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.
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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.”
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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?
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References:
Guaxa – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
Guaxa – Viquipèdia, l’enciclopèdia lliure
Guaxa, la bruja bebedora de sangre
SERES MITOLÓGICOS ASTURIANOS: LA GÜAXA