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The city of Girona is full of legends and mysteries that are part of the collective imagination. The legends will allow you to get to know and discover the city of Girona in a different way. From Naturaki, we invite you to explore the beautiful city of Girona through its legends. Will you join us?
El Tarlà
We start with one of the most popular and well-known legends of the city of Girona: El Tarlà. A puppet dressed as a minstrel who wears bells on his hat and spins on a bar across the streets. You can see him around Saint George's Day and during the Spring Festivities and the Girona Temps de Flors festival between La Rambla and Argenteria Street. And why, exactly, does he spin in this street? According to legend, when the plague ravaged the city, there was a small outbreak on Argenteria Street. To avoid contagions and prevent it from spreading, they decided to quarantine the street, locking it with a padlock and with reed fences at both ends. And a neighbor named Tarlà entertained and amused the sad and bored neighbors by doing somersaults. The puppet was built to remember this friendly character.
The Witch of the Cathedral
If you go to the Cathedral, which is one of the must-sees in Girona, you will find a human gargoyle. It is attached to the Charlemagne Tower and is shaped like a woman with her mouth open, so it is not difficult to spot. According to legend, there was a woman dedicated to witchcraft who threw stones at people attending the Corpus Christi procession and cursed against religion. One day, when she was about to throw a stone, she turned into stone and was placed facing the ground so that no more curses would come out of her mouth. In Girona, especially among the children, you can still hear the curse that was pronounced on her: "Stones you throw, stones you will throw, into stone you will turn."
The Lioness's Bottom
Another of Girona's must-sees. According to the saying: if you go to Girona you have to kiss the lioness's bottom. Or rather: the statue of the lioness's bottom. It is a way to express the will to return to the city and stay there forever. And it is believed that one is not a good Gironin if he hasn't done the ritual. Is it not very hygienic? Maybe. But look how easy it is to obtain Gironin citizenship! Since the pandemic, for hygiene and safety reasons, the stairs that allowed climbing up to the lioness's bottom were removed so currently you will have to settle for a photo.
The one who bites his tongue
Right at the entrance to the Plenary Hall of the City Hall, you will find a voussoir door with Girona's coat of arms and, in the middle, a sculpture representing a head biting its tongue with prominent teeth and from which a tree emerges. According to legend, this grotesque set is related to knowledge and wisdom. And at the same time, it symbolizes the fact that councilors cannot explain anything that happens inside the Plenary Hall.
La Cocollona
The legend of La Cocollona is a recent and apocryphal story, created by Emili Massana. But it is already part of Girona's collective imagination and is, probably, the favorite character of children, a hybrid between a crocodile and a butterfly. According to the legend, in the Mercadal neighborhood, near the Onyar River, there was a convent of non-devout nuns, and among them, a novice who was an example of sanctity and neatness. To avoid hearing the girl's reproaches, the other nuns locked her in a cell in the basement of the convent. Years passed and, due to the darkness and humidity, scales began to grow on her skin, and she transformed into a kind of crocodile. But thanks to her holiness, she also sprouted beautiful butterfly wings on her back. And she transformed into La Cocollona.
Saint Narcis and the flies
Flies, those insects that annoy us to no end, have become the most emblematic animal of Girona. The reason? Saint Narcis, the patron saint of the city and its major festival: the Fairs of Saint Narcís. There have been multiple versions of this legend and, indeed, with each siege and each threat to the city, we have heard of plagues of flies as saviours of the city. According to medieval chronicles, in 1285, Girona was surrounded by the troops of the King of France, Philip the Bold, and the French decided to use the church of Saint Feliu, where Saint Narcis's tomb was, as a barracks. From the bishop's body, giant flies emerged that caused a great mortality among the French troops and their horses. The legend, however, took such hold in the Gironin collective imagination that, centuries later, it re-emerged. In fact, it is said that in 1653, during the Reapers' War, the Gironins placed Saint Narcis's tomb, which was their best weapon, on the city wall, and a deadly plague emerged and wiped out the invaders.
The Banyeta
If you look closely, right on the corner between Plaça del Vi and Ciutadans Street, you will find a small devil's head. It's the Banyeta. The legend explains that, when a market was held in Plaça del Vi, an old usurer took advantage of the Gironins and, day after day, became richer and richer. Until suddenly, as divine punishment, he appeared turned into stone and stuck to the wall. Another version of the legend adds that, in this way, The Banyeta became the guardian who ensures that all Gironins pay their municipal taxes.
If you haven't yet visited Girona, we recommend spending at least one day visiting the city of Girona to enjoy the old quarter and all its history, take a walk through the Devesa, visit one of its museums, and enjoy its local cuisine.