Besta-fera

Besta-fera, also spelled bestafera, is a mythical being from Portuguese and Brazilian folklore. It is a man-eating creature of undefined features that has a terrifying roar. In a figurative sense it is used to refer to a cruel and heartless person. Besta-fera is also said to be a Brazilian version of the centaur, and is often used figuratively to refer to someone who is extremely angry. The myth of this fantastic animal was taken to Brazil by the Portuguese colonists.

Legend
According to legend, he is believed to be the Devil himself, who comes out of Hell on full moon nights to put the "mark of the beast" on people, who, legend says, are marked to go to Hell. It claimed several victims, mainly in forests or woods that were not frequented.

Besta-fera has the body of a horse and the back of a human. It runs through the forested areas until it finds a red flower, covered in blood, into which it disappears. The sound of its hooves is enough to terrify people. Besta-fera whips the animals he encounters along the way. According to legend, although terrible, this man-horse is not that dangerous to people. Tradition says that when a person sees his face, he goes mad for several days, but recovers afterwards. Little is known about this legend. Some people confuse it with the Werewolf legend.