The 11 best Canarian legends
The Canary Islands are full of legends full of emotions, love, tragedy and magic that mark the stories of this region. In this article you will know each of them and immerse yourself in the Canarian culture, taking you to see the islands from another perspective.
The curse of Laurinaga (Fuerteventura)
This is one of the legends of the Canary Islands that show us a bit of drama, revenge and hatred. It is the story of Don Pedro Fernández de Saavedra, a very wealthy man from Fuerteventura.
He had a passionate affair with an indigenous woman (Lauringa) who had a son whom Fernández never recognized. A short time later, Don Pedro Fernández met a woman of the same social class with whom he had other children.
As the years passed, one of his sons, Luis Fernández de Herrera, grew up. One day in the village, he was attracted to a beautiful Indian woman whom he tried to rape. A young man when he saw him wanted to defend the woman, but Don Pedro arrived at the scene and without knowing what was happening, he killed this young man to defend his son.
An old woman of the tribe, knowing this, approached Don Pedro and told him that the young man he had killed was the unrecognized son and that she was Lauringa. He cast a curse and since then the land of Fuerteventura became arid and desert.
San Borondón.
Of the legends of the Canary Islands, this is one of the most curious. The island of San Borodón, also known as the Lost Island is a mysterious island that stands out in some documents of the Canarian cartography and that according to the belief of the region appears and disappears.
It is an island of black sand that according to legend, was discovered by the monk San Badrán (from which the name of the island arises). This monk, upon discovering it, brought with him an entire troop to conquer it, but after a very short time, in the celebration of a Mass, the island began to shake and this troop was sunk by a giant sea creature.
The story was deeply rooted in medieval culture, so much so that many went on expeditions in search of this island and added it on maps of medieval Europe, even without knowing it.
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The legend of Amarca (Tenerife)
The legend of the young Amarca, tells the story of this beautiful maiden, who was courted by the young people of the island, who lived in the menceyato of Ycoden. Brlicar, a very wealthy royal man, fixed his eyes on this maiden praising her beauty with gifts and courting her.
Another young pastor named Garigaiga, also fell in love with her and bravely began to woo her, to which this young woman only responded with rejections. This bad treatment by Amarca, led the young pastor to commit suicide.
The other young women of the village began to blame Amarca for this tragedy, with such pressure that the maiden, fled the village and also took her own life.
Legends of Anaga (Tenerife).
This island actually hides many legends, one of them is that of the witches of the forest of Anaga, which is said that in medieval times, they performed dances and incantations, many of them naked in the middle of the forest.
In some of these incantations they sacrificed victims, to which is attributed the red color of the wise of the trees that are born in this forest. It is also attributed to the shed blood of the aborigines who at that time used this forest to take refuge from the invaders.
There are other legends linked to this island, such as the Pirate "Dog's Head" who according to the story, hid a treasure on the cliffs of the island.
The violet of the Summits (La Palma).
A Canarian legend full of romance and sacrifice: the typical story of Romeo and Juliet, but with Canarian essence. It is the story of two young people who loved each other and lived a love forbidden and frowned upon by the society of that time.
These young people used to have secret encounters, but one day, the devil, jealous of this love raised a large rock as a wall between both lovers. In desperation to see each other, the young man climbed the wall to pass to the other side, but sadly fell into the abyss and died.
A short time later, at the top of this summit, the body of a young woman bathed in frost was found, it is said that she is the same maiden who still searches the summit for her beloved.
The legend of Garajonay (La Gomera).
Tragedy reigns in this story, as well as the mysticism of the belief that affirms that the spirit of these two young protagonists of this legend still dwells in the forest of the Garajonay Park, located between the small island of La Gomera and Tenerife.
Princess Gara of La Gomera Island, was a beautiful maiden, who was courted by Jonay, the Prince of Tenerife.
To prove his love, Jonay made a boat made of goatskin wineskin, on which he crossed the sea that separated the two islands in search of the princess' love. However, under pressure from society at the time, Princess Gara rejected him, and he, hurt by the refusal, struck the young woman.
The local authorities sentenced him to death but Gara, repentant, secretly released him and fled to the mountains where they ended their lives by crossing their hearts with an arrow.
The devil of Timanfaya (Lanzarote).
The legend of Timanfaya, tells the story of the belief that it is the devil himself who inhabits this volcano. It has its origin in the volcanic eruption of 1730 that caused a quarter of the island to disappear under the abrasive lava.
That day a wedding was held, where the unfortunate bride (Vera) could not escape the chaos and was buried under a huge stone. The husband (Aloe) in desperation, tried to remove the stone with a 5-pointed rock but the young woman had already died.
Heartbroken, he took this rock and took it inside the volcano to confront the devil, where he disappeared. Today in that place grows a plant called Aloe Vera, which serves to cure burns.
Guaiota, the devil of Teide (Tenerife)
This legend tells that an evil God named Guaiota, lived inside the Teide. When he was enraged, he sent from this mountain a burning lava over the village.
The natives of this place began to implore the Sun God (Magec) to save them from the evil of Guaiota. This one, jealous that the men began to worship Magec, kidnapped him and locked him inside the mountain.
The people, in total darkness, went to Achaman, who defeated Guaiota, freeing Magec and locking the evil God in the bush, where he covered its top with a whitish flake that can now be seen from afar.
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The guardian of Ansosa (La Gomera).
Evil spirits besieged the Valley of Ansosa, in search of the secret of the fertility and beauty of the lands of this region. The Bucio, was the guardian of this land, who is depicted as the face of a sleeping lion.
On one occasion, tired by the siege of these dark beings, the brave inhabitants of the region of Ansosa, armed themselves with courage to face them with the support of the Bucio.
Finally, after a long war, they managed to win the fight against the spirits that bothered the people. However, this struggle took the lives of some brave people who perished in battle and now together with the Bucio, they take care of the valley and its inhabitants.
The Cry of Ferinto (The Iron)
The protagonist of this legend is the brave warrior named Ferinto, part of the aboriginal tribes at the time of the conquest of the Canary Islands. This brave warrior was one of the few who dared to face the conquerors and managed to escape on several occasions.
However, in one of his escapes, a traitor of his tribe revealed his whereabouts to the pursuers of this young man, who found and surrounded him until cornering him on a cliff. To escape he took a leap known as the "Salto del Guincho", where unfortunately he did not succeed.
It is said that, upon being caught, Ferinto gave a scream that was heard throughout the island, so much so that his mother, hearing it from afar, at the other end of the island, knew that her son had been defeated.
The Death of Doramas (Gran Canaria)
This Canarian legend, is the brave fighter named Doramas, who fought against the troops of Pedro de Vera. Being tired of seeing his people die in combat, he challenges the conqueror to fight the two of them face to face.
Pedro de Vera refused to fight Doramas himself, but commanded one of the strongest of his troops, Juan de Hozes.
Doramas managed to defeat Hozes and Pedro de Vera, seeing this, became so enraged that he himself headed to confront Doramas. However, despite Doramas' strength, in an evil plan of betrayal, Vera's squire wounded the native warrior from behind who, after being killed, was beheaded and nailed to a pike.