Basque Tales 22

Basque tales

Here are various tales Basque : the mare of Obantzun, the lake of Biarritz, the coalman and the Basa Jaun

Basque tales

The Obantzun mare

The neighbors of the Etsoinberri house had a mare. Every day they sent him to graze in the mountains, they came back down in the evening. The servant and the servant took care of this work. They had acquired a habit: whoever saw the beast first came back riding it.

One day it was the servant who saw her and, while saying
“here is our black mare”, she ran and mounted her in the blink of an eye.

The animal went in the direction of the Obantzun chasm where she entered with her rider.

The servant stood for some time gazing into the abyss; but no sign, either of the mare or the maid. He returned home while wondering:
"Which mare was that?" when he saw, further down, in a shallow, Etsoinberri's real mare.

Some time later, when the people of the house went to wash their clothes, they found in the fountain of Itturan the earrings and the ring of the captive servant.


Biarritz lake

Sometimes, at nightfall, the lord and Saint Peter, over there somewhere, on the side of the negress, in Biarritz, knock, knock, knock, knocked on the door of a poor house and they asked for the accommodation for the night. Certainly we would welcome them; and we let them in. The Lord Jesus asked if they could have anything to eat, even a bite. And these poor people confessed to him that they had nothing to give.

– » Search the bread bin.
“Gladly, sir. But unfortunately ! we know what to expect on our bread bin. See…”

And these people were stupefied: they saw the hutch…full of loaves to the brim…They fell on their knees before the Lord Jesus. And the Lord Jesus then asked if they could have a bed, for they were both very tired.

– “A bed, yes, with a very big heart…. but we would have no sheets to give you.
“Look again.
- " Oh ! lord, we know well the count of our sheets.
– “See all the same…”

And where there shouldn't be a single one, they discovered plenty of sheets. The poor people remained trembling. The Lord Jesus then said to them:
– “We had knocked on all the houses in the neighborhood, asking for lodging for the night… no one offered it to us but you. Tonight you will hear a lot of noise; don't be scared of it at all. We will be there to protect you. »

And they all went to bed… The next day, washed away by the waters, all the houses in the neighborhood had disappeared, and all their inhabitants had also disappeared. The house that had taken in the Lord Jesus and Saint Peter was the only one left standing…. If you ever happen to go to the side of the negress, you will still see her over there, at the edge of the great lake created by the rain, during this terrible night.


The coalman and the Basa Jaun

In Askoa, a mountain of Ataun, a Basa Jaun (the savage Lord in Basque) teamed up with a group of coal miners working in the area.
One of these charcoal burners had given a blow with an ax such that the trunk was split in the middle, but the tool remained stuck. He called for the Basa Jaun to put his hands in the slot so that the ax could be released and the trunk could be attacked from the other end.

This is what the Basa Jaun did.
The coalman was able to draw his ax and the slit closed on the fingers of the naive Basa Jaun.

The latter, dominated by the skill and cunning of the coalman, was taken to the village of Ataun so that everyone could see him at will. Then the coalman freed him from his trap.
The Basa Jaun returned to his cave. The coalman also returned to his occupations but he disappeared later, in a mysterious way.