The Legend of the Seven-Headed Beast

This legend of Ribeiros, unlike most preserved only orally, has been perpetuated in stone, flowing from the realm of orality to the permanence of granite.
"There's a legend that tells us that, many years ago, there was a creature hidden in the bushes of Moreira de Rei, which terrified the population because it ate people and animals that passed by."
The inhabitants of the place, now called "Vale da Bicha" (Valley of the Serpent), decided to set fire to the brambles and thus destroy the serpent... But they hadn't counted on one thing: the serpent had wings and could fly!... It flew towards Ribeiros, landing in the place called Vinco, where the cemetery is today... And there it continued its rampage that had begun in Moreira de Rei.
A gentleman from the House of Passos reacted against this, resolving to kill her. Taking his sword and accompanied by his little dog, he went to Vinco to kill the beast... But he also had a surprise: the beast was no longer alone; she had, however, given birth to six children...
Our hero, however, did not lose heart... He ordered the bitch to take care of the bitch's children and, drawing his sword, began the fight with the mother.
Meanwhile, night was falling... Our man, fearing that the daylight would prevent him from completing the mission he had undertaken, invoked Saint Mary, patron saint of the parish of Ribeiros...
Turning to Heaven, he exclaimed: "Saint Mary of Ribeiros, enlighten me!"... And a star, descending from on high, landed on a rock and illuminated him... Then he, after killing his mother, killed the snake's offspring... Afterwards, he went home, lay down, and never got up again.

And so that skeptics may not doubt the "truth of the legend," the miraculous image of Saint Mary is in the church of Ribeiros, and the sculpture of the Worm, both made of stone, is in the House of Passos, and there are still those who remember the star mark on the rock, which was broken for the construction of the cemetery... And the people of Ribeiros know that every year prayers are said next to the tomb of the man who killed the worm, which is located at the "Porta da Travessa" of the parish church; likewise, everyone knows that next to the tomb of the lord of the House of Passos who killed the worm, there is the grave of his faithful little dog..."

Authored by José Carlos Peixoto