If we consider a sort of "top 3" of the most famous legends of our folklore, the "cuca" would probably be in it. Feared by children - and even adults - the "cuca" has made many people lose sleep in this country... But how did this legend come about and what are the exact details about it?

To answer these and other questions about this very important creature of our folklore, we have prepared this article, which will clarify all details about this one of the scariest creatures of our culture and folklore.

Origin of the cuca

Whoever believes that the cuca is an original Brazilian legend is very wrong! In fact, it was imported from Europe, more specifically from countries like Spain and Portugal. In Spain, it was known as coca; in Portugal, as coco.

In some regions of Spain, the Spanish version of the "cuca" would take to the streets on the Christian holiday of Corpus Christi to commit all kinds of evil. In almost all regions of these countries, it is identified as a bogeyman, a creature that devours people.

guilherme jofili / Flickr

The most common legend in Portugal is very similar to the one that became popular in Brazil, where the cuca was described as a hideous being with features similar to those of a dragon.

Here in Brazil, the cuca arrived as a legacy of Portuguese colonization and became especially well known because of the lullabies in which it appears, as in: "Nana, neném / Que a cuca vem pegar / Papai vou pra pra roça / Mamãe foi trabalhar", sung to get the child to sleep quickly.

Legend of the cuca

In short, the cuca, according to the most common Brazilian legend, is a creature that goes around kidnapping and, in some versions, devouring disobedient children. It prefers children who do not obey their parents and do not sleep when they need to sleep, or who scream too much and are disobedient.

The most traditional legends describe the cuca with an appearance quite similar to the pattern of what we know as a witch: quite old, thin and hunchbacked, with wrinkled skin and white hair. In some places, instead of a mystical creature, she is considered simply a witch or sorceress.

"But what about that alligator face she has?" You may be asking yourself this question. that the person responsible for creating this alternative version of the "cuca" was none other than writer Monteiro Lobato, in his book series "Sítio do Picapau Amarelo". In his books, he describes the "cuca" in a slightly different way.

In Lobato's work, she is described as a huge alligator (probably inspired by the Portuguese and Spanish versions, where she is a dragon) with blond hair, huge claws and very, very mean. She likes, in Lobato's work, to cook children in her cauldron.

Cuca in Brazil

The main variation regarding the cuca, in most Brazilian legends, is its appearance, where it lives and how it appears. It is important to remember that the cuca "alligator version" is very modern and does not appear here as part of the "original" legend.

In the North and Northeast regions, it is common for the cuca to be described as living in a remote cabin in the middle of a forest, to where it takes the children it abducts in order to devour them.

In another version, more common in southern Brazil, the cuca is actually a kind of ghost that can appear and disappear suddenly, so it's like a creature with more or less magical powers.

Reproduction / TV Globo

There is yet another version, which is popular in different parts of our country, that shows a much more cruel "cuca". In this version, she doesn't only kidnap naughty children or children who don't obey their parents, but any child that is of interest to her, so everyone is a target for her.

Curiosities about the cuca

1 - In the Minho region in Portugal, people often draw a grim face on a pumpkin by placing the decorated vegetable with a candle in front of their house or in a town square, with the goal of keeping the Portuguese version of the cuca away.

2 - Because of medieval European legends, instead of having an alligator shape, as ours has, it is common, among Europeans, that the "cuca" is described as as having dragon-like features.

3 - In Monteiro Lobato's version of the ass, this creature is not bad just for being. In fact, her bad mood comes from the fact that she sleeps only one night every seven years, so most of the time she is stressed and worn out.

Cuca in movies, series and books

As it is, probably next to saci-pererê, the most famous figure in our folklore, the "cuca" has obviously shown its mischief and sinister appearance in books, series and movies that show our culture. Check out some of them that turned the "cuca" into a fictional character:

"Sítio do Picapau Amarelo" (2001): played by Jacira Santos, the cuca is one of the great villains of the hit TV series of the early 2000's. Following recipes in her cauldron that included ingredients such as bat's whine and bedbug sweat, she gave many children nightmares.

"Invisible City" (2021): In this Netflix series, an investigator discovers a pink river dolphin in the middle of downtown Rio de Janeiro, then begins to investigate the case and discovers mystical creatures of our folklore, including the cuca, played by the muse Alessandra Negrini.

"Brazilian Folklore - Cuca" (2020): this very short book by Pé da Letra Editora and written by André Cirino, presents a very scary version of the "cuca", but adapted for small children, which can be an interesting introduction to the character and to the legends of our folklore in general.

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Anyway, these are the main characteristics and facts about the history and origin of this creature from Brazilian folklore called cuca. If you want to know more about it, consume the books we have indicated. And be careful: if you are not obedient, whatever your age, the cuca may be watching you!