The Curupira (Portuguese pronunciation: [kuɾuˈpiɾɐ]) is a mythological creature present in the Tupi-Guarani myths in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil.

The name comes from the Tupi language kuru'pir, meaning "covered in blisters". According to the cultural legends, this creature has bright red/orange hair, though his hair can also ignite and turn into fire, and resembles a man or a dwarf, but its feet are turned backwards.

The demon Curupira lives in the forest and uses its backward feet to create footprints that lead to its starting point, thus making hunters and travelers confused. Besides that, it can also create illusions and produce a sound that is like a high pitched whistle, in order to scare and drive its victim to madness. It is common to portray a Curupira riding a collared peccary, much like another Brazilian creature called Caipora.

Curupira will prey on poachers and hunters that take more than they need of the forest, and he also attacks people who hunt animals that were taking care of their offspring. There are many different versions of the legend, and so the creature's appearance and habits may vary from each region in Brazil. However, Curupira is considered a nationwide folkloric figure.^[1]

It was the first figure in the history of folklore to be documented in Brazil.^[2]

History

In one of the most popular fantastic creatures in the Brazilian forests, the Curupira is a short figure with red hair, feet backwards, heels forward. The oldest mention of his name is by José de Anchieta, in São Vicente, on 30 May 1560:

"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, whip them, hurt them and kill them. Our people are witnesses of this. Brothers, who sometimes saw those killed by them. Therefore, the Indians usually leave on a certain path, which leads through rough forests to the interior of the lands, on the top of the highest mountain, when they pass by, bird feathers, fans , arrows and other similar things as a kind of oblation, fervently begging the curupiras not to harm them."^[3]

The Demon of the forest, explainer of mysterious rumors, of the disappearance of hunters, of forgotten paths, of sudden, inexplicable terrors, Curupira slowly received attributes and physical forms that belonged to other threatening entities lost in classical antiquity. Always with his feet facing backwards and with prodigious physical strength, he deceives hunters and travelers, making them lose their way, leading them astray inside the forest, with whistles and false signals.

From Maranhão south to Espírito Santo, its constant nickname is Caipora. Eduardo Galvão informs: "Curupira 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 to concern because currupiras don't like heavily populated places."

"They are immensely fond of tobacco and pinga. Rubber tappers and farmers leave these gifts on the trails they cross, in order to please them or at least distract them. In the forest, the long and shrill cries of the Currupiras are often heard by the caboclo. They also imitate the human voice, in a call cry, to attract victims. The innocent person who hears the screams and does not realize that it is a Currupira and approaches it loses all sense of direction."

The state of São Paulo, by the law of September 11, 1970, signed by the 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." 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. In the Horto Florestal in the capital of São Paulo there is a monument to Curupira, inaugurated on Arbor Day, September 21.

In popular culture

A being called the Demon Curupira was featured in several episodes of the 1999–2002 television 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.^[4]

The Netflix series of 2021 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.