What mythical creatures did the Spanish believe in?

Answer 1

Basa-Jaun (Homme de Bouc): An ogre of the Basque in northwestern Spain, whose name means "lord of the woods". He is given credit for teaching mankind the art of agriculture and forging. He lives high in the Pyrenean Mountains, in the woods and caves where he protects the flocks of sheep and goats from predators and thunderstorms. But he has a malignant nature and will trap and torture humans if they stray into his domain. In some stories, he is described as a spirit that is mischievous, but not malignant. Bicha: In Spanish folklore, a monster depicted as having the body of a bull and the head and face of a human. Caballucos del diablo: "Devil's small horses". In Cantabria (northern Spain), it is told that those creatures appear with a terrific cry at Saint John's Eve, amongst fire and smoke. There are seven winged horses, of seven different colors: red, orange, yellow, white, black, blue and green. The red one is the strongest, and their leader. All the horses are mounted by demons. During this one night, they roam the land, in search of four-leaf clovers, that are rare, and considered as powerful lucky charms. The mission of the horses and riders is to destroy as many four-leaf clovers as they can find, to avoid people searching them next morning to benefit from this gift. Chupacabra: The Chupacabra or chupacabras is a creature resembling a living gargoyle that is said to exist in parts of Latin America (mainly Mexico). The chupacabra is also reported to have been seen by multiple eye-witnesses in Calaveras County, California. According to these reports, the creature was sighted for the first time in the early to middle 1990s, harming animals of different species - although it is now thought that people did this themselves. Translated literally from Spanish as "goat-sucker", the chupacabra is said to attack small livestock and drink their blood. Some witnesses reported seeing a small, dark green figure around the areas of the killings, giving police and news reporters the feeling that the chupacabra could, in fact, be an extra-terrestrial figure. Soon after the animal deaths in Puerto Rico, other animal deaths began being reported in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, the United StatesMexico. Both in Puerto Rico and Mexico, El Chupacabras gained urban legend status. In July of 2004, a rancher near San Antonio, Texas, killed a hairless, dog-like creature (the Elmendorf Creature) that was attacking his livestock. As of yet, no one has been able to determine just what the creature is. In October of 2004, two animals which closely resemble the Elmendorf creature were observed in the same area. The first was dead, and the second was noticed by a local zoologist who was called to identify the animal while she was traveling to the location where the first was found. The Chupacabra has been spotted as far north as the Carolinas. Chupacabras are said to prominently appear in two specific forms. The first and most common: a lizard-like being, appearing to have leathery/scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down its back. It stands approximately 3-4 feet high, and stands/hops in a similar fashion as a kangaroo (in at least one sighting, the creature hopped 20 feet). This variety is said to have a dog or panther-like nose and face, a forked tongue protruding from it, large fangs, and is said to hiss and screech when alarmed, as well as to leave a sulfuric stench behind. The second variety also stands/hops as a kangaroo, and it has coarse fur with grayish facial hair. The head is similar to a dog's, and its mouth has large teeth. Witnesses claim some chupacabras are covered with black hair, have red eyes, a bulbous head, and bat-like wings. Sometimes they crawl on all fours and other times they stand erect (like prairie dogs do). They are very quick, can climb well, and usually run away when seen. Some say their eyes have the ability to hypnotize and paralyze their prey-the prey animal is mentally stunned. This allows the chupacabra to suck the animal's blood at its leisure. The effect is similar to a snake or spider that stuns its prey with venom. The chupacabra sucks all the animal's blood (and sometimes organs) through a single hole or two holes, unlike other predators that tear the corpse apart. Culebre: In Cantabrian (northern Spain) folklore, it is a dragon-like creature, or a snake with two bat-like wings, that exhales fire and sulfur. Culebres are very dangerous, but it is worth fighting against them, because they usually hide huge treasures in their dens. Dones d'aigua: Dones d'aigua (Maids of the Water): are typical beings of Cataluña, and they appear in many myths. They live in any place where they can find clean water (wells, springs, fountains, lakes), but they can also be found in woods and caves. They appear as women of incredible beauty, although half of their body can be fish- or bird-like (as for many other faeries of Spanish folklore and Indo-European myths). Dones d'aigua often guards wonderful treasures. They are always good and kind to humans. Duende: A Spanish house spirit, these are færies from the Iberian Peninsula, Mexico, Central and South America. They appear as middle-aged women dressed in green robes and with long icicle like fingers. They are extremely jealous of humans and are known to take over human houses, throwing things and moving furniture about. It can be seen by anyone who bends low enough to look backwards through his legs.

Espumeros: "Foamers". Marine beings form the Cantabric (northern Spain) coast. Their appearance is that of fat children. They wear tunics that are the colour of algae. They like to play in top of the waves, forming small whirlpools in them. The Sirens are their friends, and they usually give the Espumeros seashell trumpets as a gift. As those marine beings are very good willing and helpful to fishermen, they blow into their sea trumpets when there is going to be a storm. Thus the seamen are warned that it is safer to return to port. Espumeros also help farmers sometimes, carrying water in their trumpets to water the crops. Ijanas:Female creatures of Cantabrian (northern Spain) folklore, they live in caves, are always naked, and have breasts so long, that to walk they must put them over their shoulders. Very greedy and unquiet, they spend their time looking for food, destroying beehives in search of honey and entering houses without permission. Yet, unless bothered, they are not particularly dangerous, just very much annoying.