Legend of the Boto
Legend of the Boto is a traditional indigenous-origin folktale from Northern Brazil about a mythological river entity, often told to explain the pregnancy of an unmarried woman.
The legend
The botos (Amazon river dolphins) are carnivorous cetaceans that live in the rivers of the Amazon Basin. According to the legend, during the June festivals the pink river dolphin appears at the celebration transformed into a handsome young man, elegantly dressed in white and always wearing a hat to hide the prominent blowhole that remains on his head even in human form. In this disguise, he seduces young single women.[1]
This mysterious man charms unaccompanied women, leading them to the depths of the river and, in some versions, impregnating them. For this reason, when an unknown man arrives at a party wearing a hat, people often ask him to remove it—just to make sure he isn't a boto. From this tradition comes the common expression that a child of an unknown father is a "child of the boto."
In media
The legend was adapted for cinema in the film Ele, o Boto (1987), starring Carlos Alberto Riccelli.
In the telenovela A Força do Querer, the protagonist Ritinha (Isis Valverde) was said by her mother Edinalva (Zezé Polessa) to be the daughter of the Boto (João Sabiá).[2]
In 2021, Victor Sparapane portrayed the pink river dolphin in the first season of the series Invisible City.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ "Lenda do Boto". Só História (in português). Retrieved 2023-09-13.
- ↑ "Edinalva revela quem é o pai de Rita em 'A Força do Querer'". Gshow. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ↑ "Cidade Invisível: Victor Sparapane espera fazer o boto na 2ª temporada". A Gazeta (in português). 25 February 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
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Category:Brazilian legends
Category:Fantastic creatures
Category:Water deities
Category:Tupi–Guarani mythology
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