Catalan myths and legends are the traditional

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

s and

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

s of the Catalan-speaking world, especially

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

itself, passed down for generations as part of that region's

popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

Mythological figures

Among the figures of Catalan mythology are: * Aloja - In Catalan mythology an Aloja, also known as Dona d'aigua, Goja, or Paitida, is a feminine being that lives in places with fresh water. This "water-woman" can turn into water blackbirds. * Banyoles monster * Bubota *Catalan mythology about witches - Catalan tradition distinguished between bruixeria ("witchcraft") based on an explicit compact with the Devil, and fetilleria (deriving from a word related to "fetish", and Old Portuguese feitiço), magic worked through charms and fetishes. The former was considered inherently evil, while the latter might include the working of magical cures. In Catalan popular culture, there are a large number of legends about witches. In the popular imagination, a witch is a woman who, by means of a pact with the Devil, has acquired supernatural power, which she uses for her own benefit and for evil purposes. * Carnestoltes * Cocollona * Comte Arnau * Comte Estruch * Cucafera * Dip - In Catalan myth, Dip is an evil, black, hairy dog, an emissary of the Devil, who sucks people's blood. * Dona d'aigua - (See Aloja) * Donyet *

Dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

**Drac (a dragon, generally male) ** Víbria (specifically female) * Encantaria *Follet * Gambutzí *Goja - (See Aloja) * Fada - Hada * Home del sac (man of the sack) * Home dels nassos (man of the noses) * Marraco *

Martinet The martinet () is a punitive device traditionally used in France and other parts of Europe. The word also has other usages, described below. Object A martinet is a short, scourge-like (multi-tail) type of whip made of a wooden handle of about ...

* Minairó *El Moro Musa * Muladona * Negret * Nitus * Paitida - (See Aloja) * Papu * Peix Nicolau - Peje Nicolao * Pellofa *

Pesanta In Catalan legend and popular culture, the Pesanta () is an enormous dog (or sometimes a cat) that goes into people's houses in the night and puts itself on their chests, making it difficult for them to breathe and causing them the most horrible ...

* Puigmal *

Tió de Nadal The ''Tió de Nadal'' (; 'Christmas Log'), also known simply as ''tió'' ('log'), ''soca'' or ''tronc(a)'' ('trunk'), is a character in Catalan mythology relating to a Christmas tradition practiced in Catalonia, Valencia (occasionally), Majorca ...

*The

Three Wise Men 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

or Tres Reis Mags d'Orient ** Page Gregory ** Page Fumera * Tombatossals * Vella Quaresma * Víbria

Generic figures

those characters that are invoked to induce fear in children for practical purposes, for example to avoid speaking to strangers or leaving home alone, are called ''Espantamainades''. At the anthropological level, sometimes they are manifestations of the fears of the unknown and inexplicable in nature. Some are local representations related to those figures also existing in other cultures, such as witches, goblins, and the

bogeyman The bogeyman (; also spelled or known as bogyman, bogy, bogey, and, in US English, also boogeyman) is a mythical creature typically used to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances, and conceptions vary drast ...

. Others are purely local variations, such as Marraco the peasant and the dips.

References

Catalan mythology {{Europe-myth-stub