Browse the Legends content available in Guia de Paraty.
8 records in Legends
A young woman from Parati died on the eve of her wedding, without explanation. She was buried in her wedding dress. The following morning, her fiancé saw her at the door of the house. She said: "I came to drink water, as I died of thirst." And disappeared into thin air. The next morning, when they opened the coffin, they found the body turned face down — exactly as the groom described.
In Toca do Cassununga, on Praia do Jabaquara, there lived a man who spent his life doing harm to everyone around him. When he died, neither God nor the Devil wanted him. His body did not rot — it remained "dry", wandering among the living without destiny or peace. Fishermen avoided the den at night, fearing they would find the Dry Body wandering the dark beach.
On Araújo Island there is a very high "Pau D'Alho". Around it, forming a perfect circle, are groupings of stones — including the "Mirror Stone". Whoever crosses the circle at midnight on a full moon night can see the Headless Mule: she is eternally imprisoned in the circle of stones, condemned to never escape.
Spanish pirates looted Lima Cathedral in Peru, taking a fabulous treasure. When they were attacked in the Atlantic by English pirates, the treasure was hidden in the rocks of Treasure Island, in Trindade (Paraty). In 1850, a one-eyed pirate on his deathbed in Bombay handed a map to an English captain. Several expeditions in the 19th century. XX tried to find the treasure — none were successful.
A boy called Roque José da Silva was shipwrecked off Paraty as a child. He was saved clinging to a chest full of gold and precious stones. He arrived at the beach, hid the treasure in a cave in Serra da Bocaina and disappeared forever. Legend says that whoever finds the cave will find the ark intact and untouched.
Fishermen who go out fishing at night on Araújo Island report hearing, coming from the sea, conversations in a language that no one recognizes. Suddenly a huge canoe appears with 30 people paddling in unison, singing and talking. As they approach, the canoe and paddlers disappear without leaving a trace or disturbance in the waters.
In the forests of Serra da Bocaina and around the old mining trails, the elderly say that a luminous figure of a woman appears in the early morning. She is the Mother of Gold — guardian of treasures that should not be found. Whoever finds her wakes up at dawn with no memory of what happened. The treasures remain untouched.
At parties in the fishing villages of Paraty, an unknown old man sometimes appears — always smiling, playing ciranda like no one else around. Liven up the dance until dawn. Before the sun rises, it disappears without anyone noticing. They say it's a spirit that fell so much in love with the ciranda that it didn't want to leave the party forever.
