Euskal Herria, or known as the Basque Country, is the ideal setting to present a series of extraordinary creatures, myths and legends that bear witness to the cultural enrichment in this province. Know through this post the most transcendental points of the Basque mythology below.
Basque mythology and its background
The Province of Navarra, the Basque Country and the French Basque Country have interesting backgrounds, as their first reference is their language: Euskera. Its language can be easily differentiated from other cultures, with features that are close to the languages spoken in Christianity. Historians consider it to be prior to Celta, learned later. Don't you know who he is Atlas in mythology? It is worth inquiring about this character remembered by many researchers.
The presence of the Basques is another interesting point, coming from the Neolírico with proven data. With the passage of time, the Basque language gave way to fully enter a cultural stage ascribed to Christianity at its best. In order not to let their mother tongue die, they preferred to interact with other cultural currents such as the Roman one, to spread their ideas and learn new ones from Italy. Little could be achieved in favor of Euskera, because Christianity gained sympathy in the new generations.
Christianity wiped out everything in its path, especially pagan cultures and believers in witchcraft. The mortal victims they suffered in Basque mythology were the Witches of Zugarramundi, who were burned to death in the Logroño auto-da-fe in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. However, the story tells that the witches were stalked from the seventeenth century with endless persecutions, to put an end to paganism in full growth of the Christian faith.
Eskal Herria has many things to say in its favor to demonstrate a vast ancient mythology, witches being the deadly protagonists of a closure in the cycle of beliefs. Pierre de Lancre was a pioneer in killing all the witches who wanted to interfere with the new belief. From this event, all the towns began to spread the facts to transmit all the traits or beliefs that show the interesting Basque mythology.
Carlos Baroja makes a statement to explain in detail the presence of Basque witchcraft and how it has been part of mythology:
«Basque witchcraft appears as a rather delicate social situation. Presumo is a pagan movement that made Catholic Basques look like Gentiles.
With this information it is easy to understand why the King of Castile Enrique IV issued an irrevocable statement to prosecute all witches or sympathizers of paganism without any claim in their defense. The justification for the mandate is the damage caused by the prejudices of the witches in Basque territory, who remained firm in defending the Basque language and its school of thought.
Witches and wizards of Amboto were sentenced from 1500, although Basque mythology points to a "Lady of Amboto" as a very powerful entity, capable of protecting all its parishioners. Here appears for the first time a series of rituals in honor of the male goat in the form of a demon. The devil had a figure of a bastard and other times of a well stylized mule.
Everything pointed to a consensus with the writing of the "Treaty of Superstitions" in Navarre, whose context points to Agustín de Hipona. This saint established that women practitioners of black magic and the like are emissaries of the devil to cause a kind of "illusion" through their satanic rites. "Through human fantasy we managed to distinguish the representation of many creatures by these women," he noted.
The Royal Council of Navarra witnessed two girls who entered through the front door with an unusual amount of supernatural powers. The authorities agree that there is no age to carry pagan evil and therefore, they should be punished to prevent the spread of their thinking. Inquisitor Avellaneda traveled to the Pyrenees to arrest his relatives. An entire community was delivered to the King's court to receive the pertinent warnings.
Thanks to the witch hunt as the main antecedent of Basque mythology, Avellaneda verified the existence of these groups that communed with paganism and repudiated Christian foundations. He recorded that the valleys of the Pyrenees were full of these women who praised evil. Likewise, he defines an excessive cult for the male goat, the use of Basque and the ending «aquelarre» for this entity.
The witches used to hold their meetings to praise the devil every Friday and Saturday night. Avellaneda reflects Basque witchcraft as the antithesis of everything that happened during the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead of mourning for the sacrifice of the son of God, they preferred to use the holy days to honor the devil.
Avellaneda provides interesting data that will remain for posterity in ancient Basque mythology, thanks to a particular mark (toad hand on the body and left eye in all witches). Therefore, to identify the precursors of black magic and defenders of the anti-Christian movement, they chose to look in detail at all the allegorical illustrations of the male goat or coven. The Nymphs in mythology They attract attention thanks to their presence in many stories. Do you know them?
Basque mythology explains that witches perform their magical tasks with their left hand (always). On the contrary, to work through good, the Christians used the right hand to distribute the blessing to all their believers. Just by mentioning Jesus Christ in the midst of a witch town, showing the cross or praying with the word of God, all sorcery will lose its effect immediately.
At the beginning of this section, the Witches of Zugarramundi appeared as a central axis in Basque history and its mythology. His extermination was important, being recorded in all universal documents to account for a current that was about to take a false step. The Inquisitor Court of Logroño established the cruelest punishment for these women, the unimaginable punishment: being burned alive in the middle of the crowd.
Some sorcerers died before feeling the heat of the fire, until they were considered as effigies in prisons. Joseph Pérez explains that these execution exercises were a very controversial event in Spain. He, in turn, alleges that the events in the Pyrenees is just a sample of what the Inquisition is capable of erasing forever the Basque language, the adoration of the male goat and actions with the left hand.
The inquisition was a historical stage of great violence in many cultures, however, the witch hunt that began in 1609 turned out to be a benign and necessary event to eradicate the evil they were doing in their time. Pierre de Lancre did the same feat with 80 witches burned in Labourd (later known as the French Basque Country).
October 12, 1609 could be the date that marks a before and after in Basque mythology. It is the central day in which a witch commissioner was found in the mountains of Navarra. In medieval times, they had the custom of performing rites or sacrifices in the highest of the Basque Country. Later, a woman named Graciana approached the vicar to confess all the rites that the sorcerers of Navarra performed at night, to follow up on these pagan actions.
Graciana and her family were stigmatized as witches by Christian society, but many times they denied being so. However, the man who was sent to the mountains to monitor the communities confirmed the presence of the woman along with her husband, daughters and son-in-law in the mountains to worship the male goat. On February 13 of the same year they produced a questionnaire of 14 questions to investigate the veracity of the sorcerers.
The inquisitors had no mercy with these communities. In his hands was the mission to end all groups of sorcerers along with their leader, to cut this social problem in the bud that prevented Christianity from establishing itself as a new lifestyle. Many of them were arrested before being cremated in Logroño, to make statements about everything they did in the mountains.
geographical environment
The influence of Roman culture has reached many towns in the Basque Country and Navarra: Aragon, Catalonia, La Rioja, among others. In each of these geographical extensions, Basque mythology has imposed interesting notions such as the power of witches, curing illnesses or rites to avoid natural phenomena of great impact such as electrical storms.
Beliefs
Figures such as the son and the moon play an important role in Basque mythology. In the first case, all the houses built in the towns should always be oriented to face the Sun. Regarding the moon, the citizens agree that it is the light that illuminates the region of the dead. There was a specific day a week for the witches to establish their meetings in order to pay tribute to their gods. With the lunar stations they managed to measure the months or present specific temporal notions.
Cult of houses and ancestors
For the Basques, the house is not just a residence where all the members interact with each other, eat or rest after work. The home is the important place where they pay homage to their ancestors. It is a sacred place where the dead dwell who once lived there. It is the welcome space to find peace and tranquility.
Before the inquisition and the murder of many witches, each resident of his household built a cemetery in the courtyard to bury the members of the residence. Once Christianity laid its foundations, this tradition died completely. One point that Christians do share is the separation of the soul from the bodies when a subject dies, therefore, he needs to rest his remains in a proper place.
Souls are able to return to their old dwelling to rest. For this reason, the Basques use places close to their precincts to avoid cultural conflicts with supporters of Christianity. When a family member is sick or facing difficult situations, they often invoke their dead as great intercessors to improve their health. Another interesting topic is Mayan mythology, with an incredible story and powerful deities.
Magic
Talking about magic immediately brings to mind the witches who were persecuted from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth centuries by the Inquisition. They left an indelible mark on Basque mythology. Speaking of “sorgin (witch in Basque) there are two aspects that are worth mentioning:
- They are mythological beings with innumerable powers to solve some ills of their community.
- The witches of Euskal Herria. Persecution and death refer to evil women with indescribable spells, aimed at praising the male goat. They caused many evils, but received an inexorable punishment.
It is natural to associate magic with all the powers exercised by witches. Thanks to the torture caused by the Inquisition, many of them confessed their origin. Faced with an unalterable destiny, they did not hide their pagan ideology, for which a hundred sorceresses died at the stake. From Basque mythology it is necessary to highlight the Euskal Herria amulet, suitable for curing the evil eye.
Deceased
Death is synonymous with respect in all Basque territories, as a natural process that leads to eternal life. If a being that is dying is suffering from ailments and suffering, the relatives execute rites so that the soul has separation from the body quickly. The journey of the soul must be to its final destination, because the Basque culture establishes that none can stay somewhere in between.
If a soul does not rest in peace, it will often appear in the home where the rest of the relatives lived. In his modus operandi, is to request several wishes that must be fully fulfilled so that he can reach his destination, without dwelling in the surroundings. Once all wishes are granted, the deceased will return to their new plane to be at peace.
The monuments served as a cemetery for the repose of the bodies of the deceased. As a ceremonial rite, family members bring food and some clothing to say goodbye to their loved one. It is healing for his spirit to wear several valuable garments that in life were enjoyed by the deceased, so that he carries with him belongings of great relevance.
mythological characters
It is by far one of the most interesting sections of Basque mythology. Here deities, creatures or mixed representations abound that exalt a highly valued culture, but at the same time, somewhat mistreated by so many persecutions.
Mari: She is the most prominent female goddess in Basque mythology. She generally inhabits all the mountain ranges, the ideal place for sorcerers to gather to celebrate their rites. Also known as Lady of Amboto, Maddi or Mari de Amboto, she is the perfect example of being Mother Earth, the highest universal creator, the most powerful of all Basque queens.
At first glance, she is distinguished with the body and features of a normal woman, but with unimaginable powers to rule the world at her convenience. Being the Mother of all creation, she has a strong impact on how nature works. Like any goddess, she has different forms, with the green color very well pronounced. Mari can be a tree, a bird, or a semi-human figure with claws instead of feet. She tends to be fire or a beautiful rainbow that draws all the clouds to her vibrant colors.
His hair is blonde, similar to radiant gold in the striking rays of the sun. She fathered two sons who live in conflict over power: Mikelats and Atarrabi. For the purposes of pre-Christian times, it is the effective representation of good and evil.
Mari appears at the top of the mountains, that is, on their summits. Those who worshiped the image of her had to address the image of her (speaking the Hika dialect) as well as leave the Amboto cave in the same way that the parishioners entered. Interestingly, none of those present can sit down to rest while they are talking with the goddess.
Liars, thieves and proud people are heavily punished by Mari. She possesses an enormous force to control meteorites or telluric movements. She alters the order of things, even causing precipitation, even if the sky is completely clear. Her behavior with men varies: if she is an evil being, she has every right to punish him; if she falls in love, she can be the most docile woman on the planet.
She acts with complete justice. If the person is omitting or hiding information of all the properties of her, the goddess snatches from all the residences for being a liar (a). When storms are about to stalk a region, the deity foretells ahead of time the misfortunes that may occur.
Mari's story was born after Christianity was created. His behavior is very similar to that of Gea, for finding a perfect home in the cave to satisfy himself with all her power. She usually gives gifts to all the people who enjoy her sympathy, much more if she is in love with her when she performs these actions.
Although Amboto is his favorite home, he tends to change caves every seven years. When she is in the process of moving, citizens can watch her in the sky through her fire vehicle. If he distinguishes that the rains have intensified with the same mountain, he exchanges his climate for radiant sun that the neighboring plain possesses. Here he distinguishes an equitable, just goddess who distributes well-being to all that deserves it.
Mari's origin is somewhat uncertain, being conceived by a family of few members. Her mother did not mind bringing a new creature into the world, because at the age of 20 she had to deliver her soul to the devil. In the end, she succeeded, giving birth to a girl with beautiful features. When Mari was about to turn 20, she locked her in a glass box under strict surveillance.
Efforts to care for her daughter were not enough. The devil broke the glass box to transport the woman to Amboto's cave, to live there forever. Another version says about the curse that a mother cast on her daughter: "I hope the devil takes you" until her words were prophetic to take her to an unknown dimension.
He fought against the forces of Gaueko, the god of darkness, who quenched his thirst for food with the goats or sheep in the pens. Thanks to the massive disappearance of these species, Mari baptized the moon as her first daughter, supplying lighting to the fields to drive away the hunger of this deity. The night continued to be the perfect setting for raids, so Mari intensified the power of the moon to protect the harmless creatures.
To close with this goddess, there are more versions of her character, claiming to be a femme fatale, intimidating, capable of causing all kinds of destruction. She rebelled against Christianity, she prevented her 5 children from receiving God's blessing through the baptismal waters. She tried to prevent her children from attending church with her spells, causing serious damage.
Jentilak: They are gigantic beings that lived during the Stone Age. Although their size could be an ace up their sleeve, they were harmless entities that disappeared because of the blacksmiths. They were all pagans except for Olentzero, who accepted the arrival of Jesus Christ to give his life for men.
Mairuak: Considered as the good builders of houses and staggered dwellings in Basque mythology. With great architectural notions for the time, with an exalted image of the residence as a place of worship. In Spain it means "enchanted fairies".
Sorginak: The clan of witches who obey Mari's orders. They are a group of priestesses with numerous powers.
Basajun: He was the primitive man of Basque origin, with a temperamental character, ready to defend the forests and their herds. He knew very well about agriculture, planting and maintenance of flora and fauna. Divine protection was not needed for the Basajaun to protect their interests.
San Martin Txiki: He treated the figure of the priests in the form of a genius, capable of granting certain wishes to the community. Other researchers claimed functions as Catholics who wished to cleanse the world of paganism.
breasts: They were very homely goblins who lived in the Aragonese mountain range, under the pseudonym "enemiguillos". His soul was untamed, capable of benign mischief for fun. The only alternative to soften his way of being was through the Catholic priests.
Urtz: The god of the heavens and the firmament. He shows of the great immensity of the highest vault during the divine creation. He usually causes natural phenomena at his convenience, or transforms into other beings to go unnoticed by nature.
Ortzi: The deities tend to be easily angered if men have committed inconceivable crimes. Ortzi is no exception, even giving off thunder or lightning that intimidates those present. He is a feared god in Basque culture, unleashing large-caliber electrical storms to quench his wrath.
Euria: It refers to the rain that Ortzi emits from the sky. It is cataloged as a gift from this god to mitigate the chain of thunder and lightning that crosses the celestial plane.
It generally has a meaning of good omen or that fortune is about to come to earth. For example, if on a Thursday the rain is present throughout the day, it means that abundance is knocking at your door.
It also has connotations linked to death and funerals. If someone has died and his burial occurs on a rainy day, it means that his soul has reached heaven for his good deeds.
Elura: In the Basque country or Navarra, this element designates snow as a sign of prosperity and abundance. It is a particular forecast to study the lifestyle carried out by some species of animal.
Eguzki: It is nothing more and nothing less than the sun. This element within Basque mythology receives great veneration by its citizens in request of favors to be granted.
It is the visual sense with which God observes everything around him, without losing detail of the citizens and their actions (good or bad). The houses had to be perpendicular to the sun, so that the dead man would have a smooth journey to the afterlife when his cycle on the terminal plane had come to an end.
largui: Word that in Basque language means “moon”. She is the lady of the night, protector of all defenseless creatures due to lack of natural light.
It influences to lift the mood, as well as increasing the tide of the waters before dawn. It tends to illuminate the souls of the dead when they are making the journey to the afterlife, as a necessary orientation to reach their final destination.