ARTICLES by Maryanna Gabriel
Salt spring island fairies
Salt Spring Island where I live is twenty-eight miles long, between the two major cities of Vancouver and Victoria, in Canada. For some reason we seem to have an affinity not only for ferries, but also for fairies. Doors for the wee folk may be found in unexpected places.
There are fairy doors in the local village of Ganges but even more may be found in Mount Erskine Park. They are at least seven doors, some elaborate. People leave coins and tiny trinkets. The climb up Mount Erskine is well marked and somewhat steep, but the doors are a feature to be on the lookout for. It as if their presence gives the forest a heightened magical quality. I have yet to see a fairy but one never knows.
witches on the camino
After Roncesvalles and before Pamplona, there is a section where I found myself in a downpour. My newly found friend and I were in an old forest. We stopped under a tall white cross as we madly dug through our packs for rain ponchos. There was a chilling sign on the cross. It declared it was for my protection and that witches had lived here. They were hung to death in the fifteenth century. I thought to myself the problem was not with the women, but rather those doing the hanging.
Frias was a Spanish inquisitor in 1611. Goodness knows what work experience got him the job as head of the Basque Witch Trials. I recently found this chilling quote:
… Frías finally returned to Logroño with "confessions" from close on 2,000 people, 1,384 of whom were children between the ages of seven and fourteen, implicating a further 5,000 named individuals. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_witch_trials)
Children? And a handy way to seize a widow’s property or say, create an opening for a younger model for a wife... Witch trials were not specific to this area. They were rampant not only in Spain, but also in other parts of the world.
Statue of Roland from a train station in Paris.
Photo by Archimatth.
roland blows his horn
In the pass called Col de Lepoeder, between the Pyrenees and Roncesvalles, there have been skirmishes over the centuries. One such battle involved a loyal knight named Roland. Brave Roland was trying to warn King Charlemagne of an approaching army. It is said he stood high in the mountains facing Roncesvalles and blew his horn sounding out an alarm. The blast was so loud his horn split in two. Legend has it that blood poured forth from his nose. Roland was slain by a rearguard waiting in ambush.
Remember In The Lord of the Rings, how Borimer blew his horn to warn of the Orcs? There is something reminiscent of middle earth with this tale. There is a kingdom called Aragon quite near the French-Spanish border which reminds me of Tolkein’s Aragorn, the king who travelled disguised as a woodsman. Perhaps Tolkein drew inspiration from his wonderful series with this region’s history.
IVAR IN SANTIAGO
Ivar Rekve who lives in Santiago de Compostela, is a Norwegian who moved to Spain in 2004. He is one of the many Camino angels who supports pilgrims. His role is more that of an archangel, because he is a fount of information, and maintains a forum where one can find the latest news. Ivar says the renovations of many years are finally finished on the cathedral. The year 2021 is a holy year, usually a busy time, however, because of the Covid variants there are multiple problems. For one, it is illegal to pass through Galicia. It still does not mean one cannot plan for the future. Ivar sells credencials, the Camino passport, and also uploads videos with the latest news of the Camino and what is going on in Santiago.
more on camino angels
Angels assume varying human guises aside from Ivar. There are some who walk and pick up garbage. Garbage has been a real problem with the increase in traffic.
Other angels are hospitaleros. These are volunteers who have often already done a Camino but who return to give their time and energy in the refugios or hostels with cleaning and meals. Supporting pilgrims can be a mission for some.
symbolism - mount of forgiveness -
Leaving Pamplona is the The Hill of Forgiveness, famous not only for contemplating one’s walk through life, but also for the metal sculpture by artist, Vincente Galbete, placed there in 1996.
The sculpture depicts pilgrims throughput the ages, as seekers who endure the elements. There are twelve pilgrims in groupings which represent a journey through time. At the beginning is the initial rise in popularity. The next grouping are merchants hawking their wares on horseback, as the Camino became a viable means to earn a living during the medieval era. The following section of the sculpture represents the decline in pilgrimages from the fourteenth century onward, until finally, the last two figures symbolize a modern day resurgence.
““Where the way of the wind crosses the way of the stars.”
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