The Capelobo is a

therianthropic In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...

creature from

Brazilian mythology Brazilian mythology is a rich and diverse part of Brazilian folklore with cultural elements, comprising folk tales, traditions, characters, and beliefs. The category is representative of Brazil’s greater culture, being a melting pot of Iberic ...

, with an elongated snout of a pig, dog, or a

giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an Insectivore, insectivorous mammal native to Central America, Central and South America. It is the largest of the four living species of anteaters, which are classified with sloths in the or ...

, depending on region, as the legend is locally told in the states of

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

. It is either beast-like, or humanoid like a

Mapinguari Mapinguari or mapinguary are mythical monstrous jungle-dwelling spirits from Brazilian folklore. They are said to protect the Amazon rainforest and its animals. According to folklore, when humans grow too old they can transform into man-eating M ...

, and stumpy-footed as well, though lacking a giant mouth. It is feared as a man-eater, more specifically a blood-sucker and brain-eater. It is known for its screaming. Its only vulnerable spot is at the navel.

Etymology

The name Capelobo is a fusion of Guarani meaning "broken boned", "crooked", "crook-legged", or "lame" and the Portuguese word , meaning wolf.

Legend

The legend is locally told in the states of Pará or Maranhão, but scarcely heard of from the Amazon, and known mostly to the so-called "tame" '' indío'' population, and not known among the mixed-race people.

Description

In the version which is widely popular in the

Xingu River The Xingu River ( ; ; ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water. __TOC__ Description and history The fir ...

basin, Pará, the Capelobo has two forms, an animal form and a humanoid form. In its animal form, it resembles a long, black haired and dog- or pig-snouted with round paws. As for its humanoid form, there is an underlying belief that every ''índio'' of great age will transform into this monster, and the storytellers specifically describe the Capelobo as resembling a

(monster into which very old ''índio'' men were feared to transform into) or a Quibungo (monster which old black men turned into) but without their anomalous gaping mouths that run from nose to stomach. The version in Maranhão (apparently surviving in the forests of the

Pindaré River The Pindaré River is a river in Maranhão state of north-central Brazil. The Pindaré rises in the low hills which separate its basin from that of the Tocantins River to the south. In its lower reaches it is called the Pindaré-Mirim. It is a lef ...

basin if nowhere else), is called Cupelobo (cupélobo), and reputed to have the snout of a giant anteater. There is a difference of opinion about the anteater-headed version, whether it has a shaggy manlike body or a (shaggy) tapir-like body. The anteater-headed, shaggy human bodied one also had round feet like the "bottom of a bottle" which left foot-tracks of such round shape. Thus it has been confounded with the Pé de Garrafa (lit. "bottle-leg"; a mythic round-footed creature which in some accounts is one-legged). The Capelobo is described as a hematophage, i.e., blood-sucker and likened to the werewolf

Lobisomem The lobisomem is a creature in the folklore of South America. In Brazil, it is usually thought to be a werewolf but in some versions is a ball of fire, or an unusually large pig. In human form, it is said to look like a normal person except for s ...

(or considered a sub-variant thereof). It is also known to snatch away newborn

puppies A puppy is a juvenile dog, generally one less than 12-18 months old. Puppies are markedly underdeveloped and dependent on their mothers at birth (displaying '' altriciality''), but healthy puppies grow quickly and begin walking thereaft ...

and

kitten A kitten is a Juvenile (organism), juvenile cat. After being born, kittens display primary altriciality and are fully dependent on their mothers for #Establishing immunity, survival. They normally do not open their eyes for seven to ten days. A ...

s from people's huts or encampments ensconced in the forest, roaming in the dead of night, like a Lobisomen. It reputedly "crushes he victimwith a deadly embrace": "Aperta a vítima num abraço mortal". or otherwise breaks open the

carotid artery Carotid artery may refer to: * Common carotid artery, often "carotids" or "carotid", an artery on each side of the neck which divides into the external carotid artery and internal carotid artery * External carotid artery, an artery on each side of ...

to drink the victim's blood, or inserts its snout or trunk into the embraced victim's head and sucks out the brain, its favorite food. The only way to defeat it is by shooting it in the navel, which is covered in long strands of fur, and the natives hesitate to take arrow shots at it. The Capelobo does a lot of screaming to announce its presence, like the Mapinguari and the Pé de Garrafa, The lore of the cupélobo is also known to the Guajajáras people.

Explanatory notes

References

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Bibliography

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External links

* * * {{refend Brazilian legendary creatures Indigenous South American legendary creatures Fictional sloths and anteaters Mythological mammals