Saci (Brazilian Folklore)

Saci (Brazilian Folklore)

Saci ( ) is a character commonly regarded to be the best known character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black or mulatto youngster with holes in the palms of his hands, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes (usually in the middle of a dust devil). Considered an annoying prankster in most parts of Brazil, and a potentially dangerous and malicious creature in others, he will nevertheless grant wishes to anyone who manages to trap him or steal his magic cap. However his cap is often depicted as having a bad smell, most people who claimed to have stolen this cap often say they can never wash the smell away.

There are several variants of the myth, including: Saci-pererê, black as coal (the best known); Saci-trique, mulatto and more benign; Saci-saçurá, with red eyes.

Saci-pererê is also the name of a Brazilian cocktail consisting of 1/4 cup of cachaça and 3 tablespoons of honey, which is a home remedy said to be useful in treating the common cold.