Basque mythology

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A reproduction of a Hilarri, a Basque gravestone, from 1736 with commonly found symbols. Translated from Latin, it reads, "Maria Arros Sagaray died on the 19th day of April, 1736".

The

Basque Country between the 4th and 12th century AD. Most of what is known about elements of this original belief system is based on the analysis of legends, the study of place names and scant historical references to pagan rituals practised by the Basques.[1]

One main figure of this belief system was the female deity

pantheon. Based on the attributes ascribed to these mythological creatures, this would be considered a chthonic religion as all its characters dwell on earth or below it, with the sky seen mostly as an empty corridor through which the divinities pass.[citation needed
]

Historical sources

The main sources for information about non-Christian Basque beliefs are:[2]

  • Strabo, who mentions the sacrifice of male goats and humans
  • Arab writers from the time of the
    Umayyad conquest of Hispania
    (8th century)
  • the 12th century diary of the pilgrim Aymeric Picaud
  • various medieval sources making references to pagan rituals, including the records of the Inquisition
  • 19th and 20th century collections of myths and folk-tales, such as those collected by
    José Miguel Barandiaran
    , which comprise by far the largest body of material relating to non-Christian beliefs and practices
  • the modern study of place-names in the Basque Country

Mythological creatures and characters

The Urtzi controversy

Urtzi may have been a Basque mythological figure—a

sky god—but may have been merely a word for the sky. There is evidence that can be read as either supporting or contradicting the existence of such a deity. To date, neither theory has been entirely accepted.[3]

Influence on Iberian pantheons

The Iberian Peninsula's

Myths of the historical period

After Christianization, the Basques kept producing and importing myths.

See also

References

  1. ISSN 0214-7971
    . Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  2. .
  3. ^ Trask, Larry (1997). The History of Basque. Routledge.
  4. ^ Anuntxi Arana: Mari, mairu eta beste - 1996 - Bulletin du musée basque n°146.
  5. Universidade de Coimbra.[page needed
    ]

Bibliography

Folktale collections