Beech forests, oak groves and chestnut groves where invisible laughter can be heard.
Good fairies, of extraordinary beauty, with blonde hair and transparent wings. They live in fountains, caves and beech forests. They help the humble, heal the sick and give gold.
Little elf dressed in leaves, moss and roots. It blends in with the vegetation. He pulls skirts, pinches calves and does somersaults to mock him.
Limestone, jous and torca caves of the Andara massif.
Giant with one eye on his forehead, red and tangled beard. He lives in caves, steals cattle and throws rocks. Enemy of the Anjana.
Large winged serpent that lives in caves and guards treasures and enchanted blackberries. Impenetrable scales; Diamonds stick to it over time.
Houses, stables, chimneys and stone barns.
Little, joking elf who lives in houses. He breaks dishes, hides objects, but it helps if food is left for him.
Banks of the Deva, Quiviesa and old mills.
Vulpes vulpes
Áliva, Ándara, snowfields and tall grasses.
White bear with golden eyes. Guardian of the mountain treasures and protector of flocks.
Low clouds, hail and lightning over the Peaks.
Mischievous and cunning geniuses, with a diminutive appearance, a plump body and a perfidious face, always riding on leaden clouds. They are feared for the damage they cause in the towns and the feared nights of downpours and storms are attributed to them.
Spirits with green wings and eyes the color of the sea. They live in reddish clouds in the west. They help fishermen.
Superstitions of the magical night of June 23 to 24.
Seven colorful winged horses that emerge from fire and smoke on the night of San Juan. Former condemned sinners.
Gray bird like a hawk, striped breast and broom-shaped tail. Transformed son of a thieving miller.
Although these beings are invisible, there are places in Liébana that look like storybook settings. Here you have three excursions where it is easy to imagine an Anjana or a Trenti.
A forest of ancient chestnut trees with twisted shapes that look like faces (pure pareidolia). It is the perfect place to tell children the history ofTrentiwhile you walk among moss and leaves. Easy, accessible and magical in autumn.
Recently popularized, it is a route where carved figures of mythological beings have been placed. Although it is not 100% "natural", it is ideal to put a face to these legends if you go with your family. If you prefer the wild version: go up to the Igüedri winter mountains and look for the Anjana in the streams.
Going up towards the Casetón de Ándara, the landscape becomes lunar, full of holes (sinkholes and chasms) in the rock. It is hostile territory. Here he livedCuélebreand theOjáncano. If the fog descends quickly, you will understand why the shepherds feared the Andara Bear.
They are real in culture: they explained natural phenomena (the goodness of spring, the fury of the storm) before science. Today they are still alive as a symbol of Cantabria's identity and respect for nature.
Yes, much of it shares roots with Atlantic Celtic mythology (fairies, animated forests), but later romanized and Christianized. Many rites (such as the bonfires of Saint John) are of pre-Roman pagan origin.
There are many adaptations, but the illustrated classics based onManuel LlanoThey are usually the most faithful. Look for editions that respect the original names (no "gnomes", here they are Trentis).
Without the Cantabrian writers of the 20th century, many of these stories of Anjanas, Ojáncanos or Trentis would have been lost.
Key compilers of Cantabrian mythology in the 20th century.
Manuel Llano and Adriano García-Lomas are the two great compilers of Cantabrian mythology of the 20th century. Thanks to his books we can read today many of the legends of Liébana (Anjana, Ojáncano, Trenti, Nubero...).
«Cantabrian mythology is not a dead memory; "It is a living heartbeat in the heart of the mountain."
— Attributed to Manuel Llano