The bestial beast ( pt, besta-fera or bestafera) is a
Brazilian version of a
centaur
A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.
Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...
, originating in Portugal. The name can be translated either as ''bestial beast'' or ''ferocious beast'' and is often employed in a figurative sense to refer to anyone that is exceedingly angry.
According to legend, it is believed that it is the
Devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
who leaves
hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
during
full-moon nights.
It has the body of a
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
and a human
torso
The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human ...
. It runs through villages until it finds a
tomb
A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...
, where it disappears. The sound of its hooves is enough to terrorise people. A pack of dogs follow it; the Beast whips these, and any other animals it comes across.
According to legend, though terrible, it is not dangerous to people. The tradition says that when somebody sees its face, they go
mad for several days, but then recover soon after.
Brazilian legendary creatures
Mythological hybrids
{{legendary-creature-stub