The Headless Mule (, ) is a

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

ical character in Brazilian folklore.

Origins and occurrence

The term "Headless Mule" was first recorded in the 1940s. Though the myth is believed to have a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

origin (around the 12th century), and to have been brought to

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in the early colonial era (16th century or later). The tale is most popular in the states of

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Paraná and

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but is well known throughout the country. Similar

myths Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

(the Muladona and the Almamula) occur in the surrounding

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

countries.

Appearance

The Mule's appearance varies greatly from region to region. Its color is most commonly described as brown, sometimes as black. It has silver (or iron) horseshoes that produce a hideous trotting, louder than any horse is capable of producing. Despite being headless, the Mule still neighs (usually very loudly), and sometimes it moans like a crying woman. It also has a bridle tied to its non-existent mouth, and spews fire through its non-existent

nostril A nostril (or naris , : nares ) is either of the two orifices of the nose. They enable the entry and exit of air and other gasses through the nasal cavities. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates ...

s (or, in some versions, from its severed neck).

The curse

According to most reports, the Mule is condemned to gallop over the territory of seven parishes each night (just as the Brazilian version of the

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...

). By some accounts, its trip begins and ends at the parish where the sin was committed. Transformation usually occurs at a crossroads. Depending on the source the headless mule may have a placeholder head and mane, made of the fire it spews, to which a red-hot iron bridle is tied. The curse of the Headless Mule cannot be transmitted (unlike the

vampiric A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

curse), because it is acquired as a result of a sin committed willfully by the accursed woman. The transformation can be reversed temporarily by spilling the mule's blood with the prick of a needle or by tying her to a cross. In the first case, transformation will be prevented while the benefactor is alive and lives in the same parish in which his feat was accomplished. In the second case the woman will remain in human form until the sun dawns, but will transform again the next time. A more stable removal of the curse can be achieved by removing the bridle, in which case the woman will not shape shift again while the benefactor is alive. Tying the bridle back to the woman's mouth will return the curse. Removal of the curse is a great relief for the woman because the curse includes many trials, so the grateful woman will usually repent her sins and marry the benefactor. In any case, when the mule changes back to human form the accursed woman will be completely naked, sweated, and smelling of sulfur. A person who encounters the mule should not cross its path, or the mule will follow the offender and trample him down. Instead, one should either be brave enough to remove the bridle or spill its blood, or else just lay face down on the ground, covering teeth and nails (as well as anything that shines), and the mule will hopefully fail to notice the stranger's presence and trot away (because it has poor vision).

Headless priest

There is also a similar, though much less known, folk tale where the curse fell on the sinning priest. In this story, the priest's headless ghost rides through the night on a normal horse, much like the Headless Horseman in

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

's story '' The Legend of Sleepy Hollow''. Indeed, this variant of the myth may well be just a modern import of that 19th-century tale.

Popular culture

* The Headless Mule appears in '' AdventureQuest Worlds'' as "Mula Sem Cabeça". This version of the mule is depicted as having a fire for a head. It is among the creatures that attack Terra da Festa before the Carnaval Party. * In

Ragnarok Online ''Ragnarok Online'' (, ''Rageunarokeu Onrain'' marketed as ''Ragnarök'', and alternatively subtitled ''The Final Destiny of the Gods'') is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Gravity (Korean company), Gravity based ...

MMORPG, the Headless Mule is a monster in Brasilis Field. It appears as a red, fiery, headless horse. * In the 2nd season of the Netflix series ''Invisible City'', Headless Mule was portrayed as a woman named Clarisse. She had cheated on her husband with the town's priest, which led to her turning into the creature.

References

* CASCUDO, Luís da Câmara. ''Dicionário do Folclore Brasileiro''. 3rd Edition.

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Tecnoprint, 1972.
Rosane Volpato's website

External links

Picture of Headless Mule

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310180959/http://sitio.globo.com/Sitio/0,25203,4316-p-211293,00.html , date=2007-03-10 in the Brazilian TV program '' Sítio do Picapau Amarelo''
The Headless Mule
at everything2.com Shapeshifting Fictional mules Brazilian ghosts South American ghosts Supernatural legends Female legendary creatures Headless Horseman Mythical headless creatures