Blood and liver: the persistence of the leprosy symbolic images considering the Papa-Figo myth

• Main Author: Andriolli Costa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde (Icict) da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) 2020-06-01
• Series: RECIIS
• Subjects: imaginário; mito; lepra; folclore; símbolo.
• Online Access: https://www.reciis.icict.fiocruz.br/index.php/reciis/article/view/1896

This article is focused on the symbolic processes that, in the face of the imminence of illness and death, make powerful narratives emerge in the imaginary, which are symbolized by myths. For this purpose, we center on the symbolic images on leprosy that surround the Brazilian myth of the Papa-Figo - a fantastic creature represented by the rich and powerful people which were contaminated and would do anything to recover from the illness and back to their health; including consuming the entrails of kidnapped children.In a synchronic and diachronic journey, we related historical and folkloric reports to contemporary narratives: urban exploration videos exploring the abandoned house of the 'Papa-Figo widow'. In this symbolic reading, we explore the recurrence of symbols linked to blood, liver, well, power, money and the mysterious Other, showing that the fear of disease and its physical and social consequences move us archetypically, awakening ancestral relationships that connect us to the experience human level