Romaozinho (Portuguese: ''Romãozinho'' omãw'ziɲu is a character from Brazilian folklore who bears the burden of immortality. Because he is cursed with unending life, he is somewhat similar to the character Ahasvero. The legend of Romãozinho started in the Boa Sorte district, Pedro Afonso,

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goi ...

.José A. Teixeira - ''Folclore Goiano'', pp. 361-374, São Paulo, 1941

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In the parable which bears his name, he is the son of a serf, and is disobedient from birth. He takes great pleasure in treating animals cruelly and destroying plants. Sometimes, his mother orders him to carry a meal to his father, who works in a garden, and Romãozinho goes, albeit unwillingly. One afternoon en route to delivery, he eats the chicken his mother has sent, puts its

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

s back in the box, and carries it to his father. Upon opening the box, the perplexed father asks what the bones mean. Romãozinho replies: Mad with rage, the father immediately returns home, whereupon he pulls out a dagger and kills his wife. Before dying, the mother curses the laughing son, saying: Romãozinho laughs at the curse and leaves. From that moment onward, the boy never grows. He breaks roof tiles with stones, frightens people and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

s chickens, and is presumably walking through the streets and causing mischief to this day. However, despite his sadistic and sociopathic personality, Romãozinho isn't pure evil and has been known to occasionally use his mischief for noble and selfless reasons. For example, there is a pregnant woman in labor, but there was no midwife to help, so she begged for help. Romãozinho promptly assists by scaring a local midwife's chicken to the woman, helping the woman to give birth.

References

Brazilian folklore Brazilian mythology Supernatural legends {{Brazil-culture-stub