Basajaun
In Basque mythology, Basajaun (Basque: [bas̺ajaun], "Lord of the forest",[1][2] plural: basajaunak, female basandere) is a huge, hairy hominid dwelling in the woods. They were thought to build megaliths[citation needed], protect flocks of livestock, and teach skills such as agriculture and ironworking to humans.[1]
Nomenclature
[edit]The creature is called Basjun the Basque-Navarre valleys as well as the Aragonese Pyrenees,[2] while in the valleys of Tena, Anso and Broto, places that preserve Basque toponymy. the creature is called Basajarau, Bonjarau[2] or Bosnerau. Thus the creature also known in the neighboring regions as part of Aragonese mythology.
The basajaunak were said to inhabit the forests of Gorbea and Irati.[citation needed]
General description
[edit]The Basajaun is said to have a tall, human form, with his face and body covered in hair, with the strands reaching the knees.[3] His two feet are differently shaped, thus leaving an odd set of foot tracks. While one foot is normal, the other one (left foot[4]) is rounded like the tree stump (base of a tree trunk[2]), and leaves circular footprints.[2][4]
Far from being aggressive, the Basajaun is protective of sheep flocks from wild beasts (wolves[3]) and storms,[2][1] An indication of his presence is that the sheep will all start shaking their bells simultaneously, and the shepherd can go to sleep, delegating the nightwatch to the Basajaun.[3] When a storm (or wolves[citation needed]) approaches, the Basajaun makes a howling cry in the mountains to warn shepherds.[3] In exchange, the Basajaunak receive a piece of bread as tribute, which they collected while the shepherds were asleep.[citation needed] Naturally, the beginnings of Christianity (Kixmi) and the spread of technology coincide with the period when the Romans came to the Basque Country.[citation needed]
The Basajaun sometimes appears in the stories as terrifying man of the forest, of prodigious strength with whom it was better not to run into.[3][5] However, Basajaun is also said to have been the world's first farmer who taught mankind how to cultivate cereals. Basajaun was also the world's first blacksmith, and miller, from whom mankind stole the secrets of making the saw, the mill axle, and the art of welding.[3] Alternatively, it was the trickster San Martin Txiki acquired these various skills from them, which he subsequently taught to humans.[5]
Some authors[6][7] have suggested that the Basajaun myth is a folk memory of early human contact with Neanderthal populations in the Iberian Peninsula.
Comparative mythology
[edit]The Basajaun (var. basojaun, basayaun) is considered a variety of "wild man",{{Refn|French: homme sauvage.[4] or the Basa Andre with "wild woman", each comparable with the ogre and ogress.[8] Various cultures across Europe have their own unique concept of the "wild man", with distinct names and folklore.[9]
A comparison has been made between Basajaun and the Roman god Silvanus,[11] although it is the salvan or salvang the wild man of Lombardy which is linguistically derived from Silvanus.[9] Silvanus was more fully known as "Silvanus sylvestris deus", protector of forests and plantations, and "Silvanus agrestis", who safeguarded shepherds from harm. This pattern is also common among the different variations of the wild man myth.[citation needed]
Like the Jentilak, the Basajaun is a large, hairy, wild man who lived in dark jungles and deep caves, but unlike them, he is very wise. The Basajaun is said to have been among the last of the surviving Jentilak during the arrival of Christianity. He is presented as the protective genius of the flocks, and when a storm approaches, he roars for the shepherds to protect the flock. He also prevents wolves from getting close to the herd. He has also been depicted as a fearsome and evil man of great strength.[citation needed]
Similarity between the Brazilian legendary creature pé de garrafa ("bottle foot") which leaves footprints like the bottom of a bottle, and the round footprinted (as described by Vison[4]) has also been noted by Luís da Câmara Cascudo.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Lurker, Manfred [in German] (1987). "Basajaun". The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons. Routledge. p. 30. ISBN 0-415-34018-7.
- ^ a b c d e f "Basajarau/ Bonjarau". Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa Online (in Spanish). DiCom Medios SL. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e f Martín de Retana, José María, ed. (1974). "Basajaun". Gran Enciclopedia Vasca (in Spanish). Vol. VII. Editorial La Gran Enciclopedia Vasca. p. 381.
- ^ a b c d Vinson (1883), p. xiii.
- ^ a b Lezama Perier, Patxi Xabier [in Basque] (2018). Mitología Vasca: Historia de los mitos y deidades del universo mitológico vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Le Quellec, Jean-Loïc [in French] (2020). "Néandertal a été déshumanisé au prétexte de sa différence". Archéologia (585): 17. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ Čović, Kristina (2020). Izumiranje neandertalaca: glavne teorije o nestanku interpretirane kroz prizmu prasvijesti i uz pomoć paleofikcije paleontologa Björna Kurténa pri modeliranju prapovijesnih scenarija (Master's thesis) (in Croatian). University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. p. 44. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ Ralston, W. R. S. (17 February 1877). "Literature: Basque legends". Archéologia. 11 (250): 129–130.
- ^ a b Bernheimer, Richard (1952). Wild men in the Middle Ages: A Study in Art, Sentiment and Demonology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. p. 42. ISBN 0-374-90616-5.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ Leeming, David (2003). From Olympus to Camelot: The World of European Mythology. Oxford University Press. p. 134. ISBN 9780190286712.
- ^ Leeming[10] citing Blazquiez, "Basque Religion" Translated by Erica Melzer, in The Encyclopedia of Religion. 2:80
- ^ Cascudo, Luís da Câmara (1962) [1954]. "Pé-de-garrafa". Dicionário do folclore brasileiro (in Portuguese). Vol. 2 (J–Z) (2 ed.). Brasília: Instituto Nacional do Livro. p. 583; Vol. 1 (A–I)
Sources
[edit]- Barandiaran, Jose Migel (1973) [1922]. Eusko-Mitologia. Obras completas II. Bilbao: Editorial La Gran Encïclopedia Vasca. ISBN 9788424801922.
- Barandiaran, Jose Migel (1960). Mitología vasca. Madrid: Editorial La Gran Enciclopedia Vasca. pp. 75–76.
- Martínez de Lezea, Toti (2014). Leyendas de Euskal Herria. Madrid: Erein. pp. 25–26.
- Vinson, Julien (1883). "I. Les trois Vérités, X. Basa-Jaun aveuglé". Le Folklore du Pays basque. Paris: Maisonneuve et Larose. pp. 10–11, 43–45. bnf