Cantabrian mythology
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Cantabrian mythology refers to the myths, teachings and legends of the
Divinities
Mythology |
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Some relics and remnants of Cantabrian worship of protective divinities survive. One example is the
Strabo, Horace and Silius Italicus write of a Cantabrian god of war, later identified with the Roman Mars. The Cantabrian god of war was offered sacrifices of male goats, horses, or large numbers of prisoners.[1][2][3] These large sacrifices, or "hecatombs" were accompanied by the drinking of the still warm blood of the horses.
The Cantabrians considered horses to be sacred animals. Tacitus (56 AD – 120AD) mentions that the Germanic people believed this. In Germania X (98 AD), he wrote, se sacerdotes enim ministros deorum, illos equos conscios putant ("the horses themselves think of the priests as ministers of the gods"). Horace (65 BC – 8 BC) writes, et laetum equino sanguine Concanum ("the Cantabrians, drunk on horses' blood").[4]
Julio Caro Baroja suggests there may have been an equestrian deity among Hispanian Celts, similar to that of the other European Celts. The Celtic goddess of the horses, worshipped even in Rome was Epona, which in ancient Cantabria was called Epane. Some link sacrifice of horses with the Celtic variant of the god Mars and that horses represented Mars' reincarnation.[5] At Numantia, where there are ruins of an Iberian Celtic settlement, relics depicting the horse god are decorated with solar signs.
The Cantabrians, being an agrarian society, worshipped fertility mother goddesses related to the Moon and influencing the phases of sowing and gathering of crops.
A Celtic group worshipping a sea god was assimilated to that of the Roman Neptune. A statuette of this deity showing features of Cantabrian divinity, was found in Castro Urdiales.
The Cantabrians believed in the immortality of the spirit.
Self-sacrifice, for instance by immolation and especially by a military leader, was considered an important way of fulfilling the will of the gods for the collective good. In the devotio, a leader or general would offer himself in battle as a sacrifice to the gods in order to secure victory for his army.[8]
Telluric and arboreal mythology
Mythology that is connected to the worship of the Mother Earth, is derived from the divinization of animals, trees, mountains and waters as elementary spirits. This was common to the peoples who received Celtic influences.
Some sacred sites such as that at Pico Dobra, in Besaya Valley date to Pre-Roman times. On the other hand, there is an altar dedicated to the god Erudinus, dated to 399 CE, demonstrating that in Cantabria, these rites persisted after the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Certain place names also indicate the presence of ancient sacred places. These include Peña Sagra ("Sacred Mount"), Peña Santa ("Saint Mount"), Mozagro (Montem sacrum or "Sacred Mount") and Montehano (montem fanum or "Mount of the Sanctuary"). The Convent of Saint Sebastian of Hano dates to the 14th century CE but a small chapel pre-existed the monastery on the same site.
Divinization also occurred with respect to rivers and bodies of water. At
The forests were also divinized by a group with clear Celtic influences. Some species of trees were especially respected such as the yew and the oak. Silius, Florus, Pliny and Isidore of Seville wrote of Cantabrians committing suicide by taking the poison of the yew leaf.[12] Death was preferred over slavery.[13][14][15][16] Yew trees were planted in town squares, cemeteries, churches, chapels, palaces and big houses as they were considered a "witness tree". An ancient yew tree grows beside the church of Saint Mary of Lebeña. The sacred site dates to pre-Roman times. Meetings of the town council took place in the shade of the tree.[17]
The oak is a sacred species for
Oaks,
Significant dates
In Cantabrian mythology there were dates that held significance. For example, during the
Specific moments of the day such as
Mythological creatures
The Cantabrian people believed in not only telluric and natural divinities, but also other fabulous beings. The people loved or feared them and maintained legends about them. There are many such beings in Cantabrian mythology.
The
The Anjana was the antithesis of the Ojáncanu and the Ojáncana. Anjana was a good and generous fairy who protected the honest, lovers and those who became lost in the woods or on roads.
The goblins were a large group of little mythological creatures, most of them mischievous. There were two groups. One was the domestic goblins who lived in or around houses and included the Trasgu and the Trastolillu. The other was the forest goblins, the Trenti and the Tentiruju.
Other beings in Cantabrian mythology include the
The Sirenuca ("Little Mermaid") is a beautiful but disobedient and spoiled young lady whose vice was climbing the most dangerous cliffs of Castro Urdiales to sing with the waves. She was transformed into a water nymph.
Another popular legend is the Fish-man, the story of a man from Liérganes who loved to swim and got lost in the Miera river. He was found in the Bay of Cádiz as a strange aquatic being.
References
- ^ Estr. III, 3, 7
- ^ Carm. III, 4, 34
- ^ Silius III, 361
- ^ Carmina book 3, chapter 4. verses 29 – 36
- ^ E. Thevenot. Sur les traces des Mars antiques, Bruges, 1995.
- ^ De correctione rusticorum VIII
- ^ Martinez J. La religiosidad de los pueblos hispanos vista por los autores griegos y latinos 1977 Accessed September 8, 2007. (Spanish)
- ^ Cabria J. Mitos y leyendas de Cantabria. El sacrificio, vía de unión con la divinidad Otra Realidad Accessed July 12, 2007. Spanish
- ^ Pliny, NH XXXI 23-24
- ^ Suet., Galba, VIII 13
- ^ A. Schulten. Los cántabros y astures y su guerra con Roma. Madrid. 1943
- taxine, that provokes hypotension and cardiac arrestswhen consumed.
- ^ Silius III, 328
- ^ Florus II, 33, 50
- ^ Pliny XVI, 50
- ^ Isidore Book XVII, 9, 25
- ^ Inventory of single trees of Cantabria Dereccion General del Medio Naturale. Accessed 8 September 2017.
- ^ Cabria J. Mitologia Otra Realidad website. Accessed 20 June 2008 (Spanish) dead link
- ^ Revista de Folklore Funjdiaz website archived 3 February 2007. Accessed 9 September 2017 (Spanish) pdf.
- ^ Monstruos Archived 2008-12-21 at the Wayback Machine Alonso Quijano website
- ^ Torri Babuesa website
Bibliography
- Mitos y Leyendas de Cantabria. Santander 2001. ISBN 84-95742-01-2
- Los Cántabros. Santander 1983. ISBN 84-87934-23-4
- Gran Enciclopedia de Cantabria. Santander 1985 (8 tomos) y 2002 (tomos IX, X y XI). Various. Editorial Cantabria S.A. ISBN 84-86420-00-8
- Mitología y Supersticiones de Cantabria. Santander 1993. ISBN 84-87934-87-0
External links
- Cantabrian Mythology (in Spanish)
- Cantabria joven. Mythology and Legends (in Spanish)