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� KIRICO THE ROOSTER �

Once upon a time, a big and beautiful cock (Perico) was going

to get married, so he was going to celebrate a party. He

invited lots and lots of other cocks and hens. And of course

Perico also invited his nephew, Kiroco.

As Kirico was living far away from Perico’s house, he woke up

very early in the morning and with his best clothes, he started

walking to the wedding.

However he found a cow’s pooh full of seeds, and he was

thinking whether to eat the seeds or not:

- Oh, I am so hungry, but if I eat the seeds,

my beak will get dirty and I will not be able to enter into my uncle Perico’s wedding.

- On the other hand, if I do not eat the

seeds, another one will do it and I will be hungry all the way to the wedding.

After a while, he decided to eat the seeds and….. his beak got dirty!!!

He carried on walking and he found a …flower, and he asked to the flower:

- Flower, flower, clean my beak, so I can go to my uncle

Perico’s wedding.

But the flower answered:

- Ah, no, no, no, I do not want to. You should not have got dirty!!!

Kirico carried on walking and he found a….sheep, and he told the sheep:

- Sheep, sheep, go and eat the flower, who did not

want to clean my beak to go to my uncle Perico’s

wedding.

But the sheep answered:

- Ah, no, no, no, I do not want to. You should not have

got dirty!!!

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Very disappointed, our friend was walking again and after some meters he found

a….wolf, and he told the wolf:

- Wolf, wolf, go and eat the sheep, who did not want to

eat the flower, who did not want to clean my beak to

go to my uncle Perico’s wedding.

But the wolf answered:

- Ah, no, no, no, I do not want to. You should not have got dirty!!!

Kirico did not want to argue with the wolf, so he walked again and he found a stick, he told to the stick:

- Stick, stick, go and hit the wolf, who did not

want to eat the sheep, who did not want to eat the flower, who did not want to clean my beak

to go to my uncle Pericos wedding.

But the stick answered:

- Ah, no, no, no, I do not want to. You should not

have got dirty!!!

Very sad, the cock was walking when he found a….candle, he told the candle:

- Candle, candle, go and burn the stick, who did not

want to hit the wolf, who did not want to eat the sheep, who did not want to eat the flower, who did not want to

clean my beak to go to my uncle Perico’s wedding.

But the candle answered:

- Ah, no, no, no, I do not want to. You should not have

got dirty!!!

He carried on with his way, and he found a river, and Kirico told the river:

- River, river, go and put out the candle, who did not

want to burn the stick, who did not want to hit the wolf, who did not want to eat the sheep, who did not

want to eat the flower, who did not want to clean my

beak to go to my uncle Perico’s wedding.

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But the river answered:

- Ah, no, no, no, I do not want to. You should not have got dirty!!!

Very close to the river, there was a donkey and Kirico told him:

- Donkey, donkey, drink the river, who did not want to

put out the candle, who did not want to burn the stick,

who did not want to hit the wolf, who did not want to

eat the sheep, who did not want to eat the flower, who did not want to clean my beak to go to my uncle

Perico’s wedding.

But the donkey answered:

- Ah, no, no, no, I do not want to. You should not have got dirty!!!

But this time, Kirico did not stop. He kept asking, one time and another time, and

another time and another. So, the donkey that was fed up with Kirico, kicked him into

the river.

Now the beak was clean, but the clothes were wet, so after a long way, Kirico could not

go into the party.

THE END

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�THE MAN WITH THE SACK �

There was a couple that had three daughters and as all of them were good and

hard-working their parents gave them a gold ring to each one so they could show it

to everyone.

One day, the three sisters were gathered with their friends and thinking what to

do, they said to each other:

- Today we are going to go to the fountain.

It was a fountain that was on the outskirts of the town. Then the youngest of the

sisters, which was lame, asked his mother if she could go to the fountain with the

others; and her mother said:

- No, you can’t, my daughter. It can happen that the man with the sack appears

and, as you're lame, he can reach you and grasps you.

But the girl insisted so much that at last her mother told her:

- O.k., you can go with them.

And there they went. The lame girl took also a basket of clothes to wash and

before starting washing the clothes she removed her ring and left it on a stone.

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While they were happily playing around the fountain, they saw the man with the

sack coming and they said to each other:

-Run, the man with the sack is coming to take us with him – and they ran away as fast as they could.

The lame girl also ran with them, but as she was lame she was delayed; and while

she tried to reach them she remembered that she had left her ring in the

fountain.

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Then she looked back and, as she didn’t see the man with the sack, she returned

to find her ring; she looked for the stone, but the ring was no longer on it and

began to look here and there to see if it had fallen somewhere in. Then an old man

appeared by the fountain, she had not ever seen him before and the lame girl asked him:

-Have you seen a gold ring?

And the old man replied:

-Yes, it is in the bottom of this bag if you want it have a look inside.

So the lame girl got into the bag to search for it without suspecting anything, and the old man, who was the man with the sack, as soon as she got inside he closed

the sack, threw it to the back with the girl inside and moved way forward, but

instead of going towards the town of the girl, he took another path and moved to a different village.

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The old man went from place to place trying to earn some money to live, so he told

the girl:

-When I tell you: 'Sing, sack, or I’ll give you a slap', you have to sing inside the

sack.

And she answered she will do so. They went from town to town and where they

were the old gathered the neighbours and said:

- Sing, sack, or I’ll give you a slap.

And the girl sang from inside the sack:

- Due to a gold ring that I left in the fountain I am stuck in this sack and here I

will die.

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And the sack that sang was the admiration of everybody and people threw coins on

it or gave it food. Then the old man arrived with his cargo to a house where the

girl was known but he didn't know it; and, as usual, he put the sack on the floor in

front of the crowd and said:

- Sing, sack, or I’ll give you a slap. And the girl sang:

- Due to a gold ring that I left in the fountain I am stuck in this sack and here I will die.

So they heard the voice of the little girl and rushed to call her sisters who came

and recognised the voice of their sister. Then the sisters told the old man he

could stay in their parents’ house that night; and the old man, thinking about

dinner and sleeping in bed, decided to go with them.

When the old man was in the house they served him dinner, but as there was no

wine in the house the sisters told him:

- Near here, there is a tavern where they sell good wine; if you could do us the

favour, go to buy wine with this money we give you while we finish preparing

dinner.

The old man, who saw the coins, went for wine thinking of the good tip that would

receive.

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While the old man was out, the parents took the girl out from the sack; she told

them everything that had happened. Then the girl was hidden in one of the rooms

so that the old man could not find her. And then the parents got a dog and a cat

and put them inside the bag instead of the girl.

Some minutes later the old man came back; he ate and drank and then went to bed.

The next day the old man stood up, took his things and continued his way to another village. When he arrived in the other village, he gathered the people from

the place announcing in the usual manner that he carried a sack that could sing.

Soon a circle of people was formed and he collected a few coins, and then he said:

- Sing, sack, or I’ll give you a slap.

But the sack didn't sing and the old man insisted:

- Sing, sack, or I’ll give you a slap.

But the sack didn’t sing either and everybody began to laugh at him and also to

threaten him. The old man insisted for the third time, now he was much more angry and thinking of the punishment for the lame girl if she did not open the

mouth:

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-Sing, sack, or I’ll give you a slap!

And the sack did not sing. So the man of the sack, furious, started to hit and kick

the sack to make it sings, but something happened, the cat and the dog got furious too and began hissing and barking, the old man opened the bag to see what was

happening and then the dog and the cat jumped out of the bag. The dog bit his

nose and the cat scratched his face. The people of the village, thinking that he

wanted to make fun of them, broke his ribs with sticks and he got so bruised that he is still trying to recover.

The End

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�THE ANJANA’S PINCUSHION � Spanish anonymous

In Cantabria there are a kind of witches called anjanas, which possess great powers and reward the good and punish the wicked. And there is also a kind of

wizards who only think about harming people and are called ojancanos, because

they have only one eye in the middle of the forehead. The ojancanos live in caves

and they are the anjanas’ enemies.

One day, an anjana lost a pincushion that had four pins with brilliants on each and

three silver needles with gold eye needles.

A poor girl that was asking alms from town to town found it, but her joy didn’t last much because she immediately thought that if she tried to sell it, everyone would

think that she had stolen it. So, not knowing what to do with it, she decided to

keep it.

This poor girl lived with her son who helped her to search for food, but one day

his son went to the forest and did not return, because an ojancano had caught it.

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Distraught to see the days passed and her son had not returned, she continued

asking for alms and kept the pincushion in the pocket. But she didn't know that

her child had been caught by the ojancano and she believed she lost him and he was dead and cried bitterly, because he was her only son.

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One day she was asking for money, she saw an old woman who was sewing. When

passing by, the old woman’s needle broke and said to the girl:

-Would you have a needle by chance?

The poor girl thought for a few seconds and finally replied:

-Yes I have, I’ve just found a pincushion that has three, so take one - and gave it to the old woman.

The girl went on her way and passed in front of a very pretty girl who was sewing

and the same thing happened and gave her the second needle of the pincushion. Later on she passed next to a girl who was sewing and the same thing happened

and the poor girl gave her the third needle.

Then she only had the pincushion’s pins, but a little later she met a young woman who had stuck a thorn in the foot and the woman asked her if she had a pin to help

remove the thorn, and the poor girl gave one of its pins. And yet she returned to

meet with another girl who cried with despair because she had broken the skirt of

her dress, with it the poor spent her last three pins in fixing the skirt so after that the pincushion was empty.

At the end, her path led to the river, but it had no bridge where crossing it, so she began to walk along the shore with the hope of finding somewhere to cross it,

when suddenly she heard the pincushion telling her:

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- Press me near the shore of the river.

The poor girl did what the pincushion told her and suddenly a solid piece of wood

appeared across the river from side to side and the poor passed over it and reached the other shore. The pincushion said:

- Every time you want something or need help, press me.

The poor went on her way, but she couldn’t find a house to ask for food and began

to feel hungry. Then she remembered the pincushion and what it said: «And if the

pincushion would give me something to eat? »

She pressed the pincushion and freshly baked bread appeared in her hands, she

was very happy and ate it while she continued her way. Then, she reached a house

and went to beg for alms, but in the house there was a woman who was crying the

lost of her daughter that had been caught by an ojancano.

Sad, the poor girl told the woman that she herself would go to the forest to see if

she could find her daughter.

Then she remembered the pincushion and not knowing where to start looking, she

pressed strongly and a deer with a light in the forehead appeared. The deer

started walking and the poor girl followed it until the animal stopped in front of a

large stone and there was waiting.

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Bewildered, the poor girl pressed the pincushion and a hammer appeared. She grabbed the hammer and struck the stone with all her strength, the stone broke

into pieces and the ojancano cave appeared. Then she went into the cave

accompanied by the deer and, although the cave was in complete darkness, the

light in the front of the deer’s forehead illuminated them the way.

They toured the cave looking everywhere until the poor girl saw a sleeping boy and

realised it was her son, which the ojancano had taken for so long, she woke him

and the two hugged with immense joy, and then rushed out of the cave with the help of the deer.

They returned to the house of the woman, who was crying the lost of her daughter, but then the poor girl realised the woman, who had stopped crying, was

an anjana.

And the anjana said:

-This is your home now. Don't let your child to go to the forest without care. And

now press the pincushion for the last time.

The poor girl squeezed the pincushion and fifty sheep, fifty goats and six cows

appeared. And while counting them they saw that the deer, the anjana and the

pincushion had disappeared.

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THE END

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� MYTHOLOGY FROM CANTABRIA �

Anjanas are beautiful and delicate, half a foot tall, with white skin and a sweet

voice. Some are like a nightingale when they are happy, and others like a beetle

stepping on leaves in autumn.

Their eyes are serene and loving, with

black or blue pupils as bright as the stars,

and they have nearly transparent wings.

They wear long, black or golden braids,

adorned with multicoloured silk bows and

ribbons; a beautiful crown of wild flowers

on their head; and a blue cape on a long

thin white tunic. They carry in their hands

a stick of wicker or hawthorn which shines

in a different colour every day of the

week.

They are seen walking through the forest trails, resting on the banks of springs and

on the margins of streams which then seem to come alive. They are able to talk with

the water that flows from the fountains and springs.

They help injured animals and trees damaged by storms or the Ojáncana, lovers,

people who lose their way in the forest, and the poor and suffering. Whenever they

wander in villages, they leave gifts at the doors of helpful and kind people. When

summoned for help they accept if the summoner is good of heart, but they also punish

the wicked.

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Fish-man: For many, many years, lived in Liérganes a very fond of water boy because

he loved to dive into the waters of the Miera River. Many hours spent this kid in

the water, so one day he realised that he

didn't need to stay afloat again for being

able to breathe and encouraged for this

discovery, he continued diving and diving

until he suddenly found himself in the Bay

of Santander.

He was so impressed by the spectacle of

his eyes that he continued exploring that

new ground in front of him, sure that

nobody, until that moment, had seen what

he saw.

Years later, and without his family missing

him and thinking he had drowned in the Bay

of Cadiz, fishermen found a marine species completely unknown for them. The animal

that arose from the water had man's head and a white body covered with scales.

They took him to a convent of Friars where they couldn’t get any information, because the Fish-man did not speak; just one day they heard him say: “Liérganes”, and

a monk fell sorry for him and led him to his house. But he was just for a while in it,

because he missed the sea, which had hosted him so well, so he returned to the sea

and he was never seen again..

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Mossy: Nobody has heard him ever, but in the mountains of Cantabria everyone

respects and knows him. Many shepherds owe him their lives. The Mossy lives only to

do well in the forest, to warn of the

dangers of nature, the Ojancano and other

evil beings.

It is a tall and thin man with a pale face,

small, sunken eyes and a very long black

beard. He wears a dry moss jacket and wolf skin sandals and he always carries a

wooden flute in his haversack.

He is always walking, very slowly, as if he

was tired, but he never stops. He

sometimes plays the flute and, while

walking, he plays sweet and, at the same

time, sad melodies that are unmistakable,

but never at night, because at night he whistles. The sound of his flute makes the

shepherds to protect from the oncoming storm, guarding their flocks and seeking

refuge.

Trastolillo: He is a crazy, troublemaker and mocking Goblin who lives in the houses of people. He is covered with fur, he has got a short tail and teeny horns.

His main prank is sifting

flour outside the bowl;

that’s why he is also known

as the “Sifty goblin”. Some

of his favourite pranks are

drinking milk, loosen belt

loops in windy days and burn

the stews. Then, very

hypocritical, he pretends

that he regrets the mess

that he has caused.

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Ojáncano personifies evil for the Highlanders. It is the most unpleasant and

evil of the mythology of Cantabria characters.

It is an enormous ogre, as high as the

tallest trees and so robust as the rocky

mountains.

It has enormous feet and hands: it has ten

toes ending in sharp claws on each foot, and it has ten fingers in their hands, also

topped by claws.

They usually carry a sling of wolf skin, in

one hand, and in the other, a robust black

cane, which can transform into Wolf, Viper

or Raven, three animals of the forest

which are their friends.

Its huge body is covered by rough and reddish hair. The front of this is almost

obscured by a thick beard, which has a single white hair, the weak point of the

Ojáncano: If someone manages to tear out that hair, that will blind the single eye that has on his forehead, and he may kill this unpleasant creature.

Ijanas: These creatures, unruly, greedy and female rifle beehives and

enter homes to steal food. Then they

stuff with water from rivers.

They go naked and they all have a huge

breast that rests on their right

shoulder.

The priest of San Pantaleón decided to

eliminate them by ordering to set fire to

the caves where they lived; but shortly after, they returned, ready to burn the

houses of the neighbourhood starting

with the Priest’s

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The Sirenuca was a young and beautiful Cantabrian girl. Legend says that,

disobeying her mother, she used to gather shellfish in the most dangerous cliffs of

Castro-Urdiales to sing to the rhythm of

the waves of the sea. Her mother tired of

this situation, worried about what might

happen to her daughter, cursed her saying:

“So Heaven’s God let you turn into a fish!”

This beautiful girl was converted into a

woman with a long, bright tail of a fish.

Tradition says that even today the young

girl sings her song to sailors lost through

the mist to alert them that they are

approaching the cliffs.

Tentirujo: Malicious Goblin with pointy ears, long hands, brown skin, reddish robes

and a beret on the head.

He dedicates himself to pervert lonely girls

through caresses that performs while it is invisible with the help of a young plant of

mandrake which always has in his hand.

Girls who have gone through that singular

experience change their conduct from being

lonely to become cheerful and passionate.

It is believed that the Tentirujo may have

some relation with Masabakes, the she-devil

of lust, and that it is she who tells him the

place where he must act helping him to be

transported up to that place.

THE END