Visagem

From: Marie Jo Cantuaria (mariejopink25@yahoo.com.br)
Story type: Ghost
Location: South of Brazil - cultural quotes
Source: Form Submission
Date submitted: Tue Jul 17 11:53:10 2007

VISAGEM

Some of the most popular stories about ghosts in the South of Brazil tells about "Visagens" ( you Americans can read visages with a French accent). I think that people from all over Brazil use to say Visagem instead of Fantasma ( that is the correct word for Ghost). But Ghosts and a Visagens are not the same thing. I'll tell you a little bit about this kind of ghost from the South Brazilian people point of view.

People use to say that a visagem is a spirit that guards a treasure he or she hid during his life. So it normally appears in the same place when seen more than once by a witness. The witness of the visagem is normally a descendent or a good soul the visagem might want to help. Also, the place where the visagem appears is the place or near the place where it buried a treasure when was a live person.

Of course people are afraid of visagens, but they are actually lucky if they see one, because this special kind of ghost wants this special person to be the new owner of the treasure ( that can be gold, jewels, clocks and other objects that belonged to the deceased's family).

I've heard about visagens from lots of people from different parts of my State, different ages, etc; The South of Brazil is a land where lots of Germans, Austrian, Italians, Russians, and lots of other people from Europe landed trying to find a piece of land to work and raise their families. Some of them got really rich, and as by that time they didn't have banks in town or also were living miles away from downtown, they used to bury their money, jewels and etc in some part of the land ( near rocks, under the house, and they had a special preference for burying treasures under old trees). People say that when a person buries a treasure under a tree, the tree dies and never have leaves, flowers or fruits again.

Maybe that happens because people used a lot of black magic on old times. They used black magic to destroy someone for jealousy, for love or just to protect their hidden treasures in the backyard.

Well, the most important here is that if you see a visagem and end up considering yourself lucky, don't be brave or fool enough to dig the treasure by yourself. Old people say that you have to take a black sorcerer first to take out all the magic spells from the place. Only then you can dig the treasure.

There are quotes about people who got crazy digging the treasures because as soon as they started, the saw many kinds of animals leaving the hole, dead people and the devil in person! Others tried to kill themselves… Also, you are not supposed to take anyone else with you, not even you brother. They might get crazy and kill you for the treasure.

You'd better not tell about it to anyone else, not only to avoid the jealousy, but if anyone else tries to dig the treasure that is destined for you, or destined to anyone elsethis person may get killed or have another bad fate. So, never try to dig a treasure if the visagem appeared to someone else but you! And you also must leave the town as soon as you get the treasure; or else, your life and your family will fall in disgraceyou will have relatives dying with no apparent reason or explanation, your family will leave you and you will start getting sick and loosing money until you have no other way out but shooting your head up…

Scary and exaggerated, but the people I spoke to swore that this is true! So, it is much better to ignore the visagem and leave the treasure where it is! The first person who told me about visagens was Gilvana. We studied together, and I was 15 by then, and had never heard such word before

Her family was German descendents and so they were full of these stories. She told me her father used to see her Grandpa ( who was already dead) in the yard almost everyday before getting to work. She said that her father was sure that her Grandpa had a hidden treasure in the garden and wanted him to go and dig for itbut her Dad never did soonly now I understand why he was afraid of doing so! I'll tell you more stories of visagens I collected from some friends of mine! See you!