He wears a red cap, is one-legged, black, and likes to paint the seven and terrify everyone around. You don't need any further description to know that we are talking about one of the most remarkable figures of our folklore, the Saci-Pererê, right?

But do you know where, when and how this legend became popular? Do you know the main characteristics and curiosities about Saci? So we prepared this article with all the main details about the legend of Saci Pererê, so check it out!

Origin of Saci-Pererê

In summary, the main scholars of our folklore estimate that the legend of the Saci appeared sometime between the 18th and 19th centuries, because there are simply no accounts of the Saci prior to this time, such as of the Curupira, which have existed since at least 1560.

Many people think that Saci is a legend of the North and Northeast regions, but they are wrong, because Saci originated in the southern region of the country, with the name çaa cy perereg This is a Tupi-Guarani term, a language spoken by the southern Guarani tribes where he was born.

ASCOM Prefeitura de Votuporanga, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons / Canva

For this reason, as it is a more recent legend, which arose after the beginning of contact between the indigenous people and the colonizers, folklorists tend to think that European myths influenced the figure of the Saci, like the Portuguese legend of the trasgo, a small creature that does various evils.

The first reports of the Saci legend tell of a creature that protected the forests, a clear influence of the Curupira legend, for example. As it spread, the Saci legend gained its own contours and characteristics, which will be explored further in the next topic.

Saci-Pererê Legend

In short, Saci-Pererê is a legendary creature that inhabits forests, is very mischievous, and likes to play tricks on people. He is described as a small being, less than five feet tall, without one leg, black, who is always smoking a pipe and wears a red cap on his bald head.

It is important to point out that the legend does not talk about a single Saci, but it describes the Saci as a type of creature, so there are many Sacis out there. According to legend, a Saci lives a maximum of 77 years, and then turns into a mushroom.

THE S aci has a fascination for horses It sucks the horses' blood and also knots and braids their manes.

Another common target of Saci is travelers, especially on the road. Saci usually makes a loud whistling noise to annoy travelers and distract them with the sound. His favorites are travelers on horseback. He usually knocks down the hats worn by travelers, damaging the brakes of the carts, among other mischief.

When it invades people's homes, Saci burns or turns food sour, disappears with objects, blows out candles and lights, among other pranks. It often turns into a whirlpool that scatters leaves and dirt.

And this is the only moment when it is possible to capture a Saci by throwing a sieve over the whirlpool, then you have to remove the cap from his head and trap him in a bottle with a cross drawn on it.

Saci-Pererê in Brazil

As it has spread across the country, the Saci has gained different characteristics and versions with small or large variations. So check some of them out:

sunnyrabbit / Canva

In some places in the interior of the Southeast region, the Saci is described as having very red eyes, which he uses to scare and disturb travelers on empty roads, causing accidents.

Already in some places in the Northern region, instead of a dwarf or a very tiny creature, the Saci is described as a colossal being 3 or more meters tall.

In some places, especially in the Northeast region, Saci is also called "endiabrado" For always being in mischief and making mischief with everyone.

In some cities and regions in the Southeast and Midwest, Instead of turning into a mushroom when he dies, Saci turns into a wood ear, popular name for the fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus, also known as urupê.

Curiosities about Saci-Pererê

Check out some curiosities about the mythological figure of Saci-Pererê:

Saci is known for always smoking a pipe. Showing the mixture that is the creation of this myth, this smoking part is the influence of the African culture, which came to Brazil with the enslaved people from Africa. In addition, the legend tells that Saci would have lost his leg in a capoeira fight, another influence of the black African culture.

The legend of the Saci has spread to other countries near the southern region of the country. In Paraguay, he is known as yacy-yateré. There, he is not bald, he has blond hair, a golden stick that works as a magic wand, he is invisible and wears a straw hat. yacy is used to doing bad things to children, but really bad things, like making them crazy and deaf.

Saci also arrived in Argentina with the name yasi Similar to our pink river dolphin, he lures unmarried girls to get them pregnant, then assumes his creepy yasi form and disappears.

Saci-Pererê in movies, series and books

Being a very popular figure in our folklore, extremely well known by all Brazilians, Saci has obviously appeared in books, movies, series, and other works of national culture. Check some of them out:

Reproduction / Netflix

• "Sítio do Pica-Pau Amarelo" (1918): It was in the book "O Saci" (The Saci), published in 1918, that writer Monteiro Lobato added the Saci-Pererê to the legends he included in the stories of the famous Sítio do Pica-Pau Amarelo, which were also made eternal in a TV series aired by Rede Globo in the early 2000s.

• "Invisible City" (2021): In this Netflix-produced series, a Civil Police investigator discovers a pink river dolphin in a lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, and his investigation brings him into contact with many creatures from our folklore, such as the Saci-Pererê, who is called Isac and has a mechanical leg.

• "The Little Saci" (2014): This digital book, available for free online, presents a friendlier version of the Saci, especially geared towards children and even young people. The interesting thing is that the story shows a young Saci trying to fight against excessive tobacco consumption in his village.

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Anyway, these are the main characteristics of the mythological creature known as Saci-Pererê, certainly familiar to almost all Brazilians. If you want to get even deeper into his legend, consume the content we indicated in the last subtitle!