Basque tales
Here are various tales Basque : The brothers of the Imatzene house, The threshing of wheat, The geniuses of Jentilbaratza
The brothers of the house Imatzene
On Good Friday, three from the Imatzene house (Ataun district) went to the mountain pastures of Ubedi on Mount Araoz with their sheep.
When they passed near the Ubedi chasm, three red calves came out and walked towards them.
The three brothers took fright and fled to the heights of Agaoz. The calves followed them.
One of the three brothers died at the breach called Aldatsa at Agaoz; the second, in the neighborhood of Erremedio, a house in the Aitzaarte district.
The third arrived at his home but he lived a few days.
Threshing wheat
Formerly then, the Lord Jesus came and went in this world, with the great Saint Peter. One evening, at nightfall, they asked to sleep in a house, and they were immediately told that they would have a room, with a bed in this room. Wanting to reward our people, Jesus immediately asked them what work they had to do the next day. They replied that they had to thresh wheat.
Jesus, then, commanded them to countermand the workmen; they would thresh the wheat, he and his companion. And our people did as it was told. The next day, the master of the house firmly believed that Jesus and Saint Peter were going to begin their work before daybreak. But they just didn't move! And we were not happy around! Then the master, having entered the room, ventured to ask if, having so much wheat to thresh, they hadn't seen that it had been daylight for a long time already? And they answered yes, that they were going to get up.
But, as they were still in bed, the master got angry and again asked them if they wanted to get up or not. And they always answer that yes, that they were getting up immediately. But they never got up. Then flushed with anger, the master came at them with a stick, and vigorously struck the one among them who was on the edge of the bed.
– poor Saint Peter.
Then he was gone. Whatever reason he had for not wanting to get up yet, Jesus heard the repeated groans of Saint Peter and said to his companion:
– « these people are very irritated against us… Come in the corner of the bed where you will be able to caress your bruises; otherwise, on this edge, they will strike you again. »
Saint Pierre was therefore hardly installed in the corner, when, furiously, the master arrived with his stick and shouted at the top of his lungs:
– “Wait a moment, wait!... Right away, we'll see if you're not going to get up this time!... It was, just now, the turn of the one who was on the edge; the turn of the one who is in the corner, now! »
And, for the second time, he strikes and thrashes poor Saint Peter who had stood in the corner.
So they stood up – St. Peter with a strong sigh; and having piled up the wheat, they set it on fire. At this fire, all the grain shattered; chaff on one side, shavings and chaff on another, and grain on yet another side. Our people were delighted. Very quickly, they forgot all their impatience of the morning. But they did not know how to keep the smallest secret, and the neighbors, having learned from them how Jesus had shelled the wheat with fire, they too set fire to their wheat, and…. they burned it all.
The geniuses of Jentilbaratza
On Jean Aguerre, former lord of this house, as well as on his descendants, weighed the curse of the spirits who lived in the cave and in the old fortress of the neighboring peak called Jentilbaratza (garden of the Jentils).
One day when he was ill, the genies came to visit him and put a gold bedspread on his bed. They did it on one occasion, when the sick man was to receive the last help of religion. As it was dark, the genies stayed at the Aguerre house to keep their friend company.
His parents, moved by greed, nailed the gold blanket to the frame of the bed. Then, by a play of lights, they caused a rooster to throw his KUKURRUKU.
Hearing this song which announced the end of the period of the nocturnal genies, the inhabitants of Jentilbaratza fled hastily, not without pulling the blanket. They tore it up and took nothing but shreds home. What remained remained in Aguerre.
Then they understood the plot of which they had been the victims and hurled this curse at all times:
"Agerre'n Agerre dan arte, ez dik or eriik edo maliik uts egingo"
(As long as there is an Aguerre in Aguerre, there will be no shortage of imposing or penguins here).
The curse inevitably comes true.
