Bécquer’s Legends of Spain

Posted on Sep 21, 2024 in English

Bécquer’s Legends of Spain

The Gold Bracelet

Abstract

Pedro Alfonso de Orellana’s love for Maria Antunez knew no bounds. One day, he found her crying. After much insistence, he discovered that she desperately desired a gold bracelet depicting the Virgen del Sagrario, the patron saint of Toledo.

Driven by his love, Pedro attempted to steal the coveted bracelet from the Cathedral that night. However, he was unable to do so, as he witnessed supernatural beings, hideous vermin, and resurrected corpses within the temple. Terrified by these visions, he fainted and fell to the ground. The next morning, he was found delirious in the church, clutching the bracelet in his hands.

The Mountain of Souls

Abstract

This legend tells the story of two young nobles, Beatriz, a foreigner from Soria, and her beloved. On All Saints’ Day, while returning from the Mountain of Souls to the city, Beatriz asked to visit the mountain again. Legend had it that on that night, the monastery bells would ring, and the souls of the dead would rise. They went to the castle, and after dinner, they gathered in a cozy room where elders told stories about demons. The two lovers did not speak, only gazed into each other’s eyes. When they finally spoke, they decided to exchange gifts before Beatriz’s departure to her homeland. He would give her a jewel, and she would give him a blue ribbon she had lost on the mountain that morning. The young man went to search for the ribbon but never returned. Beatriz went to bed but couldn’t sleep. Suddenly, she saw the ribbon, which had lured her beloved to the mountain, covered in blood and torn. She screamed, and the servants found her dead from fright.

Green Eyes

Abstract

During a hunt, Fernando de Argensola shot and wounded a deer, which fled into a forbidden forest. Neither hunters nor dogs dared to enter this area, as it was the source of the Los Alamos River, and it was said that anyone who ventured in would face an evil spirit. Fernando, however, pursued the deer and retrieved it. From that day forward, his behavior changed. He became pale and introverted, preferring to hunt alone and never bringing back any game. His friend, Iñigo, worried about him, and Fernando confessed that he had encountered a beautiful girl with mesmerizing green eyes at the source. He knew she was the spirit but needed to see her again. He returned to the source and, upon finding the girl, confessed his love. The lady then spoke, declaring her love for him, embraced him, and led him into the lake.

Maese Perez, the Organist

Abstract

Maese Perez was an elderly organist at the Seville Cathedral, beloved by all for his exceptional playing, which reached its peak during midnight mass. It was during one such mass that the old man suddenly died from an illness. The following year, during the same midnight mass, an angelic melody emanated from the cathedral organ, even though no one was playing it. It was undoubtedly the spirit of the old organist, delighting his parishioners once more.

The Moonlight

Abstract

Manrique, a solitary and resolute nobleman, cherished solitude above all else. His greatest passion was poetry, and his solitary nature allowed him to think and exercise his mind. One warm summer night in the woods of Soria, Manrique encountered a woman dressed in white who appeared to him as the perfect woman. He tried to follow her, but she vanished. For two months, his efforts to find her were in vain. However, one night, upon returning to the same spot, the scene repeated itself, just as fleetingly. He realized that he had been pursuing a moonbeam that filtered through the forest foliage. This led him to contemplate the idea that love and glory are as elusive as a moonbeam.

The Miserere

Abstract

A man discovered a book in an abbey. While reading it, he stumbled upon a word on the edge of a page whose meaning he didn’t know. He asked an old man about it, and the old man, recognizing the word, shared an ancient legend. The legend told of a man who sought shelter and a piece of bread at the abbey. The monks welcomed him, and during dinner, they questioned him. He answered most of their inquiries until they asked, “What is your profession?” The man replied that he was a musician and was currently composing the Miserere, a musical piece intended to seek God’s forgiveness for all sins. Upon hearing this, one of the monks mentioned that his work was already done, as in a nearby mountain monastery, they had heard the dead monks chanting the Miserere every night. The musician decided to climb to the monastery and transcribe the music to complete his score. Once inside the dilapidated monastery, he saw only the skeletons of the monks, who rose and arranged themselves in a line to sing the Miserere. The astonished man tried to stay alert to capture the music, but when the monks reached the tenth verse, a bright flash froze him and rendered him unconscious. When he awoke the next day, he descended the mountain, returned to the abbey, and sought refuge there to write down the Miserere. He wrote everything he had heard, but when he tried to write the ending, it was impossible. He wrote numerous drafts but failed, and his frustration drove him to madness and death.

The Kiss

Abstract

French troops entered Toledo in the early nineteenth century. One of the captains was quartered in a church with some of his soldiers. The next day, the officers gathered at the Zocodover Square, and they inquired about the captain’s night. He recounted how a noise had awakened him, and before going back to sleep in the darkness, he had seen a beautiful woman, but she was made of marble. Beside her stood another statue, a soldier whom the captain assumed was her husband. Intrigued, his comrades decided to visit the church that night, bringing wine with them. They investigated and discovered that the statues depicted a famous warrior and his wife, Doña Elvira Castañeda. Upon entering the church, they were captivated by the statues and began drinking. A soldier threw a glass of wine at the warrior’s statue. Moments later, the captain attempted to kiss the lips of Doña Elvira’s statue, but her marble husband raised his arm and struck the officer in the face, causing him to bleed from his mouth, nose, and eyes.

The Christ of Calvary

Abstract

The King of Castile sent his knights to Toledo. They were welcomed with festivities, but the grandest celebration took place the day before the knights departed for war. The protagonist of this event was Doña Inés de Tordesillas, a beautiful woman admired by all men, but only two were vying for her heart: Alonso de Ojeda and Lope de Sandoval, both renowned for their prowess. On the day of the ceremony, Doña Inés realized that they would have to duel for her affection. They searched throughout the night for a suitable location and finally found a shed illuminated by a single light, where a statue of Christ and a skull lay. The men prayed and prepared to fight, but as they drew their swords, the light went out. When it returned, they drew their swords again, and the light extinguished once more. This happened repeatedly until a voice, filled with profound fear, echoed through the shed. They realized that a higher power did not want the duel to take place. They decided that Inés had to choose and went to her balcony, ready to woo her. However, to their surprise, they discovered Doña Inés bidding farewell to her beloved. Their initial reaction was to draw their swords and kill the man, but they reconsidered and let out a laugh that echoed through the city, prompting Doña Inés’s departure. The next day, during the farewell ceremony, Doña Inés, disguised as a bridesmaid, anxiously wondered if the laughter had resulted from the death of one of the knights. She was relieved to see both men marching unharmed in the ranks.

Three Dates

Abstract

This legend is narrated in the first person, with the author, Bécquer, recounting a personal experience. During a vacation in Toledo, Bécquer dedicated his time to exploring the city. One day, while walking down a narrow street, he noticed a curtain moving in a window. He observed it for a while but saw no one. This happened repeatedly on subsequent days, and he became captivated by the mysterious woman behind the curtain. He became obsessed with her until he had to return to Madrid, where he eventually forgot about his obsession. However, he had noted the date of his last day in Toledo, the last day he saw the figure behind the curtain. That was the first date. Some time later, he returned to Toledo, seeking inspiration for his drawings. He found a picturesque spot where a convent, once a mosque and a nobleman’s palace, stood. He deemed it perfect for drawing and sat on a stone. Suddenly, from a window, he saw a graceful, white hand waving. The hand vanished, and despite his hopes, it did not reappear. He returned to Madrid that same day and noted the date. That was the second date. A year later, he returned to Toledo, and as fate would have it, he found himself in the same square where the convent stood. The bells were tolling, and noises emanated from within, indicating a ceremony was taking place. He entered and witnessed the final moments of a nun’s taking of the habit, where her hair was cut, and she was clothed in the nun’s attire, signifying her permanent seclusion in the cloister. Bécquer inquired about the woman from an elderly lady who was weeping, and she informed him that the young woman was a count’s daughter who had been orphaned a year prior when her parents succumbed to cholera. He asked for the street where she had lived, and upon hearing it, he realized it was the same street where the curtain had moved. That day, he noted the third date.

The White Doe

Abstract

This legend tells the story of Don Dionis, a retired soldier who lived with his beautiful daughter, Constanza, nicknamed the Lily of Moncayo, in a castle in Aragon. One day, while resting, they were conversing with a young shepherd named Esteban. Esteban told them that deer were rarely hunted in the area, but one day, he had discovered fresh tracks of a herd. He decided to hide at night to observe them, and when they arrived, he swore he heard them talking and mentioning his name. He then turned and saw a white doe. Don Dionis and his daughter laughed and dismissed his story, but Garcés, Constanza’s servant, believed him. One night, Garcés, in a state of agitation, claimed that he had heard others speak of the white doe and that hunters would come seeking it. However, no one believed him. Determined to prove his story, he decided to hunt the white doe that night and present it to Constanza. He waited for a long time and eventually fell asleep until something awakened him. Suddenly, he saw a group of deer, including a white one, heading towards the river. He witnessed the deer shedding their skins and transforming into beautiful women who began bathing. Among them, he recognized a figure resembling Constanza, but he dismissed it as a hallucination and prepared to shoot the white doe. Suddenly, the deer fled, and the white doe became entangled in the brambles. As Garcés was about to shoot, he heard the doe say, “What are you doing, Garcés?” The voice sounded like Constanza’s, but the deer escaped, and he, believing it was all a figment of his imagination, gave up the hunt. When he returned to the spot where he had encountered the deer, he found Constanza dead beneath his crossbow.

The Gnome

Abstract:

In this legend a group of girls returning from getting water supply met Uncle Greogorio, the oldest of the place, which they turned so late was because of the source. They asked him to tell a story, and told him not to go so long at the source, since they would have problems. Wolf said that in addition, at night in that source were gnomes, some evil beings. He told them that once a pastor went missing in one of the hidden caves of gnomes, and that was about to die for their greed, since the cave was full of unimaginable wealth, but ultimately left the cave without taking anything, but died shortly afterwards.

The girls were and had no thought but two sisters, Martha and Magdalene, which were orphaned, and who had a deep hatred that he had never come to light since they were very different. The next day the two girls decided to go to the source when it was night. A Marta water began to speak, to go with her and she started talking Magdalena wind. Eventually they were persuaded and each with one. Magdalena appeared the next day, pale and frightened, and dying, but Magdalena was heard no more, except that they found the next day his jug ears. Some people say that some nights you hear mourn with Marta, a prisoner of water in the bottom of the pan.

Since then, all the girls are going to fill their jugs at dawn, and return prontísimo.

BELIEVE IN GOD

Abstract:

This legend tells of a count, Theobald, motherless since birth and father died a few years later. He was a man, bad, mean, and that was very bad people. A day’s hunt took refuge in a church because it had not caught anything, and for this reason he was about to kill the priest, while it told him to repent, but Tybalt replied that he did not believe in God. Suddenly he heard the voice of a boar was walking nearby. She ran after him until he got to hurt, but at that moment his horse died of exhaustion that was and the hours he had run after wild boar. At that moment a page that gave a black steed, and smiled at the time that mounted Theobald. Then the horse bolted long time and was running through valleys, villages, mountains, all unknown to him, and there came a time when the horse began to fly through the sky and Theobald was watching the sinners, those who had been accepted into heaven, the archangels, the Virgin. Then came a long way when he stood before God. Increased head to look at it and then found blinded, wounded, falling into an abyss. He awoke and found himself in the forest where he had wounded the boar, which had killed his horse.

He was far from his lordship so he went to a house looking for asylum and when he told his name to the people laughed at it or taking crazy. At the end came the next day at the castle, which was old, without gatekeepers and different. Opened and a monk came to greet him. This will explain that the count had taken him as the devil and had no children had donated their possessions to the clergy. The monk asked for his identity and said it was just a miserable sorry I wanted to join the order. And from there began to believe.