▲Among its dense forests, varied animal species, and long winding rivers, the Amazon hides some incredible legends. Some swear by them until their death while others refuse to believe them.

They are about warriors who became fish, dolphins that enchant women, a freshwater mermaid, and even an invisible figure that protects the forest. Would you believe in these stories?

Take a look at the following gallery to discover the most mysterious legends of the Amazon rain forest!

▲Pirarucu was an indigenous warrior, son to Pindarô, the chief of the tribe. Pirarucu was wicked while his father was known to have a good heart. Without his father knowing, Pirarucu captured some of the members of his tribe and planned to kill them for no reason.

▲The Gods decided to teach him a lesson by creating powerful lighting bolts and a terrible storm.

▲Pirarucu tried to escape, but was hit in the heart by a lightening bolt. His body was taken to the depths of the Tocantins River and transformed into a giant fish.

▲The bird with a beautiful song was hit by the arrow of a woman in love, transforming it into a strong and handsome warrior.

▲However, a jealous wizard made the warrior disappear, leaving behind just his song.

▲Uirapuru then became a bird that no one could see, although people say that it is possible to hear his song in the middle of the jungle.

▲Many know the story of a handsome stranger in white clothes, wearing a hat covering part of his face and the hole in his head.

▲It's the pink river dolphin! Many say that the dolphin can transform itself into a man to attend local parties in search of naive girls.

▲After the dolphin seduces these women, he disappears back into the water.

▲This legend involves an enormous snake known as Boiúna. It grows so big that it is forced to leave the forest and live in the depths of the river.

▲It is said that as it slithers across the earth, it leaves ridges along the way that are turned into streams.

▲The legend also says that the snake can transform itself into boats or take other forms.

▲One of the tales about the snake says that one of the indigenous people became pregnant with the snake's children and had twins. One of them was a wicked child who attacked the boats and sunk them.

▲A beautiful native, Naiá, fell in love with Jaci (the moon). The shamans and tribe chiefs say that Jaci would sometimes descend to the Earth and transform a virgin woman into a star to keep him company.

▲Naiá heard the story and wished to become a star.

▲She waited for the moon to appear at night and kept it company until it disappeared at sunrise. She continued doing this until she got sick.

▲One day, Naiá fell exhausted on the banks of a stream. When she awoke, she was startled by the reflection of the moon on the water. She decided to dive into the water to 'touch' the moon and ended up drowning.

▲Jaci saw her sacrifice and decided to transform her into a different type of star, a water lily, a flower of the Amazon that lives in calm waters and opens its petals in the moonlight.

▲Yara is described as a beautiful woman with black hair and brown eyes, who enchants the men bathing in the rivers.

▲These men throw themselves in the river and don't always return alive.

▲They say that Yara is half-fish and half-woman, with a river dolphin or giant snake tail.

▲Curupira is a guardian of the forests and animals. He has hair made of fire and his feet face backwards. They say that he even has the power to turn himself invisible.

▲He protects those who respect nature and use it only for survival and becomes the enemy of those who exploit and destroy it.

▲He gets his revenge by transforming into a hunting animal, like a jaguar, to attract hunters and lead them deep into the forest where they end up getting lost.

▲A couple desperate to have children asked Tupã (a God) to give them a child. Their son grew up to be generous, handsome, and loved by everyone in the tribe.

▲However, Jurupari, the God of darkness, became very jealous of the boy and decided to kill him.

▲He turned himself into a venomous snake and attacked and killed the boy. After that, a huge storm erupted in the skies and the child's mother could not stop crying. She interpreted the storm as a message from Tupã telling her to plant her son's eyes in the ground.

▲From the eyes grew a plant, called a guarana, whose seeds are black surrounded by white arils. They look very similar to human eyes.

▲During a time when food was scarce, the tribe's chief announced that all children born thereafter would be sacrificed.

▲Iaça, the daughter of the chief, gave birth to a boy who was not saved from being sacrificed.

▲Iaça cried for her son every night until she heard the cry of a child coming from a nearby palm tree. She followed the cry until she saw her son with his arms extended to her. She could not contain her joy and went to hug her child, who immediately disappeared. The next day, Iaça was found dead, with her arms wrapped around the palm tree.

▲Her eyes, still open, were looking upwards towards bunches of small and dark fruit hanging from the tree. The tribe's food scarcity problem was solved after they discovered how to turn the fruit into a juice.

▲

Children were no longer sacrificed and in honor of his daughter, the chief named the fruit Açai - her name written backwards.

The eeriest legends from the Amazon rain forest

The unbelievable stories of the great jungle

23/08/24 por StarsInsider

TRAVEL Legends

Among its dense forests, varied animal species, and long winding rivers, the Amazon hides some incredible legends. Some swear by them until their death while others refuse to believe them. What about you? Will you believe them?

Take a look at the following gallery to discover the most mysterious legends of the Amazon rain forest!