Boitatá

Boitatá (var. baitatá, batatá Thus the term Boitatá, like "João Galafoice" could be a synonym for (will-o'-the-wisp). However, it could also refer to a mythical fire-serpent, the defender of fields, Alternatively, it is a mythical bull that shoots fire out of its nostrils. The term Boitatá is also used as , i.e., the Portuguese and Brazilian bogeyman to frighten children into obedience. ==16th century attestation==

In a letter dated 31 May 1560, Father José de Anchieta described the apparition as the (meaning "thing of fire" or "that which is entirely of fire"), dwelling at most times near sea and rivers, encountered especially on beaches. What appears to be a glimmering beam of light coursing towards its victim will attack the Indians, burning and killing them. Such fatality is likened to the handiwork of the curupira. Biologist Hitoshi Nomura comments that: "As that living fire moved while leaving a luminous trail, a sparkling beam came running towards, which the Jesuit noted inspired the image of the serpent's undulating motion". ==General Description==

The fire snake Boitatá (Mboitatá), according to Magalhães (1876), is one of the being subjected under the moon goddess , the protectoress of all plants. Mboitátá is the spirit (genio) who guards the fields () against those who sets them on fire (cf. controlled burn, slash-and-burn). The fire-snake sometimes transforms into a fiery log (called ) and burns the arsonist to death. The fire snake Boitatá is similar to the Cobra-Grande, both being terrifying serpents dwelling in or near water. In the Rio Grande do Sul, boitatá is regarded as the protectoress of the fields and forests, with many version introducing her as female (where is the feminine definite article). Lopes Neto in (first published 1913) Santa Catarina bull creature The boitáta of Santa Catarina, described by journalist and writer , inferred to be in the form of a bull, is "as large as a bull, with paws like those of giants and with an enormous eye right in the middle of his forehead, shining like a firebrand. No one knows its lair, or what it feeds on. In truth, it fares out to sea like a seahorse, or sometimes flies over trees like some fantastic infernal bird". As pointed out by Amadeu Amaral (d. 1929, published 1948), the Tupi stem for "snake" was easily confused with Portuguese for "ox", hence the shift in the lore from the indigenous original. The artwork of local folklorist Franklin Cascaes has created some 30 pieces of iconography on the boitáta theme, with examples featuring a horned bovine head, body of a bull or cow, as well as wings and bipedalism (standing erect on two legs). == Modern retellings ==

In Manuel Filho's children's story Quem Tem Medo do Boitatá? ("Who's Afraid of the Boitatá?", 2007) the protagonist's grandfather Sandrinho is blinded by the Boitatá itself. José Santos's O casamento do Boitatá com a Mula-sem-cabeça ("The Wedding of the Boitatá with the Headless Mule", 2007) combines several beings from Brazilian folklore, like the Headless Mule (Mula sem cabeça). 's A lenda do Batatão ("The Legend of Batatão", 2012) written in strophes, features a "Batatão" which preserves the fiery characteristic of the boitatá, but is similar to the tormented soul. In Alexandra Pericão's anthology Uaná and other legends (2011), the snake, also an eye-eater, is described in very contemporary fashion, with amusing quotes, such as "no one... has managed to put a photo of it on the internet. Despite its gigantic size, the snake is so discreet that only those it captures can see it". == See also ==