoro et al. (1928) ''Revista trimensal do Instituto Geografico e Historico da Bahia'' (54){{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqNoAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA242 |2=Vocabulario geographico brasilico}} s.v. "Curupíra".</ref>

<ref name="schoolcraft1999">{{cite book|last=Schoolcraft |first=Henry Rowe |author-link=Henry Rowe Schoolcraft |title=Algic Researches |location=Mineola, NY |publisher=Dover |year=1999 |orig-year=1839 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHtITiy2nFQC&pg=PA254 |page=254 |isbn=<!--0486401871, -->9780486401874}}</ref>

<ref name="silva_neto2012">{{citation|last=Silva Neto |first=João Augusto da  |author-link=<!--João Augusto da Silva Neto--> |title=A selva idílica: construção visual do lendário amazônico em Manoel Santiago, 1919-1927 |work=Seminário Internacional História e Historiografia |volume=3 |location=Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. |publisher=Universidade Federal do Ceará |date=3 October 2012 |series=Seminário de Pesquisa do Departamento de História X |url=https://repositorio.ufc.br/bitstream/riufc/42843/1/2012_eve_jasilvaneto.pdf |page=<!--unpaginated--> |isbn=978 85 4200 096 2 |lang=pt|postscript=;}} {{URL|1=http://www.repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/42843 |2=repository}}</ref>

<ref name="smith_njh1981">{{cite book|last=Smith |first=Nigel J. H. |author-link=<!--Nigel J. H. Smith--> |title=Man, Fishes, and the Amazon |location= |publisher=Columbia University Press |date=1981 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LV61jUi1glsC&pg=PA111 |page=111 |isbn=<!--0231051565, -->9780231051569}}</ref>

<ref name="wagley1953">{{cite book|last=Wagley |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Wagley |title=Amazon Town: A Study of Man in the Tropics |location=New York |publisher=MacMillan |date=1953 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hdxkAAAAMAAJ&q=curupira |pages=235–236 |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.7708 |archive-date= 2017-11-05}}</ref>

<ref name="wegner2000">{{cite book|last=Wegner |first=Robert |author-link=<!--Robert Wegner (Latin Americanist)--> |title=A conquista do oeste: a fronteira na obra de Sérgio Buarque de Holanda |location=Belo Horizonte, Brazil |publisher=Editora UFMG |date=2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9YMcM4oBrQIC&pg=PA247 |page=247, nota 10 |isbn=<!--8570412428, -->9788570412423 |lang=pt}}</ref>

<ref name="zeitlin2016">{{cite book|last=Zeitlin |first=Steve |author-link=<!--Steve Zeitlin--> |title=The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of Awareness |location= |publisher=Cornell University Press |date=2016 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CYM1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA239 |page=239 |isbn=<!--150170690X, -->9781501706905}}</ref>
}}
=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Barbosa Rodrigues |first=João |author-link=João Barbosa Rodrigues |chapter=O Korupira |title=Poranduba amazonense: ou, Kochiyma-uara porandub, 1886-1887 |volume= |location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=Typ. de G. Leuzinger & Filhos |date=1890 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ik4TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA6 |pages=3–92 |series=Annaes da Bibliotheca Nacional de Rio do Janeiro 14, Fasciculo No. 2}}<!--[[:pt:Bittencourt Sampaio ]] ed.,  https://books.google.com/books?id=tnMn25GWWd0C&pg=RA1-PA6-->

* {{cite book|last=Cascudo |first=Luís da Câmara |author-link=Luís da Câmara Cascudo |title=Geografia dos mitos brasileiros |publisher=Editora Itatiaia |date=1983 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9-EMAAAAYAAJ&q=curupira |page= |language=pt }}
** {{cite book|last=Cascudo |first=Luís da Câmara |author-link=Luís da Câmara Cascudo |chapter=Cabra Cabriola (Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia) |title=Geografia dos mitos brasileiros |publisher=Editora Itatiaia |date=2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3kSAQAAIAAJ&q=caipora |pages=|language=pt |postscript=;}} {{URL|1=https://dokumen.pub/geografia-dos-mitos-brasileiros.html |2=e-text}}

* {{cite book|last=Couto de Magalhães |first=José Vieira |author-link=José Vieira Couto de Magalhães |title=O selvagem |volume=II: Origens, costumes e Região Selvagem |location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=Typogr. da reforma |date=1876 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kKdcYx2Gpa4C&pg=RA1-PP1}}

* {{cite journal|last=Hartt |first=Charles Frederick |author-link=Charles Frederick Hartt |title=O Mito do Curupira |journal=Aurora Brasileira |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=October 1873 |url=<!--n/a--> |pages=<!--77–96--> |location=Ithaca |publisher=Cornell University |postscript=;}} "O Mito do Curupira: Conclusão" '''1''' (2) November

* {{citation|last=Hartt |first=Carlos Frederico |author-mask=[[Charles Frederick Hartt|Hartt, Charles Frederick]] (Carlos Frederico) |title=Contribuições para a ethnologia do valle do amazonas |work=Archivos do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro 6 |location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=Cysneiros & Cia |date=1885 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ht4WAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA153 |pages=153–}}

* {{cite book|last=Smith |first=Herbert Huntington |author-link=Herbert Huntington Smith |chapter=Curupira |title=Brazil, the Amazons and the Coast |location=New York |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1879 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dBNfjY3WK4oC&pg=PA570 |page=570}}

* {{cite book|last1=Spix |first1=Johann Baptist von |author1-link=Johann Baptist von Spix |last2=Martius |first2=Carl Friedrich Philipp von  |author2-link=Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius |title=Reise in Brasilien auf Befehl Maximilian Joseph I, König von Bayern in den Jahren 1817 bis 1820 |volume=3 |location=München |publisher=Friedrich Fleischer |year=1831 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R9htwR6pJMoC&pg=PA1109 |pages=}}

{{refend}}
{{fairies}}

[[Category:Brazilian legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Tupí legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Brazilian folklore]]
[[Category:Supernatural legends]]
[[Category:Forest spirits]]
[[Category:Tree deities]]