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Uaiuara is a kind of demon or goblin, present in the indigenous folklore of the Brazilian North region.

Legend[]

Considered to be an evil creature, Uaiuara usually appears suddenly around midnight in the form of a robust dog with protruding ears, but its real form is of a cadaverous goblin. It causes fear and chills in people, and tends to cause turmoil and rush among them.

Uaiuara is traditionally a marauder, stealing what it needs or blackmailing villages, promising future attacks if it doesn't get what it wants, as it is not in the habit of producing items on its own. It usually lives hidden in the forests, attacking small villages nearby or unsuspecting travelers in the dead of night, looking for food and items it needs. It is not used to wearing clothes or conducting trade, and it sees no value in money or jewelry, but it does know the value of weapons and manufactured objects, which it usually steals from its victims.

The anthropologist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius registered Uaiuara in his work, the 1817's "Reise in Brasilien", where he compares it to the European werewolves.

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