Portuguese Legends
Portugal is a country full of legends and small stories that once were told from parents to children, and are still in the small villages.
Every region has its legends and they sure are many…
Legend of St. Engrácia sites (Lisbon)
Simon Pires, a new-Christian, would ride every day to St. Claire’s Convent, in order to secretly see Violante. The young lady had been made a nun by force, according to her wealthy father’s will, once that he didn’t approve of their love. One day, Simon asked his lover to run away with him, giving her one day to decide. The next day Simon was awaked by the king’s men who had come to arrest him under the accusation of stealing the relics of St. Engrácia church, which was near the convent. Not wanting to bring harm to Violante, Simon didn’t reveal the reason of his presence at the crime scene. Although he would claim his innocence, he was arrested and sentenced to die in the bonfire that would take place next to St. Engrácia church, the sites of which had already begun. When the fire reached Simon’s body he shouted that, as certain as he was innocent, the church would never be finished. Years went by and the nun Violante was one day called to assist the last moments of a thief who had requested her presence. The thief revealed to her that he had been the author of the relic’s robbery and knowing the secret relationship between them had incriminated Simon, he asked for her forgiveness and Violante gave it to him. Meanwhile, a unique fact was occurring: the church that had begun in construction when Simon had been executed didn’t seem to be finished. They took so long that the people started to compare everything that takes a long time to be solved to the building of St. Engrácia.Legend of the Enchanted Hole or of the House of the Enchanted Moor (Lisbon)
In the range of Sintra, next to the Moors Castles, there is a rock with a crack on it. Tradition tells that it marks the entrance to a hole that has connection with the castle. It’s known as the Hole of the Moor or the Enchanted Hole and it’s connected with a legend of the times when the Moors held sway over Sintra and the Christians would frequently attack it. In one of those combats a noble knight was made prisoner for whom Zaida, the alcayde’s daughter, fell in love for. Day after day, Zaida would visit the noble knight until the day he was ransomed. The passionate knight asked Zaida to run away with him but Zaida refused, asking him not to forget her. The noble knight returned to his family but a great sadness consumed his days. He tried to forget Zaida in the battlefields, but after many nights without sleeping he decided to attack Sintra’s castle once again. It was during a combat that the two lovers fell in each other’s harms, but fate or bad luck wanted the noble knight to fall injured. Zaida dragged her lover through a secret passage to a hidden room in the caves and, while she was filling a pitcher with spring water to take to her lover, she was hit by an arrow and fell injured. The Christian knight approached to his lover’s body and their blood mixed, being both of them found some time later, lifeless. Since that time in some moon light nights, a beautiful lady appears near the hole wearing white clothes and filling a pitcher with water, disappearing in the night after a painful groan.
Legend of Machico or the Immortal Love (Madeira)
In the British court of King Edward the Third, used to live a man of plebian blood and noble soul, Robert Machim, who had as best friend and brother in arms the nobleman Sir George. Robert Machim was a sensitive man and had the gift of words. Because of that, sir George asked him to go with him to wait for the arrival of his young and beautiful cousin Ana de Harfet, which Sir George wanted to impress. Only a few glances and words exchanged between Ana de Harfet and Roberto Machim were needed to appear a love so intense that it resigned itself sincerely Sir George. But Ana de Harfet’s parents did not accept her union with a claimant of so low lineage and ordered Ana's marriage with one of the court’s noblemen. Robert Machim did not accept his anger or his intention to fight for Ana and was arrested under the king’s order for a few days, while the wedding ceremony would take place. By the time he left prison, his loyal friend Sir George was waiting for him and told him that Ana was dying of love. With Sir George's help, Ana and Robert escaped on a boat towards France, but a brutal storm diverted them for an idyllic island. Ana didn’t resist the fever she caught during the storm and was buried in the beautiful island. It is told that Robert Machim died on the top of the gravestone of his beloved and was buried in it by his friend. A huge love that was forever remembered through Robert's name in the pretty town of Machico, in the Island of the Madeira, pretense island where the two lovers that passed to the Portuguese chronic docked.Legend of the Roses’ miracle (Coimbra)
This is one of the most known Portuguese legends. It elevates Queen Isabel goodness for all her subjects, to whom she would give money and soothing words. History tells that a spiteful noble informed the king D. Dinis that the queen was spending too much money in church works, donations to convents, charities and other actions of charity and convinced him to put an end to these excesses. One morning, the king decided to surprise the queen when she was going with her retinue to St. Claire’s sites and to the usual money distribution and he noticed that she was trying to hide what she was taking in her lap. Questioned by D.Dinis, the Queen informed him that she was going to decorate the monastery’s altars, so he insisted that he had been informed that the Queen had disobeyed his prohibitions, giving money to the poor. Suddenly and more confident, Queen Isabel answered: “You are wrong, Royal Lord. What I have in my lap are roses…” Angered by this the king accused her of lying: How could she have roses in January? Then he forced her to show the content of her lap. Before the frightened eyes of all, Queen Isabel showed the most beautiful branch of roses that she was guarding under the veil. The King became speechless, convinced that he was before a supernatural phenomenon and he ended up asking the Queen for forgiveness. The Queen proceeds in her intent to take the money to charity. The news about the miracle ran all over the city of Coimbra and the people proclaimed her saint, the Queen Isabel of Portugal.
Labels: Wikipedia
Hey! Nice work! The legend I like the most is the Legend of the Roses’ miracle! I used to go to Coimbra when I was younger and I participated in a cortege to Queen Elizabeth... I was dressed to look like her! I'll show you the picture someone took me, some day ;)
Posted by
deviousmind |
1/09/2007 9:47 pm
Hi! :)
I thinks I did't know any Portuguese legends :X So, your work was useful for my "culture of Portugal knowledge "! :D
Did you already know the legends or did you search them in some books/on the Internet? :)
*kisses*kisses*
:)
*Raquel - RiPaTaSiRaNa*
Posted by
Raquel |
1/14/2007 1:04 pm
I liked the actors that you chose, not those morangos thingies >_>
Posted by
André Pereira |
1/14/2007 1:16 pm
The mistery behinds the Legends takes me to love your text. Most of all cames from Medieval times when they really believed about that. Very interesting.
Posted by
Anabela |
1/16/2007 11:14 pm
I only knew the miracle of the Roses; I never heard the others before but they are very interesting too. =)
****
Posted by
Joana Carlos |
1/27/2007 12:31 am