Basajaun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Basque mythology, Basajaun (plural: basajaunak) is a huge, hairy creature dwelling in the woods who protects flocks of livestock and teaches skills such as agriculture and ironworking to humans.[1] The Basques themselves are an ethnic group[2][3][4] which primarily inhabits an area traditionally known as the Basque Country (Basque: Euskal Herria), a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France. Basajuank, and other characters within the Basque mythology, largely did not survive the arrival of Christianity in the Basque Country between the 4th and 12th century AD.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Lurker, Manfred (1987). The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons. Routledge. p. 30. ISBN 0-415-34018-7.
- ^ "Basque". Encyclopaedia Brittanica Kids. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ "Basque". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ Totoricagüena, G. Identity, Culture, and Politics in the Basque Diaspora (2003) p.59 University of Nevada Press
[edit] References
- Vinson, Folklore du Pays Basque (1883), p. 43. J. M. of Barandiaran, Eusko-Folklore (1922); Basque Mythology (1960), pp. 75–76.
