Ancient Iberian Mythology Thread

[Kenshiro]

La Luna:

It is a rare deity venerated in both “Iberian” and “Celtic” Iberia, in fact perhaps the only one that fulfills this completely. However, and this is my intuition, I believe that the way of worshiping her was different in one area and another, linked to the different religiosity, more individual, intimate and “urbanite” in the Iberian area and more collective, festive and “naturalistic” in the celtic


The Moon, known as “Noctiluca, the Light of the Night” in the Malaga area and as “Lux Divina” in western Andalusia and Extremadura. Off the coast of Malaga there was an island dedicated to her. There also existed towards the mouth of the Guadalquivir, a sanctuary dedicated to “Phosphoros” or the “Lux Divina”, identified with Venus in Roman times.

Also worshiped in the north, in Celtic Hispania, she was one of the main divinities, with great astral or celestial projection in the sphere of funerary beliefs. Its symbol on tombstones is a crescent moon. Night parties were held in his honor on full moon nights, when entire families danced until dawn at the doors of their houses, where sacrifices were made to him. It was considered the abode of the deceased (light of the dead) and supernatural protector of the lunar cycle of women, relating it to fertility.


The Celtiberians, for their part, worshiped a divinity whose name was taboo, associated with the Moon. The cult was related to the fact that these societies were matriarchal and livestock-raising. In the stelae of Celtic environments, astral signs acquire special development.

Sometimes I talk to the moon, very beautiful or to the sky in general, so often I am entranced by it

[Lemurian]

This is actually a fascinating read of a thread, thanks. Always been into mythology but this is a less well-known one.

Any more on the xanas of Asturian folklore? I think they are some kind of nymph or fairy, and Galician also has the cognate term xa.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/xana#Asturian

Interestingly they are also both cognate with Romanian zână, which also means fairy, and they all derive from Latin 'Diana' (goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, forests, wild animals), as well as probably Albanian zanë, also meaning fairy. All of these different languages made the association of that goddess with fairies and nymphs eventually.

[Beowulf]

This is actually a fascinating read of a thread, thanks. Always been into mythology but this is a less well-known one.

Any more on the xanas of Asturian folklore? I think they are some kind of nymph or fairy, and Galician also has the cognate term xa.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/xana#Asturian

Interestingly they are also both cognate with Romanian zână, which also means fairy, and they all derive from Latin 'Diana' (goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, forests, wild animals), as well as probably Albanian zanë, also meaning fairy. All of these different languages made the association of that goddess with fairies and nymphs eventually.

Didn't knew about that, it's interesting, thanks for sharing it!

[Beowulf]

Martinico:

The martinico is a goblin that is widespread throughout Spain, found in Castilla, Aragón La Mancha, Andalusia, etc... known for its mischievous, hooligan and disorderly personality. He is not an evil being, he simply loves to play tricks and practical jokes on the tenants of the house where he lives, to the misfortune of the tenants, who have to put up with how the Martinico moves things around, hides them or makes loud noises. to wake them up.


Although his objective is to cause mischief to the inhabitants of the home, he hates being interrupted while he is carrying out one of his misdeeds, becoming angry too quickly. Despite his jokes and his legendary anger, if he is treated well, he is generous and helps men whom he does not hesitate to lend a hand to in case of need.


Physically, he has been described as having an unattractive appearance: plump, squat and with some deformities such as a hump, long nose, and even a tail. He dresses in clothes similar to the habits of a friar in red (his favorite color) although they can also be dark colors.


Normally, they are linked to a house, but they say that sometimes he becomes attached to a family and when they move to another house, the martinico collects his things in a bag and also moves to the new home, to the resignation of the family.


In Aragon he is the elf who brings dreams, using the expression "the martinico is coming" to refer to children when they are sleepy.

[Beowulf]

Habis:

Habis,1​ also called Habido2​ or Abido, as well as Habidis 3​, was a mythical king of Tartessos. Son of Gárgoris and one of his daughters.

At the end of the book on Hispania in his Historiae Pompeyo Trogo (1st century AD), collected this founding myth from the Tartessians of Asclepiades of Mirlea, who, when teaching Grammar in Turdetania, must have heard it spoken to the Ibero-Roman people.


Gargoris, king of Tartessos, had taught men how to obtain honey but, despite his wisdom and in a moment of confusion, he raped his daughter.


When the fruit was born, he tried to make it disappear by exposing it to the wild beasts of the forest. And lo and behold, when they sent for his remains, they found him unusually healthy. Then, Gargoris abandoned him on a path where he was trampled by cattle, and he didn't die there either, so he threw him among a pack of hungry dogs, and nothing; and then in a pigsty with the surprise that they fed him. So desperate Gargoris threw him into the Ocean. And behold, the waves, gentle by divine work, deposited him on the shore where a doe nursed him.


He was raised among the deer until, the hunters surprised by his skill and speed in traversing the mountains, they captured him with a lasso to offer him to Gargoris as a great present. The king, both because of his resemblance and some birthmarks, recognized him immediately, and of course, embarrassed and moved, he named him his successor and gave him the name Habis.4​


He is credited with the invention of plow agriculture, the laws of Tartessos, the distribution of the population in seven cities and the prohibition of slave labor.


Upon his death, his dynasty reigned over the Tartessians for centuries.

Quote by Pompeyo Trogo:

Por otra parte, los bosques de los tartesios, en los que los Titanes, se dice, hicieron la guerra contra los dioses, los habitaron los cunetes, cuyo antiquísimo rey Gárgoris fue el primero que descubrió la utilidad de recoger la miel. Éste, habiendo tenido un nieto tras la violación de su hija, por vergüenza de su infamia intentó hacer desaparecer al niño por medios diversos, pero, salvado de todos los peligros por una especie de fortuna, finalmente llegó a reinar por la compasión que despertaron tantas penalidades. Ante todo, ordenó abandonarlo y, pocos días después, al enviar a buscar su cuerpo abandonado, se encontró que distintas fieras lo habían alimentado con su leche. Después de llevarlo a casa, manda arrojarlo en un camino muy estrecho, por el que acostumbraba a pasar el ganado; hombre verdaderamente cruel, ya que prefería que su nieto fuera pisoteado en vez de darle muerte simplemente. Como también entonces había salido ileso y no estuvo falto de alimentos, lo arrojó primero a unos perros hambrientos y torturados por la privación de muchos días y después también a los cerdos. Así pues, puesto que no sólo no recibía daño, sino que además era alimentado por las ubres de algunas hembras, mandó por último arrojarlo al Océano. Entonces claramente por una manifiesta voluntad divina, en medio de las enfurecidas aguas y el flujo y reflujo de las olas, como si fuera transportado en una nave y no por el oleaje, es depositado en la playa por unas aguas tranquilas, y no mucho después se presentó una cierva, que ofrecía al niño sus ubres. Más tarde, por la convivencia con su nodriza el niño tuvo una agilidad extraordinaria y durante mucho tiempo recorrió montañas y valles en medio de los rebaños de ciervos, no menos veloz que ellos. Finalmente, apresado con un lazo, es ofrecido al rey como regalo. Entonces, por el parecido de las facciones y por las señales que se habían marcado a fuego en su cuerpo cuando pequeño, reconoce al nieto. Después, admirando tantas penalidades y peligros, él mismo lo designa su sucesor al trono. Se le puso el nombre de Habis, y después de haber recibido la dignidad real, fue de tal grandeza, que parecía no en vano arrancado a tantos peligros por la majestad de los dioses. De hecho, sometió a leyes a un pueblo bárbaro y fue el primero que enseñó a poner a los bueyes bajo el yugo del arado y a procurarse el trigo con labranza y obligó a los hombres, por odio a lo que él mismo había soportado, a dejar la comida silvestre y tomar alimentos más suaves. Sus vicisitudes parecerían fabulosas si no se contara que los fundadores de los romanos fueron alimentados por una loba y que Ciro, rey de los persas, fue criado por una perra. Prohibió al pueblo los trabajos de esclavo y distribuyó la población en siete ciudades. Muerto Habis, sus sucesores retuvieron el trono durante muchos siglos.⁵​

[Beowulf]

Mano Negra:

As its name suggests, it is a shadowy diabolical being with the ability to take the form of a huge black ectoplasmic hand.


It is a myth widespread throughout the peninsular geography, with slight variations in its form. In Segovia, the Black Hand attacked people when they were distracted or asleep. If it touches your shoulder, when it turns its face the being usually tears out the eyes of the unsuspecting person as if its fingers were claws.


In Torre de Juan Abad (Ciudad Real) tradition says that the “Black Hand” was a female entity with long hair, dressed in black and aquatic with a big ugly hand with black nails that lived in the dark and dangerous waters of the ponds and wells. It was said about her that she was always on the lookout, always attentive and that she dragged the children to her liquid den, who had violated the prohibition not to approach the curb.


In La Solana (also Ciudad Real) it was said that wayward children were taken away. But there is no agreement, it is whether the Black Hand is the right or the left.


In other towns he was remembered as a brilliant anthropomorphic scarecrow: a nocturnal kidnapper who prowled everywhere in search of bad people. It seems that this scarecrow has a relative in other locations called the “Black Leg”, its habitat is chimneys. It is drawn as a large black wolf or fox paw of the same color. In Galicia, it was one of the aspects adopted by a demon capable of taking on its physical form and with this form, it scared the living daylights out of people. In the Montealegre fort (Domado, Pontevedra) two people were passing along a path. One saw nothing, but the other saw the Black Hand and died almost instantly.

[Jingle Bell]

The Coco or Coca (also known as the Cucuy, Cuco, Cuca, Cucu, Cucuí or El-Cucuí) is a mythical ghost-like monster, equivalent to the bogeyman, found in Spain and Portugal. Those beliefs have also spread in many Hispanophone and Lusophone countries. It can also be considered an Iberian version of a bugbear[1] as it is a commonly used figure of speech representing an irrational or exaggerated fear. The Cucuy is a male being while Cuca is a female version of the mythical monster. The "monster" will come to the house of disobedient children at night and take them away.



In Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, parents sometimes invoke the Coco or Cuca as a way of discouraging their children from misbehaving; they sing lullabies or tell rhymes warning their children that if they don't obey their parents, el Coco will come and get them and then eat them.

It is not the way the Coco looks but what it does that scares most. It is a child eater and a kidnapper; it may immediately devour the child, leaving no trace, or it may spirit the child away to a place of no return, but it only does this to disobedient children. It is on the lookout for children's misbehavior from the rooftops; it takes the shape of any dark shadow and stays watching.[16] It represents the opposite of the guardian angel and is frequently compared to the devil. Others see the Coco as a representation of the deceased of the local community.[17]

The oldest known rhyme about the Coco, which originated in the 17th century, is in the Auto de los desposorios de la Virgen by Juan Caxés.


Also we have a "Tropicalized" version of coca, called "Bruxa cuca" generally represented as a Humanoid Jacaré, people say that 'Coca" has origin in Celtiberian folklore.

[vader]

Tartessian religion:

There is very little data, but it is assumed that, like the rest of the peoples of the Mediterranean, it was also a polytheistic religion. It is believed that they may have worshiped a goddess who was a product of the acculturation of the Phoenicians, Astarte or Potnia. There may have been a male Phoenician deity, Baal or Melkart. Phoenician-style sanctuaries have been found at the Castulo site (Linares, Jaén). Votive offerings have been found in various parts of Andalusia and in other places further away, such as Salamanca, where it is not known exactly where they come from. In the religious aspect, Phoenician acculturation was differential, not influencing all sites equally.

I am most interested in the Tartessians. Partly because my ancestors are from the south of the peninsula but because of their stories in technological advancement.

[Beowulf]

I am most interested in the Tartessians. Partly because my ancestors are from the south of the peninsula but because of their stories in technological advancement.

They also fascinate me as a culture i hope and wish that we manage to know a lot more about them in a future

here is a video about them (it's in spanish but i guess u can use the subtitles tho) for you