Unlike in most cultures "mal-olhado" is not seen to be something that risks young babies. "Pagans" or non-baptized children are instead assumed to be at risk from "bruxas" (witches), that have malignant intention themselves rather than just "mal-olhado". It probably reflects the Galician folktales about the "meigas" or Portuguese magas, (witches), as Colonial Brazil was primarily settled by Portuguese people, in numbers greater than all Europeans to settle pre-independence United States. Those "bruxas" are interpreted to have taken the form of moths, often very dark, that disturb children at night and take away their energy. For that reason, Christian Brazilians often have amulets in the form of crucifixes around, beside or inside beds where children sleep.