Saci (Brazilian folklore)

Saci (pronounced [saˈsi] or [sɐˈsi]) is a character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black man, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes (usually in the middle of a dirt devil). Considered an annoying prankster in most parts of Brazil, and a potentially dangerous and malicious creature in others, he nevertheless grants wishes to anyone who manages to trap him or steal his magic cap. However, his cap is often depicted as having a bad smell. Most people who claimed to have stolen this cap say they can never wash the smell away. In addition to having only one leg, Saci has a hole in both palms of his hands. A favorite pastime of Saci is passing a lit match through these holes.^[1] The legend says that a person can trap a Saci inside a bottle when he is in the form of a dust devil.

There are several variants of the myth, including:^[2] Saci-pererê (pronounced [sɐˈsi peɾeˈɾe]), black as coal; Saci-trique (pronounced [sɐˈsi ˈtɾiki]), bi-racial and more benign; Saci-saçurá (pronounced [sɐˈsi sɐsuˈɾa]), with red eyes.