Corpo-Seco of the Backlands

The myth

The Corpo-Seco, the "dry body", is a haunting from inland São Paulo, Minas Gerais and other parts of Brazil, with roots in Portugal as well. They say he was a man so wicked in life that he even beat his own mother, and when he died neither God nor the devil wanted him, and even the earth rejected him: the body does not rot, it dries out and keeps reappearing. The folklorist Câmara Cascudo studied it as a myth of moral punishment. Some places bear its name, such as a hill in Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais. When the spirit leaves the body and goes off screaming, it becomes the Bradador.

Why it has this power

A level 3 common with ATK 1200 and DEF 1000: a modest undead, but useful. It is earth-element, because the earth refused him. Wisp and Scarab are graveyard light and the mark of the dead. It is an offering for the Friday Crossroads Rite, which summons the Headless Mule, and, fused with an Insect or Plant, becomes Corpo-Seco's Withered Tree.

Did you know

In São Luiz do Paraitinga, the local version tells of a cruel man who refused alms and attacked friars.

Connections

• Fuses into: + Insect-Plant → Corpo-Seco's Withered Tree
• In Yaraci, Forest Apprentice's deck
• In Dona Benedita, Folk Healer of the Backlands's deck

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
• Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
• Craft with card dust: 40 dust
• Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

1. Corpo-seco — Wikipédia
2. Dicionário do Folclore Brasileiro — Luís da Câmara Cascudo