Category: English

Este texto é o quinto sobre As Bruxas de Portugal. Veja o primeiro aqui se não te lembras o motivo

No Alentejo, a bruxa mais famosa é a Bruxa de Évora. Hoje em dia, a bruxa está mais conhecida no brasil do que na sua própria terra.

Assim como as outras mulheres descritas nesta série, a passagem de anos anda acrescentando mais camadas à lenda, mas é provável que esta feiticeira, que viveu na época de Dom Afonso Henriques, teve descendência árabe, portanto era também conhecida por “Moura Torta”. Como resultado da antiguidade, a lenda teve tempo o suficiente para crescer e para se enfeitar com novos boatos. Segundo as lendas, ela “fazia os portugueses se arrepiarem” com o seu poder. Falava árabe, português e latim e andou com um mocho no ombro; mandava demónios; voava montada não só numa vassoura mas também em animais como camelos, cães, e carneiros; tinha dois animais de estimação* – um bode e um gato, ambos pretos; era proficiente na magia dos árabes e dos célticos mas ainda por cima sabia ler e fazer matemática, que, no século XII, provavelmente parecia uma forma da magia! E há ainda mais! Em suma, era o Capitão Marvel da bruxaria portuguesa. A poder dela estava quase sem limites!

Convém lembrar que, naquela altura, os invasores árabes tinham sido afastados da terra portuguesa mas permaneceram na vizinhança, na Espanha. Numa época com pouca ciência pouca educação e a ameaça dum exercito ao outro lados das fronteiras, não e admira que havia tanto medo no ar, que acabou por se colar á figura da bruxa de Évora. Por isso, o mais surpreendente é que apesar de tudo a gente buscava a sua ajuda no amor, na vida e para curar doenças.

English Translation

In the Alentejo region, the most famous sorceress is the Witch of Évora although nowadays, she is better known in Brazil than in her own country.

Like the other women described in this series, the passage of years has added more layers to the legend, but it is likely that this sorceress, who lived during the time of King Afonso Henriques, had Arab ancestry, therefore she was also known as “Moura Torta” (Crooked** Moor). As a result of its antiquity, the legend has had enough time to grow and be embellished with new rumours. According to legends, she “made the Portuguese shudder” with her power. She spoke Arabic, Portuguese, and Latin and walked with an owl on her shoulder; she commanded demons; she flew riding not only a broomstick but also animals such as camels, dogs, and sheep; she had two pets – a goat and a cat, both black; she was proficient in Arab and Celtic magic but also knew how to read and do mathematics, which, in the 12th century, probably seemed like a form of magic! And there’s more! In short, she was the Captain Marvel of Portuguese witchcraft. Her power was almost limitless!

It’s worth remembering that, at that time, the Arab invaders had been driven away from Portuguese territory but remained in the vicinity, in Spain. In a time with little science, little education, and the threat of an army on the other side of the borders, it’s no wonder that there was so much fear in the air, which ended up clinging to the figure of the witch of Évora. Therefore, the most surprising thing is that despite everything, people sought her help in love, in life, and to cure illnesses.

*I checked if the word “familiar” was used in the same way as it appears in english, to describe a witch’s guiding animal, but it seems not.

**Interesting point about translation here. Torto means crooked, but when applied to a person in english “crooked” usually means “dishonest” whereas in portuguese the equivalent, torto, can mean drunk, cross-eyed, disloyal, stubborn or rude. I sort of love the idea that the witch was just a drunk lady of arab heritage walking around shouting mad stuff and being believed by everyone, but my guess would be that it’s similar to the way it’s used in “Que Mulher É Essa” by A Garota Não, when she lists all the kinds of women who are excluded from certain high-status roles.

A preta não entra 
A baixa não entra, não 
A velha não entra 
A torta não entra, não 
Quanto talento gasto em vão 

So I think she’s talking about someone with a physical disability or deformity who is looked on as not meeting standards of beauty – but I am not 100% sure. This isn’t a super-original idea. a conventional reading of this would be that women with disabilities would be seen as witches because they were vulnerable and a liability and people wanted to push them out, say, so that they could inherit their house (Marxist interpretation) or because of misogyny (feminist interpretation) or to maintain the invisible power structures within society (postmodern toss interpretation) or because she understood that with very little ability to defend herself physically, cultivating an image of being a powerful ally of the devil is a good way of assuring nobody messes with you in a society where there’s no real rule of law (interpretation I am currently working up into a film script to pitch to Pixar).