PERSEPHONE ─ INFORMATION GUIDE

IBERIAN CELTIC MYTHOLOGY

IBERIAN CELTIC MYTHOLOGY

The Iberian peninsula held a lot of cultures at the same time. In the North and Northwest the celtic was very popular and their myths have been travelling through generations till today. This mythology also has influence of Roman and Greek mythology, and it's different in each part of the peninsula. In spite of this, their rituals were somehow similar, such as festivities and sacrifices.

Most of this mythology is similar to the one in Ireland and Britain as the Celts came from there, but there are also some indigenous creatures and gods. Here are the different mythologies divided, each one with their location and their own mythical creatures:

— GALICIAN MYTHOLOGY
In the most Northwest part of the Iberian Peninsula is where Celtic Mythology had its peak.

Breogán; Irish hero and king of Galicia.
Bile; son of Breogán and god of the sun. It's the equivalent to Belenus.
Meigas; women with supernatural powers, used for good or bad intentions. See The Meigas for more.
Santa Compaña; procession of tormented souls (for more information, see Santa Compaña)
Míl Espáine; soldier of Hispania, son of Bile and ancestor of the final inhabitants of Ireland. It is said he appeared in a prophecy that stated his descendants would rule Ireland.

— ASTURIAN MYTHOLOGY
Next to Galicia, mythology in Asturias is very similar to Galician. Nonetheless, there are different creatures

Busgosu; kind wanderer with the aspect of a satyr.
The Cuélebre; inmortal giant winged serpent that lives in a cave, guards  and keeps  xanas as prisoners. They don't usually move, and when they do it, it is in order to eat cattle and people. One can kill the cuélebre giving him as meal a red-hot stone or a bread full of pins. Its spit it is said to turn into a magic stone which heals many diseases.
Xanas; always female, they are creatures of extraordinary beauty believed to live in fountains, rivers, waterfalls or forested regions with pure water. Usually described as small or slender with long blonde or light brown hair which they brush with gold or silver combs woven from sun or moonbeams.
Nubeiro; also called Nuberu or Nubero, is the Asturian divinity of clouds and storms.
Trasgu; Asturian goblins.
Sirenuca; the Little Mermaid.
Ventolines; spirits of the wind (probably similar to the Venti in Roman Mythology).

— CANTABRIAN MYTHOLOGY
Very close to Asturias, Cantabrian mythology is almost the same such as the Cuélebre, Nubeiro, the Ventolines and the Trasgu, although they have some different names for the same creatures.

Anjanas; Cantabrian version of the Xanas.
Musgosu; Cantabrian version of Busgosu.
Trenti; friendly goblins.
Guajona; old and horrendous vampire witch that only attacks at night, sucking the blood of her victims but not killing them.
Ojáncanu; Cantabrian cyclops and an embodiment of cruelty and brutality. It appears as a 10 foot tall giant with superhuman strength, with hands and feet that contain ten digits each. He has very long ginger hair and beard. The easiest way of killing an Ojáncanu is to pull the single white hair found in its mess of a beard. The females (called Ojáncana) are virtually the same, though without the presence of a beard. The strangest thing about these peculiar cyclopean species is their reproduction process. Instead of mating, when an old Ojáncanu dies, the others distribute the insides and bury the corpse under an oak or yew tree and a new individual raises. They only fear the Anjanas, the good Cantabrian fairies.
Cuegle; monster with a humanoid shape, black skin, a long beard, grey hair, three arms without hands or fingers, five rows of teeth, a single stubby horn and three eyes in its head: one green, one red, and one blue. He steals babies and attacks people.

— CATALAN MYTHOLOGY
Mythology of the land that nowadays is territory of Catalonia and Aragon, the North-East of Spain.

Dona d'aigua; also called Aloja, femininebeing that lives in places with fresh water. These "water-women" are said to be able to turn into water blackbirds.
Dip; evil black hairy dog, emissary of the Devil who sucks people's blood.
Dragons; male creatures called Dracs and females Víbrias. There were a lot of dragon species but the most famous is the Marracho, with a mouth so wide it could fit entire humans in it.
Home del Sac; his name translates to "man of the sack", evil man used to terrify children telling them he will kidnap them if they didn't do what they had to do.
Negret; small, dark-skinned spirit who, if touched with a candle by a mortal, instantly turns into a trove of coins.
Pesanta; enormous dog (or sometimes a cat) that goes into people's houses in the night and puts itself on their chests making it difficult for them to breathe and causing them the most horrible nightmares.
Peix Nicolau; male mermaid that lives in the Mediterranean sea.

— LUSITANIAN MYTHOLOGY
Mythology of ancient Portugal. It has a lot of Roman influence, but also conserves most of celtic main gods and goddesses such as Epona. They also have their own deities and creatures. The following deities form the main panteon.

Ataegina; also Ategina, she is the goddess of rebirth, fertility and the underworld. The goat is her sacred animal.
Endovelicus; god of healing with oracular functions. His cult emerged after the Roman colonization, but only in Lusitania.
Nabia; they had double invocation, one male and one female. The supreme Nabia is related to Jupiter, linked to the protection and defense of the community or health, wealth and fertility. The female Nabia is the consort of the male Nabia and is associated with earth and sacred springs.
Trebaruna; goddess associated with war and home.

As for mythological creatures, the Lusitanians adopted a mix of Roman and Greek influence. The most popular were the Nymphs (Greek), Genii and Lares (Roman).

— BASQUE MYTHOLOGY
This mythology is placed in the territory of Navarre, the Basque Country and a part of Southern France.

Sorginak; the name used for witches. They were all female and had a reunion spot called the Akelarre.
Amalur; also called Lurbira, is the Basque Mother Earth. She is the creator of the sister moon Ilargi, the sister sun Eguzki and Eguzkilore, the sunflower.
Basajaun; the Basque wild man. They are often called the Basque Yeti, as they are covered with hair. They live deep in the forest and their female partners are called Basandere.
Lamiak; creatures with duck-like feet, fish tail or bird claws. Often portrayed as females of glorious beauty, they live in rivers and can be found there brushing their hair with golden brushes. The only way of making them angry is stealing those brushes. They can't step on consagrated land, so they can never marry a human.
Jentilak; Basque Giants with extreme strenght able to throw large pieces of rocks, and they are believed to be the constructors of many cromlechs and dolmens.
Mari; also called Mari Urraca, Anbotoko Mari ("the lady of "), and Murumendiko Dama
Odei. She is the main character in Basque Mythology, seen as a goddess of the weather. She was sometimes depicted as a lamia.
Sugaar; serpent god of storms and consort of Mari.
Olentzero; Basque Christmas giant. Equivalent to Saint Nick or Santa Claus, he is the one in charge of giving gifts for good children or coal for bad children on the 25th of December.
Tartalo; also called Tartaro or Bebrices, Basque cyclops. He was evil, ate humans and sheep and had a magic ring that let him control his preys. There is one myth that says he died drowning in a river while chasing a kid.