La Güestia
This picture was taken in a village in Asturias (Spain) in 1892, where two kids passed away from tuberculosis.
In these remote areas people still tell the tales of La Güestia, a ghostly procession that will march towards a dying person’s house and carry them off to join them.
© Eduardo Valdés-Hevia
Les Llavanderes
In the forests of Asturias, people know to beware of the scraping sound of washboards near streams. It means the Llavanderes are working.
One of the washerwomen will ask for help drying her blood-soaked shroud. Never twist it in the same direction as her, or she will drown you.
© Eduardo Valdés-Hevia
El Pesadiellu
According to local legends, a creature called Pesadiellu haunts people in their sleep. It will stand atop you, pressing down on your chest to cause suffocation and nightmares. As soon as you wake, it will vanish.
It takes many forms, from a huge hairy hand (la Manona), to a male goat, to a purely invisible being. All across Asturias, it is believed to be the cause of many of the horrors that affect us in our slumber.
© Eduardo Valdés-Hevia
El Sumiciu
In Asturian stories, the Sumiciu is an entity that embodies the void. When someone loses an object that seemed to be in front of them moments ago, they will usually accuse the greedy Sumiciu of swallowing it.
Oft misconceived as a house elf, its true shape is shrouded in mystery.
© Eduardo Valdés-Hevia. Original Picture by Autobus_Memoria_Digital.
La Pesanta
People from Catalunya still whisper stories of la Pesanta, the monster said to be behind nightmares and sleep paralysis. It will press on you with its leaden weight, its hands cracked with gashes and holes. Wake up and look at it, and it will flee like a shadow.
Stories of similar creatures are not only extended in Spain, but throughout Europe, the Arab world and further beyond.
Commissioned by @LaPesanta © Eduardo Valdés-Hevia
Can do Urco
Picture by an unknown photographer sometime in the 1910s, in the coast of Galicia (Spain). In this area, the Can do Urco is an ominous sign.
If you see the enormous red-eyed hound dragging its chains out of the sea, or hear it howling over the roaring water, your death is near.
© Eduardo Valdés-Hevia
Krampus
Though modern Alpine folk stories describe Krampus as the assistant to Saint Nicholas, it is believed the character has much older, possibly pre-Christian origins.
Stories of such creatures have been widespread in the region, dating back to Celtic myths of the Horned God.
CC-BY-SA Eduardo Valdés-Hevia. Head Source.
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