Boitatá

Boi-tatá (Portuguese pronunciation: [bojtaˈta]) also called Mbói tatá Boitatá, Baitatá, Batatá, Bitatá, Batatão, Biatatá, M'boiguaçu, and Mbaê-Tata,is the Brazilian equivalent of the will-o'-the-wisp.

The Mbói tatá is a fantastic creature belonging to the Guaraní mythology, it is a myth from Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, this creature is a huge fire serpent that appears and attacks against those who harm the forests and animals of the Amazon.

Etymology
Its name comes from the union of two Guaraní words mbói (snake) and tatá (fire), the result being Mbói tatá in the original language (Guaraní) which means "Serpent of Fire".

Myth
Since colonial times, different legends have been recorded about this creature, some explaining its origin or others narrating its appearances. The most interesting and well-known is that of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil, which narrates the origin of the boitatá in this way:

He says that at one time the jungle was accompanied by darkness and floods that never ended, then the animals went to stay in the highlands. The boiguaçu, a snake that lived in a dark cave, was the only animal capable of seeing in the dark, so he takes advantage of the situation and decides to eat the part he loved the most, the eyes. After having eaten so many eyes, their light makes the snake's eyes become bright like two suns, its elongated body begins to burn in flames, at that moment the power escapes leaving the boiguaçu weak and it dies.

Now this snake appears like a beam of fire flying over the sky of the jungle, it is said that whoever meets the boitata, could go blind, die or even go crazy. In order for this not to happen to those who come across the boitatá, they affirm that it is best to stay still, without breathing and with your eyes tightly closed until you feel that the snake is gone.

The truth is that the boitatá is the protagonist of several narratives in the literature of the Rio Grande do Sul region.