Witchcraft in Spain , as in some countries of the rest of Europe, had its apogee in the XVI and XVII. In these black years, thousands of women were persecuted and executed by the Inquisition. This court, with the help of the civil authorities of the time, killed many women for the simple fact of considering them witches even if they did not have proof of it . The witches of Spain were located mostly in the north of the country, many of these women were simple healers although sometimes there are much more macabre stories that we will tell you in this article.
This obsession with witches and witchcraft would disappear in the enlightened period, so it was at this time that they began to be part of popular culture and fantasy. If you want to know the main stories about the witches of Spain, this article is made for you. Uncover them!
4 witches from Spain and their stories | Ancient and mysterious cases
1. The witches of Zugarramurdi
Without a doubt, these women were the most popular witches in Spain that existed. His story has been represented several times in the world of art, both in film and in painting. This Navarrese town, was one of the most persecuted by the inquisitors reason why soon it took the fame from which it was plagued of sorceresses . In this case, which was taken by the Holy Office of Logroño, eighteen women were forgiven although the remaining eleven were burned at the stake for not confessing their supposed sins. The case began when a neighbor arrived in this town in the French Basque country, began to tell stories about witchcraft and even claimed that it had belonged to a coven . It began to relate to some neighbors of the town with these practices and soon the Inquisition sent to investigate the case, after the confession of four of them, they managed to capture many more. The residents of Zugarramurdi came to declare that they were behind all the bad weather and brought misfortune to the town. These poor women were victims of the stories of children who were true and of a French king who wanted to exterminate women with the excuse of witchcraft.
2. The witches of Trasmoz
This town is famous, as well as for its legendary stories about sorcery, for being the place where Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer stayed and was inspired to write his famous "Rimas y Leyendas". According to the inhabitants, the witches of this village located in the Moncayo had the power to heal the whole world with supernatural powers . The tradition of Dorotea and her fellow witches, has been established to this day because in Trasmoz each year special tributes are celebrated to these women who are among the most famous witches in Spain.
3. The town of Soportújar
This time, we are going to move south, specifically to a town in Granada. The town of Soportújar was founded by sorceresses fleeing the Holy Inquisition. It is said that in him, they continued to meet in covens to continue practicing their spells . These foreigners came from Galicia, is much more prone to witchcraft. As in Trasmoz, the current inhabitants of Soportújar are very proud of their past and celebrate year after year the so-called Festival of Embrujo.
4. The witches of Coiro
El Morrazo, is a peninsula located in Galicia that is reputed to be one of the most magical in the country. These meigas, in particular, lived in San Salvador de Coiro and performed their rituals on the beach called by the bell of the town's bell tower. The great curiosity is that the residents of this Galician village perjured that the bell tolled alone calling the witches to perform their rites . Some of these brave women were hanged or burned for witchcraft in one of the many processes that took place in the area.
As you may have seen, the stories of the witches in Spain followed a fairly common pattern. Most of the stories or accusations were unfounded by the neighbors, if the woman accused as a witch had a somewhat rarer attitude than usual she was condemned and murdered at the stake. His legends have given rise to much popular fantasy and countless stories that are very famous in those areas.
Now we would be interested to know your opinion about the witches of Spain. Have you seen the famous movie called "The Witches of Zugarramurdi" of Álex de la Iglesia? What do you think is the reason why there is more witchcraft tradition in the north than in the south? Are you of the opinion that the witches were falsely accused or do you think that they were really capable of performing spells? Leave us your comments, We are looking forward to reading them and that you make us part of them!