Basque tales
Here are various tales Basque : The Frenchwoman on horseback, the Licq bridge, Basa Jaun and the cowherds
French woman on horseback
A French woman was riding her horse near the Anderregi house, on the edge of the path from Oiartzun to Irun.
She stopped at the chapel dedicated to Santiago and San Felipe and stole the rosary hanging from the hands of the virgin.
She was walking away with her mount when, a stone's throw away, a person appeared to her, ordering her to return what she had stolen.
She replied by denying the fact and perjuring herself she said:
“Arribiur !. May I turn to stone if what I say is not the truth! "
God punishes her, as she was he petrified her.
The Licq bridge
For a long time the people of Licq wanted to have a bridge over the Gave. But the place was dangerous and no one dared to undertake it. One fine day, they agreed to charge the lamiñak with it. They summon them to the village and expose their embarrassment.
- "We will make your bridge, said the lamiñak, and in good freestone, on the night of tomorrow, before the rooster crows, but under one condition.
"What is your condition," said the Licquois? "
- "You will give us in payment the most beautiful daughter of Licq".
It was heartbreaking for the Licquois to hand over the most beautiful of their daughters; but they had to go through it and they accepted. The following night the lamiñak set to work. Now everyone knows that in all countries beautiful girls have no shortage of lovers. Licq's beautiful daughter also had hers. Informed of what was happening, the lover comes to the brunette to post near the place where the lamiñak were working, and he sees with terror that from the rate they are going there, the job will be finished before half the time fixed.
With a sick heart, taken with a cold sweat, he strives and finally finds a ruse. He walks towards a henhouse, gently opens the door and, with his hands, simulates the sound of the rooster's four or five flaps before crowing. The rooster wakes up with a start, fearing to be late, and cries:
- "Coquerico".
It was time. The lamiñak had lifted the last stone to half its height. When the rooster crowed, they threw her into the water and with a great noise escaped saying:
- "Cursed be the rooster who gave his cry before the hour".
Since then, say the ancients, no one has been able to fit this stone or others into the empty place.
Basa Jaun and the cowherds
Formerly, there were in Estérençuby, on the Spanish border, four cowherds, one of whom was a young boy. When they were asleep, in their hut, BASAJAUN, the wild lord, came to warm. And when he warmed up, he ate their food. The shepherds received bread and other meals, and left a piece of them every evening, the share of BASAJAUN.
One night, seeing that the share had not been made, the little boy said:
- Where did you get BASAJAUN's share?
- Give him yours if you want, answered the others.
The boy left his share on the usual board. The Savage Lord arrived as usual. After warming up, he ate the little boy's portion. Well warmed up and sated, he left, taking the cowherds' clothes, except those of the little boy.
That night it snowed very hard. The next morning the cowherds, not finding their clothes, said to the boy:
- Go get our clothes.
- Me ? No.
- Go, we beg you.
- What reward will you give me?
They had a bad heifer and promised it to him.
The boy leaves, and arriving at the cistern where the savage lord was, he shouted:
- BASAJAUN, give me the clothes of my comrades.
- You won't have them.
- Please give them to me; they sent me to get them.
- What do we give you for your trouble?
- A bad heifer.
- Take them then, and also take this wand of elbow tree. Mark your heifer and give it a hundred and one blows, one hundred and one louder than the others.
The boy did as BASAJAUN had said. He gave his heifer a hundred and one strokes, and after a short space of time the heifer produced him a herd of a hundred and one beautiful beasts.
EN 
FR 
ES