BASAJAUN



Basajaun, the Lord of the forest, is generally represented as an indomitable, choleric and savage being. However, in Basque mythology he is also considered the 'protector' of shepherds and flocks because, according to legend, his terrible cries warned of the arrival of violent storms and so all creatures hurried to seek shelter.


In the popular imagination, its body is covered with hair and it is attributed a colossal and terrifying strength. The Basajuanes, as a lineage, also symbolise the passage from the nomadic to the domestic, as they possessed the secrets of house building, agriculture, blacksmithing and the manufacture of grain; secrets that, with ingenuity and trickery, were stolen from them by the ancient Basques in order to form the first farmhouses.

In Aragonese mythology, Basajaun is spoken of by similar names (Bonjarau or Bosnerau).