Nyctimene (mythology) VS Saci (Brazilian folklore)

Nyctimene was, according to Roman mythology, the daughter of Epopeus, a king of Lesbos. In some versions of the story she was raped by their father, while in others she was seduced seduced. Out of shame or guilt, she fled to the forest and refused to show her face in daylight. Taking pity on her, Minerva transformed her into the nocturnal owl which, in time, became a widespread symbol of the goddess. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the transformation was a punishment for an unspecified crime.In Metamorphoses, Cornix (the crow) complains that her place as Minerva's sacred bird is being usurped by Nyctimene, who is so ashamed of herself that she will not be seen by daylight.Her name has been given to a genus of bats and an asteroid.

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Saci (pronounced [saˈsi] or [sɐˈsi]) is a character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black or mulatto youngster, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes (usually in the middle of a dust devil). Considered an annoying prankster in most parts of Brazil, and a potentially dangerous and malicious creature in others, he nevertheless grants wishes to anyone who manages to trap him or steal his magic cap. However, his cap is often depicted as having a bad smell. Most people who claimed to have stolen this cap say they can never wash the smell away. The legend says that a person can trap a Saci inside a bottle when he is in the form of a dust devil. There are several variants of the myth, including: Saci-pererê (pronounced [sɐˈsi pe̞ɾeˈɾe]), black as coal; Saci-trique (pronounced [sɐˈsi ˈtɾikɪ]), mulatto and more benign; Saci-saçurá (pronounced [sɐˈsi sɐsuˈɾa]), with red eyes. Saci-pererê is also the name of a Brazilian cocktail consisting of 60 millilitres (2.1 imp fl oz; 2.0 US fl oz) of cachaça and 45 millilitres (1.6 imp fl oz; 1.5 US fl oz) of honey, which is a home remedy said to be useful in treating the common cold.

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