Home › Glossary › Letter C

Curupira

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Brazilian forest guardian with backward feet that confuse hunters

Detailed Definition
Curupira protects animals by leading hunters astray with his reversed footprints. A beloved figure in Tupi-Guarani lore, he enforces ecological balance. In poetry, Curupira symbolizes indigenous environmental ethics, trickster resistance, and the subversion of colonial logic in Amazonian identity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Curupira, the Brazilian forest guardian with backward feet, leaps through eco-poetry as a trickster protector of wildlife; In verses by indigenous poets, Curupira’s footprints confuse hunters, saving endangered species; Poets use Curupira to symbolize nature’s cunning resistance to exploitation; In children’s poetry, Curupira punishes those who litter or harm trees; Some works depict Curupira as a red-haired spirit whose whistle echoes in deforested areas; Contemporary eco-poets invoke Curupira as a symbol of rewilding and hope.
Additional Notes
Curupira is a red-haired, backward-footed forest guardian from Tupi-Guarani (Brazilian) mythology who protects animals by misleading hunters—embodies ecological justice and trickster energy; widely used in Brazilian poetry and eco-literature as a symbol of resistance to deforestation and colonial exploitation.
Also Known As
Korupira Kurupira Caipora
Skip to main content