Basque tales
Here are various tales Basque : the laminak in Behorlegui-Mendi, the laminak of Mandarrain, the castle of Laustenia
The laminak in Behorlegui-Mendi
In Behorlegui-Mendi, in the past, there were Laminak holes everywhere.
One day, a shepherd saw a Wild Lady who, in one of these holes, was painting with a golden comb. And he was not a little frightened!
But the Wild Lady tells him not to be afraid. What's more, if he took her on his back and transported her to Apanize from his hole, she would happily give him money.
The shepherd consented to it: he would transport it with a good heart.
So he took her on his back. But he had not yet left the den when a number of animals appeared before him. Terrified, he immediately threw the Wild Lady to the ground and fled as quickly as possible.
The Wild Lady, then, let out a frightening cry. And, in a howl, she said:
- Curse ! For a thousand years now, I must stay in this hole!
And since then, she has been there in fact, in the prespice. And never a shepherd ventures into these parts!
The laminak of Mandarrain
In the past, there were said to be Laminaks at the top of the Mondarrain mountain.
Every morning (but before the sun came out) the Wild Lady went to the crest of the mountain, to comb her hair with a golden comb. And that all the shepherds around could see.
Once, before daybreak, a shepherd stole his golden comb and fled.
The Wild Lady did not immediately realize this as she began to pursue him. She has already almost caught up with him when the first rays of sunlight appear.
And immediately, willy-nilly, the Wild Lady had to return to her den, and the Shepherd remained in possession of the comb.
The castle of Laustenia
A long time ago, the lord of Laustania, finding his castle too poor, asked, it is said, the Laminaks to make him a new one.
The Laminaks wanted to. Gladly they would make the castle; and even they will do it before the first cockcrow after the stroke of midnight. One condition: as a salary, the Lord would give them his soul. And the lord of Laustania made the promise.
That same night, the Laminaks began their work. They perfectly cut beautiful red Arradoy stones. And then they passed them quickly from one to the other, saying in a low voice:
– Here, Guillen!
– Take it, Guillen!
– Give it, Guillen!
And the work progressed, progressed furiously. From the top of the henhouse stairs, the lord of Laustania looked down at the Laminaks. In one hand he held a certain gray package.
And behold, the Laminaks grabbed the last stone:
– Here, Guillen!
– Take it, Guillen!
– This is the last Guillen!
At the same moment, the lord of Laustania set fire to a large piece of wood; a great light rose in front of the henhouse. A young rooster was frightened, fearing that the sun had beaten him that day: he sang kukuruku and began to flap his wings.
With a shrill howl, the last Laminak in the abyss of the river threw the last stone that he already held in his hands: “Cursed rooster! » And he himself sank into the abyss with his companions.
No one has ever been able to remove this stone from the abyss. It is still there, at the bottom of the water: the Laminak hold it with their claws. And Laustania Castle has always been missing a stone.
