Teller of Tall Tales

In the Pantanal, the stories accompany the tereré gatherings, the siesta break, and the meetings around the campfire after working with the cattle. The storyteller gathers listeners with stories of everyday life, animals, and hauntings. When access to the media was limited, these gatherings also circulated news. The storyteller entertained the group, commented on events, and influenced the opinion of those who listened.

Storytelling is done with the voice and the body. The hands accompany the speech and help to give shape to the events. That is why it is said that many storytellers "speak with their hands."

Ways of telling stories

In his research, Ricardo Pieretti Câmara divides the Pantanal storytellers into three groups. The "Free" narrate the greatest absurdities naturally, without imposing limits on the imagination. The "Moderate" approach the fantastic, but seek explanations that make the story plausible. The "Reproducers" seek to tell what they consider true. When a supernatural event appears, they attribute the experience to another person, avoiding the reputation of being a liar falling on them.

In many tales, the narrator assumes the role of hero or hands that role over to a companion. It is he who faces the beast, overcomes the difficulties of nature, or escapes a haunting. Fear gives way to the courage of the one who lived the story and can now tell it.

The listener also participates

The listener also helps to tell the story. During his research in the Pantanal, Câmara visited the storyteller Seu Leandro. On the first visit, Seu Leandro told the researcher only two tales. On the second, Dona Tôca, the storyteller's daughter, participated in the conversation and reminded her father of other stories. With these memories, Seu Leandro came up with nine tales told.

The researcher also interviewed the storyteller Seu Marcondes. During these meetings, Dona Marli, Marcondes' wife, sat next to her husband. She suggested stories and confirmed events that he narrated. At other times, it was Dona Marli who took the floor and told the tales.

Stories that generate other stories

Among the Pantanal stories, especially those from Nhecolândia, are encounters with Maozão. This protector of the forest kidnaps or drives mad anyone who enters his domain alone. There are also tales of Sucuri, mistress of the floodplains. Some storytellers say they have encountered snakes over a thousand meters long, capable of swallowing entire herds of cattle in one gulp!

Hearing a story can also lead someone to experience another. In the Pampas region, Luciana Hartmann recorded the accounts of Jorge and his cousin Alemão. The two listened to the elders in search of clues about buried pots of gold and went looking for the treasures. On one of these expeditions, Jorge asked who was pushing him from behind and scared his companions. The group jumped into the water and returned home soaked, without finding the money. The story they heard motivated the search. The search, in turn, became a new story to tell.