Basque Mythology and Pantheon

There are some people that would argue whether there actually is any vestage of a pantheon remaining from pagan times. However, although the Basques embraced Christianity rather completely, the entities of the "Old Ways" can be found in the legends, superstitions and place names though out Euskal Herria. The pantheon isn't as clearly defined as in other cultures and the statuesque images of Gods and Goddesses don't seem to apply to the Basque people. The entities involved are good and bad. Some may consider the use of graphics on this page to be "dark". Quite frankly, many of the enities in the pantheon and mythology are dark and described as "evil." Whether this is a blatant attempt after the conversion to Christianity to demonize the pagan beliefs, or if the pagan ways in the Basque world were more macabre than other pagan cultures in Europe is unknown. After all, they are a pre Indo-European people. Some of the stories and myths were definitely created after the conversion to Chrisitanity and refer to the Church and to Mass. It is possible that other stories had characters inserted to replace pagan deities. There are many references in Basque tales about "devils". They are not referred to as Satan nor captalized to a proper "The Devil." There seem to be many "devils" and they are generally easily outwitted and mocked. It is often common in tales and legends to refer to evil beings as "the black man" or a "black man". In many documented cases of European witch trials, a black man was described as being resposible for someones initiation into the craft. He was often described as being dressed in all black and sometimes rode a black horse.

A wonderful book on folktales from the Basques is, A View from The Witch's Cave: Folktales of the Pyrennes. You can purchase the book from Amazon.com.

This list was compiled using Encyclopedia Mythica. This list is by no means complete, nor are the definitions. These entities varied in description, personality and in power from region to region and from village to village. It is merely a "rough draft" of the Gods, Goddesses and other deities. Where I have found more information or stories on a being, there is a link to take you to their page. The more elaborate information and definitions were obtained by exchanging e-mail with with people in Euskal Herria as well as from common legends and stories of the Basque. If you know of other deities, or merely want to share the version of these beings that you are aware of, feel free to do so! Obviously, the list is in alphabetical order and is not meant to imply an actual heirarchy.

Aatxegorri

A Basque evil spirit in the form of a red bull, but who sometimes also appears in the shape of a human being. At night, especially during stormy weathers, he emerges from his hole. MORE

Akerbeltz

The representative of the Basque goddess Mari who is invoked to protect the herds. He assumes the shape of a black billy-goat and is thought to possess healing powers. He himself was worshipped as a god too, and his cult involved dances and sacrifices. MORE

Atarrabi

A benign spirit of the Basque. He is the son of the goddess Mari. MORE

Basa-Andre

A Basque spirit, the wife of Basa-Jaun. She is occasionally portrayed as a sorceress, sitting at the entrance of a cave, combing her long hair, luring men to their doom.

Basa-Jaun

A benign wood spirit of the Basque, whose name means "lord of the woods". He protects the flocks and herds against predators and thunderstorms. He taught mankind the art of agriculture and forging. The spirit is mischievous, but not malignant. His wife is Basa-Andre. Their characters shift considerably from story to story. In some stories Basa-Jaun is an ogre and his wife a witch (who, paradoxically, often helps her husband's victims escape).

Benzozia

The Basque mother goddess. MORE

Eate (Egata)

The Basque god of fire and storms. With his dark, low voice he warns against approaching hail storms and devastating fires.

Ekhi (Eguzki)

The Basque goddess of the sun. One single beam of her light is enough to take away to power of nocturnal spirits and evil wizards. Ekhi is the daughter of the earth-goddess Lur and sister of the moon-goddess Ilazki.

Erditse

A mother goddess of Pan-Mediterranean culture. The Basques venerated her a goddess of maternity. There is very little known of this goddess, and what is known of her in Basque culture comes from an inscription on an altar dedicated to her.

Erge

A Basque spirit who takes the lives of men.

Gaueko

The Basque lord of darkness whose name means "he of the night". He appears as a gust of wind, sometimes friendly towards people, but mostly destructive.

Herren-Surge (Herensugue)

A Basque devilish spirit in the shape of a seven-headed snake. In some stories he must be appeased by offerings of human beings; in others he appears in the role of the conventional dragon. He is even rumored to possess the ability to fly. MORE

Ilazki (Illargui, Iretargui)

The Basque goddess of the moon. She is a daughter of the earth-goddess Lur and sister of the sun-goddess Ekhi. Ilazki is also a goddess of light who shines in the dark for the souls of dead. Her other names include Iretargui and Illargui ("light of the dead").

Inguma

An evil Basque spirit of the night who strangles people in their sleep

Lamia

A water sprite or mermaid in Basque stories. She has none of the malignancy of the conventional Lamia of classical mythology. MORE

Laminak

Basque fairies, related to the Celtic little people. The Laminak live underground in beautiful castles.

Lur

The Basque goddess of the earth, mother of the sun Ekhi and the moon Ilazki. Lur is the source of power for all that is alive.

Maju (Sugaar)

The Basque divine spirit of thunder whose encounters with his consort Mari cause terrible thunderstorms or hailstorms. Maju, also known as Sugaar, appears in the form of a snake. MORE

Mari

The supreme and foremost goddess of the Basque pantheon. She is the goddess of thunder and wind, the personification of the Earth. The thunder spirit Maju is her consort, and the benign spirit Atarrabi and the evil spirit Mikelats are her sons. She protects the travelers and the herds, and gives good council to humans. She rides through the sky on a chariot pulled by four horses, or on a ram. Sometimes she assumes the shape of a white cloud or a rainbow. Mari ("queen") is represented as a woman with a full moon behind her head, or in an animal shape. Her symbol is a sickle. With the Christianization she was degraded to an evil spirit. MORE

Mikelats

An evil storm spirit of the Basque. He is the son of the goddess Mari. MORE

Orko

A Basque thunder god.

Tartaro

A Cyclops-like being from Basque folklore. It is usually described as a giant having one eye in the middle of his forehead. At other times he appears as a great hunter or shepherd living in the mountains. Yet in a few other stories, Tartaro is simply a grotesque animal.

In the tales around Tartaro, he is usually outwitted by his human opponents and so beated.

Torto (Tartalo)

One of the most horrible of the Basque spirits. Torto is a flesh-eating creature with only one eye in the center of his forehead. He abducts young people, cuts them to pieces and eats them.

Yaun-Goicoa

The Basque seem not to have had an elaborate mythology, but they did believe in a universal god, Yaun-Goicoa. He created the three principles of life: Egia, the light of the spirit; Ekhi, the sun, the light of the world; and Begia, the light of the body. There is no evidence of an extensive cosmogony such as that of the Indo-Europeans. MORE