Javier of Arratinea

Javier of Arratinea, a vain young man, went one night to Urretxu, to have a good time. At that time all the girls in the area gathered in Urretxu to knit.

After having fun in the village, Javier pretended to be a priest and gave a cooked chestnut to each of them in the form of communion.

He then began to say that he was going home and the girls didn’t want to let him leave saying he had committed a great sin and feared something bad would happen to him. But Javier was very vain and left for home.

On the way back to Tellerietxe, in the forest of Laioa he saw mythological bulls (zezengorris) heading towards him. Frightened, the boy ran and knocked at the door of Tellerietxe. He asked for a dog and returned to his route tempting the dog with a corn cake. Then a mythological bull of fire appeared to him addressing him through Laika. But while the dog was by his side he was not afraid.

But by the time he arrived with Lauztiazpikoa, to the point where he took the deviation towards Arratiñea, the cake had finished and the dog turned around towards Tellerietxe. Then, the mythological bulls appeared again. Javier ran as he had never done before and entered Arratiñea homestead by the skin of his teeth.

That night the cows of the Arratiñea farm had no truce. Roars, horns and yokes were heard.

 

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