Headless Mule

The Headless Mule (Portuguese: *mula sem cabeça*) is a figure from Brazilian folklore. The story was first written down in the 19th century, though its origins are generally attributed to Iberian traditions brought to Brazil during the early colonial period, starting in the 1500s. While the tale is known across the country, it is especially common in the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná, and Mato Grosso. Similar legends, such as the Muladona and the Almamula, exist in neighboring Spanish-speaking countries.

The mule’s appearance changes depending on the region. It is usually brown, sometimes black, and its silver or iron horseshoes make a terrifyingly loud trot, far louder than any normal horse. Though it has no head, it can still neigh—often very loudly—and sometimes moans like a weeping woman. It wears a bridle attached to where its mouth would be, and it shoots fire from its missing nostrils or, in some versions, from its severed neck.

The creature is cursed to gallop across the territory of seven parishes each night, much like the Brazilian werewolf. In some accounts, its journey starts and ends at the parish where the sin occurred. The transformation typically happens at a crossroads. In some versions, the mule has a temporary head and mane made of fire, with a red-hot iron bridle tied to it. Unlike a vampiric curse, this one cannot be passed on, because it results from a sin the woman willingly committed.

The curse can be temporarily broken if someone spills the mule’s blood with a needle prick or ties her to a cross. In the first case, the woman stays human as long as the person who helped her is alive and living in the same parish. In the second, she remains human until dawn but transforms again the next night. A more permanent solution is to remove the bridle, which prevents her from changing again while the benefactor lives. If the bridle is tied back to her mouth, the curse returns. Lifting the curse is a great relief, as it involves many hardships, and the grateful woman often repents and marries her rescuer. When she changes back, she is completely naked, sweaty, and smells of sulfur.

Anyone who meets the mule should not cross its path, or it will chase and trample them. The best options are to bravely remove the bridle or spill its blood, or else lie face down on the ground, covering teeth, nails, and anything shiny.