Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
In the foggy landscape in Asturia in northern Spain, a vampiric figure is said to linger in the cracks of shadows, waiting for her prey. They say: “wherever a breath of air passes, the Guaxa passes .” An entity between the witch and vampire, she is after the blood of children.
Read More: Check out all ghostly stories from Spain
Asturia, once an ancient kingdom encompassing most of northern Spain is now confined to a coastal bit overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Even so, the old languages of Asturian are still spoken in the valleys by the elderly, and the tales they have to tell are that of monsters and witches.
The Vampiric Guaxa Witch
The Guaxa is said to be an old and thin woman-like entity, ugly and covered in warts. She is said to have a single sharp tooth she stalks her prey with. The Guaxa is not often seen at all, and is often said to be invisible, slipping through small cracks of people’s houses like the chimney, and even the keyhole.
Because she is either invisible, or just seen at night, it is believed that she hides in caves or hollow tree trunks during the day.
As with many vampiric beings from southern Europe, she is associated with owls or other nocturnal birds. Some also associate the Guaxa with the coruxa (owl), closely linked to witches, and thus consider the Guaxa to be a witch herself.
She sneaks into people’s homes in the middle of the night and feeds on them with her one sharp tooth. Children are preferred, but also young women and handsome men are in danger. She doesn’t kill them at once, nor does she transform her victims to one of her own. She slowly kills them, draining their life, bit by bit. In Asturia, people can say “It looks like the Guaxa has swallowed you,” when people have lost a lot of weight, as the Guaxa slowly over time drained people’s lives.
Protection from the Guaxa
But how do you protect yourself from an invisible supernatural being no one can find or kill? The best thing to do is keep her at a distance. In Astorian tradition there is often talk about the cigua, a talisman of sorts in the form of an amulet. It is shaped like a closed fist in a black chiastolite stone, often known as St. Peter’s stone.
Another option is protection rituals for people who have been attacked by a Guaxa. These individuals had to drink a preparation made from alicorn, that is actually unicorn horn, that had been macerated with pieces of deer antler and fragments of silver.
In the case of children, they could also be given a small bag containing 10 grams of rice, which was hung around their necks with a black thread tied with nine knots.
The Guajona Vampire Witch from Cantabria
Asturia shares a lot with the other northern regions in Spain, like Galicia to the west and Cantabria to the east. In Cantabrian lore you will find another vampiric entity that looks and behaves so similar to the Guaxa that many think that this is actually the same story with different names.
So what is the difference between the tale of the vampiric witch Guajona from Cantabria and the Astorian Guaxa?
The lore behind the Guaxa follows a lot of the same steps as with the Guajona. She’s described as an old woman, sneaking into people’s homes to drink their blood with her single sharp tooth. She is also just seen during the night, but this lore doesn’t insist on her being invisible as much. She is thought to slumber underground during the day. The word Guajona is most likely from Arabic roots meaning beast, and sometimes, this version is also called Lamia.
Similar creatures are found in Galician lore as well, going under the name of the Meiga Chuchona. As mentioned, northern Portugal also has the Bruxa legend. The question: where did the legend evolve from? Should these entities be seen as the same creature with different names, or is their geographical regions and variations enough to make them separate beings in folklore?
How old is the Legend of the Guaxa?
The Guaxa is often talked about as an old being from ancient Indo-European folklore. But exactly when did the legend of the Guaxa emerge from the shadows?
The legend of the Guaxa was first written down by Jove and Bravo in the Myths and Superstitions of Asturias from 1897. By this time, the legend had been greatly influenced by modern fears and monsters as well as Christianity. Many think that she is merely a version of the witch figure. But was there a Guaxa pre-Christian Asturia?
The word Guaxa comes from the Asturian language, guax, guax, the onomatopoeia for the sound of owls. In one of the earliest descriptive studies of the figure, Aurelio de Llano denies her belonging to the Asturian mythical pantheon, considering her nothing more than a witch, a term derived from the Latin word “striga” or stryx, meaning a nocturnal bird).
As mentioned it is also thought that the legend of the Guaxa is branched off from the figure of Lamia from Greece as well as the vampire of Germanic legends. But how far does a legend have to exist before it becomes canon?
For example, in 1480 we know of lawsuits and accusations in the Royal Chancery of Valladolid against Teresa Prieta, a resident of Xove (Gijón), for practicing the profession of Estriga (witch) to enter other people’s houses and suck the blood “mostly of children.”
Read More: Teresa Prieto The Witch of Jove and Spain’s First Vampire Case
The Vampiric Witches of Spain
What lurks in the misty woods in northern Spain? As the fog weaves through the ancient trees, the air becomes thick with mystery and intrigue. Legends speak of elusive creatures and spirits that roam these enchanted forests, whispering secrets to those who will listen, while the rustle of leaves and the distant calls of unseen wildlife create an atmosphere teeming with life and wonder. Perhaps one of them is the blood thirsty monster of the Guaxa?
Newest Posts
- Connolly Station: The Soldier Who Waits for a Train That Never Comes
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks. - The Headless Undead in the Ruffinihaus Courtyard
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took. - The Ghost of Könizwald, Bern: The Ghost of General Robert Scipio von Lentulus
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone? - The Alter Südfriedhof Cemetery and the Ghost of the Munich Eskimo Tragedy
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night. - The Uhaml Forest Spirit of Without a Face
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster. - Gwrach y Rhibyn – The Hag of the Mist Haunting the Welsh Waters
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood. - The Hofbräuhaus and the Ghost of A Munich Man in Heaven
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew. - The Demonic Omen of Disaster at Mödling Castle Hill
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster. - The Brewer Haunting Nockherberg and the Beer Garden in Munich
Could a beer festival be haunted? Many have spoken about the ghost of an old brewer at Nockherberg haunting the beer festival, creating havoc to retaliate to what his descendants did to his brew. - The Girl in the Tower of the Munich Frauenkirche
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white. - The Cursed Weilheim Plague Chapel
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard? - The Restless Spirit of The Utburd Child Ghost in Norway
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
References:
Guaxa – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
Guaxa – Viquipèdia, l’enciclopèdia lliure
Guaxa, la bruja bebedora de sangre
SERES MITOLÓGICOS ASTURIANOS: LA GÜAXA