One of the most traditional legends of Brazilian folklore is that of Cuca, a mythical being who takes the form of an old woman with hideous features and who is motivated solely by evil. The best-known image of this legend was created by Monteiro Lobato, who portrayed Cuca as a bad witch in the shape of an alligator with blonde hair.
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Who is Cuca?
Cuca is a mythical being that is present in Brazilian folklore, being well known for being responsible for kidnap the children naughty. Cuca stalks people’s homes at night and captures children who don’t sleep at the right time and who are restless. This legend was commonly used as a way to frighten children.
In traditional legend, Cuca has the form of a very old woman with a hideous face, hunchback and wrinkled skin.
A Traditional legend treats Cuca as a very old woman, thin and hunchbacked, who has very wrinkled skin and white hair. This description of Cuca meant that she was seen in many parts of the country as a true witch, a sorceress who is known for carrying out evil deeds.
origin of cuca
Although present in Brazilian folklore, Cuca is not necessarily a legend that emerged here. Scholars of the subject point out that Cuca is deriving from the Iberian Peninsula and it was present in the popular culture of both the Portuguese and the Spanish. In that place, the legend of Cuca was known by the names of Whollow It is Wthe CA.
The legend of Coca in the Iberian Peninsula could be manifested in different ways. In Spain, it was seen in the form of a dragon; in the region of Galicia, it was believed that Coke went out on the streets on Corpus Christi day to commit evil deeds. In general, both in Portugal and in Spain, it was believed that Coke could be a bogeymanthat is, could devour human beings.
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Coke was also related to a common practice in a region of Portugal called Minho. In this region, it was common to draw a dark face on a pumpkin and place it in public places in the town/village at nightfall. The pumpkin was decorated with a candle, which highlighted the scary face and was intended to scare children.
In all cases, Coca or Coco was a horrible being, frightening and doing evil deeds. In many cases, this monstrous being lay in wait for children on the roofs of houses, preventing them from sleeping and waiting for an opportunity to capture them. The legend of Cuca/Coca/Coco even generated popular songs that were sung to children, such as:
Go away, Coke, get out of here
up to the roof;
let the boy sleep
your peaceful sleep. |1|
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Cuca in Brazil
The Iberian origin of the legend of Cuca meant that the story reached Brazil, possibly during the period of colonization. This legend is present throughout the national territory and became well known due to the lullabies who mention this being. In general, as said, in our country Cuca was related to an old woman understood as a witch.
One of the best-known lullabies mentioning Cuca is:
Sleep, baby,
Otherwise Cuca will come.
Papa went to the fields.
Mom is coming soon. |1|
The influence of African culture meant that some places began to see Cuca as a black old or black old. The folklorist and anthropologist Luís da Câmara Cascudo points out, for example, that, in the Mbunda language, the term “cuco” or “cuca” is used to refer to a grandfather or grandmother, therefore an old person.|1|. Thus, it is believed that the «old black» was a version of Cuca in African culture.
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Cuca: witch or alligator?
The traditional way in which the legend of Cuca has established itself in Brazilian popular culture is that of a wrinkled old woman with white hair and stooped body. This image ended up being replaced by another one, which was popularized thanks to Monteiro Lobato.
Through Monteiro Lobato, the image of Cuca with the shape of an alligator and blonde hair was popularized in Brazil.
In the books of Pica’s sitePau yellowLobato popularized Cuca as a being that had the shape of a alligator with blond hair. Furthermore, she was described as having huge claws, a horrible face, and being old. Lobato’s story still showed that Cuca only slept one night every seven years, in addition to being a bad figure, just as she became popular in our folklore.
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|1| CAMARA CASCUDO, Luís da. Geography of Brazilian myths. So Paulo: Global, 2012.
By Daniel Neves
History teacher