Iberian-Visigothic Elves

The Asturias land has a strong connection between Asturian and Visigoth culture. Their flag is all blue with a Visigoth cross in middle. This was land where Visigoths took refuge of muslims and it was there where the Reconquest leathered by Visigoth was been started.

It is an Indo-European myth (similar to the Nordic legends of Wotan or to the Celtic god, Taranus) telling about an old tall long bearded man, dressed in goat leather, under an enormous blue-black hat and who used to ride a cloud throwing hail over the fields. His appearance reminds of Odin. Both, Wotan and Nubeiro, are sky-might being.

It could have been a pre-Christian legend, as deduced from a Goth Board dating back to Seventh century, which was found in Carrio (Villayón). It works as a spell, which is supposed to come from a kind of tempestariu or a specialist in scaring away storms. Sometimes we refer to him under the name of John the Egyptian ^¹, John Orito, etc., and he was supposed to live in that far away country and he helped an Asturian who would work along with him when he came to throw hail.

There were several methods to break the spell: a healing surrounded by children was never to fail, another one was jingling chapel and church bells; At Tineo people used to place a shovel and a bread rolling spin at the corrada (porch). At Navia, the custom was to place the rake, the oven shovel and hay cart upside-down; etc. If any of the above methods were to fail, they would pray to Santa Barbara or San Bartolo like this: "Santa Bárbara Bendita que nel cielo tás escrita con papel y agua bendita, En el nombre de la Cruz, paternoste, amén, Jesús".

1- In Middle Age, the spanish people was been connected between Muslim culture and Paganism. We can see many heathen sites like early dolmens which it was called "del Moro" (trasl: "of Moorish"). The spanish of this time called moorish to everything that was heretical or pagan.

The Xanas (this name means Dianas) or Enchanted (river fairies) are an Indo-European myth, well known in Atlantic Europe

(Fairies, virgins of water, Nixies, etc.). They have similarity with Swedish Nixies in more of their attributes. They are beautiful young women with long blond hair who live in caves and water fountains and that appear combing their hair with a golden comb, or looking after little golden chicks or an excellent cow, or sewing out from golden wool stacks. On Saint John’s day, they come out to pick up the water flower. It is a good chance to wake them up from their spell. The legend says that if, due to human greed they are not taken away from their spell, their revenge is terrible. They are said to have children, the xaninos who are exchanged to village women so that they nurse them. When the nursing mother suspects about the trick, they put some eggshells or the skin of an apple on a carriage. The xanín then exclaims: "Hundred of years since I was born and never so many pots I saw"

According to Jesús E. Casariego, an important erudite from Tineo, the xanas at Tineo used to live in palaces beneath river and fountain beds and they had great treasures.

It is an alike Indo-European myth compared to the above mentioned (remember mythological legends by

Jason and the Golden Fleece or the ones about the Dragons from Germany or the Christian legend of Saint George and the Dragon). The Cuélebre is a huge winged serpent, living in caves and fountains, which used to guard treasures, Chalgas, and beings under spells called atalayas, that are usually mistaken with xanas. On Saint John’s day, the cuélebre falls asleep and this is the moment to take away the spell from the young lady and obtain the treasure. The cuélebre is only killed when stabbed in the throat, given their very hard scales. It appears on almost every legend about hidden treasures, as the obstacle to overcome to obtain it.

There are many legends around it. A very good one talks about a Cuélebre that used to frighten the inhabitants from Brañaseca (currently named Cudillero). Then, a brave young man threw bread stuffed with a hot stone, saying: "open your mouth big thing and get it straight in". And it passed away with its throat calcinated.

- We can possibly consider this character, well known throughout Europe as dwarves, gnomes, and puck, as being of Indo-European origin. It is a familiar, cripple, horny tailed dwarf, dressed in red, wearing a colourful cap and having a little hole on his/her hand. It is very noisy at night, breaking

pots, frightening livestock, etc., but all this disappears at daybreak. This becomes so annoying that, in order to get rid of it, some people move away, but the dwarf follows and sings: "To a new house you all fled, I will come with my cap red". But what they cannot resist are any of these three things: if you either carry a paxu (wicker basket) of water in the hand; or a cup full of linseed oil; or you whiten a black goatskin. Embarrassed by failure, it leaves and never appears again.

Such dwarves are known in Tineo as papudo or cornín (little horned one) and they outstand with there continuous tease. As an example, the following tale: one day a woman finds a child crying. She nurses him and lets him lay down by her side. Then the dwarf runs away up the hill laughing at her and saying: "Ahaha, soup I’ve eaten, ahaha yes I did, ahaha bottom I saw you, ahaha yes I’ve seen".

Another dwarf of the kind is the SUMICIO, a myth that has brought about arguments among folklorist. It’s an invisible Trasgu who makes things disappear. He can be harmful to people. Some popular sayings are: "He or she seems to be taken away by Sumicio". "Bad fortune for you by Sumicio".