As in many other cultures, Basque mythology builds upon the four natural elements, fire, earth, air and water. However, earth is at its core; in fact, the primary character is Mari, the goddess of earth, who can adopt any desired shape and lives in a score of havens across the Basque Country.
Urtzi may have been a Basque mythological figure—a sky god—but may have been merely a word for the sky. There is evidence that can be read as either supporting or contradicting the existence of such a deity. To date neither theory has been able to convince fully.
The jentil, are a race of giants in the Basque mythology. This word meaning gentile, from Latin gentilis, was used to refer to pre-Christian civilizations and in particular to the builders of megalithic monuments, to which the other Basque mythical legend the Mairuak are involved too.
Mairu, also called Maideak, Mairiak, Saindi Maidi, Intxisu in the Bidasoa valley are creatures of Basque mythology. They were giants who built dolmens or harrespil. Like the dolmens, they are only found in mountains. They are often associated with lamia, though these are known in all the Basque Country.
A dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more vertical megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or “table”. Most date from the early Neolithic and were sometimes covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus.
Harrespil is the Basque name, that can be translated by “stone circle”, given to small megalithic monuments which abounds on mountains of the Basque Country in particular. They are also called baratz, a Basque word meaning “garden” and traditionally applied to the prehistoric necropoles.
Lamia, in Classical mythology, a female daemon who devoured children. The ancient commentaries on Aristophanes’ Peace say she was a queen of Libya who was beloved by Zeus. When Hera robbed her of her children from this union, Lamia killed every child she could get into her power.
In Basque mythology, Basajaun (Basque: [bas̺ajaun], “Lord of the Woods”, plural: basajaunak, female basandere) is a huge, hairy hominid dwelling in the woods. They were thought to build megaliths, protect flocks of livestock, and teach skills such as agriculture and ironworking to humans.
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
Some authors have suggested that the Basajaun myth is a folk memory of early human contact with Neanderthal populations in the Iberian peninsula.
The goddess Mari of the basque, is no other than the Fairy queen. Take a look at the description and similarities between the fairy queen and the female demons (fairy woman) described in the testament of Solomon and compare it to both the lamia and gentile giants of the basque mythology.
Goddess mari
In Elorrieta, Biscay, it was said that she would be in her cave, combing her hair, and not even a shepherd could draw near to her. It was also said that her malign power did not extend to those who were innocent of sin.
Irish fairy folklore
A banshee (/ˈbænʃiː/ BAN-shee; Modern Irish bean sí, from Old Irish: ben síde [bʲen ˈʃiːðʲe], “woman of the fairy mound” or “fairy woman”) is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is connected to the mythologically important tumuli or “mounds” (which looks very similar to the basque stone circles, these are also known as fairy forts) , that dot the Irish countryside, which are known as síde (singular síd) in Old Irish. Sometimes the banshee can appear as a young singing virgin, other times as an old lady that has long streaming hair , often combing her hair or she wears a grey cloak over a green dress, and her eyes are red from continual weeping. She may be dressed in white with red hair and a ghastly complexion, according to a firsthand account by Ann, Lady Fanshawe in her Memoirs. Lady Wilde in Ancient Legends of Ireland provides another:
Now the testament of Solomon
then asked of the demon if there were females among them. And when he told me that there were, I said that I desired to see them. So Beelzeboul went off at high speed, and brought unto me Onoskelis, that had a very pretty shape, and the skin of a fair-hued woman; with a fair complexion, but her legs were those of a mule.” (Onoskelis means “she who has ass’s legs.”)
17. And when she had come, I said to her: “Tell me who art thou?” But she said to me: “I am called Onoskelis, a spirit wrought …[?shabtai/Saturn?] lurking upon the earth. There is a golden cave where I lie. But I have a place that ever shifts1 At one time I strangle men with a noose; at another, I creep up from the nature to the arms [in marg: “worms” (like the lamia) But my most frequent dwelling-places are the precipices, caves, ravines. Oftentimes, however, do I consort with men in the semblance of a woman, and above all with those of a dark skin such as (Oshun or mami wata). For they share my star with me; since they it is who privily or openly worship my star, without knowing that they harm themselves, and but whet my appetite for further mischief. For they wish to provide money by means of memory (commemoration?)19, but I supply a little to those who worship me fairly.”
My name is Onoskelis. I am a spirit which has been made into a body.] : I have a many sided character.] I pervert them from their true natures.
And I Solomon questioned her about her birth, and she replied: “I was born of a voice untimely, the so-called echo of a man’s ordure dropped in a wood.”
For the demon born of an echo we have an analogue in the Hebrew Bath Kol, “the daughter of a voice.” In the Gnostic Hymn to Hermes, edited by Dieterich, Abrasax, p 19, we read, l. 104…
[D: I was generated from an unexpected voice which is called a voice of the echo of a black (lead?) heaven, emitted in matter. (meaning uncertain)]
And I Solomon said to her: “Under what star dost thou pass?” And she answered me: “Under the star of the full moon, for the reason that the moon travels over most things.
Legends attached to the Lady of Murumendi, according to Azkue, include that she had seven brothers and was changed into a witch for her disobedience, and that the weather would be warm (or turbulent) when she walked about. In Beizama, Gipuzkoa, they say that if she stays in her cave and if, on the day of the Holy Cross, appropriate spells are cast, hail can be prevented. They also say that she and her husband once went to church in a cart and that upon leaving church, she rose into the air saying, “Domingo, Domingo el de Murua, siete hijos para el mundo, ninguno para el cielo” (“Domingo, Domingo of Murua, seven children for the world, none for heaven”).
In Irish folklore, the last High Queen of the Daoine Sidhe – and wife of the High King Finvarra – was named Una (or Oonagh, or Oona, or Uonaidh etc.)[citation needed] In the ballad tradition of Northern England and Lowland Scotland, she was called the Queen of Elphame.
The character is also associated with the name Morgan (as with the Arthurian character of Morgan le Fey, or Morgan of the Fairies), or a variant of Mab. In the Child Ballads Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer , she is represented as both beautiful and seductive, and also as terrible and deadly. The Fairy Queen is said to pay a tithe to Hell every seven years, and her mortal lovers often provide this sacrifice. In Tam Lin, the title character tells his mortal lover:
This is where the tale of Lilith, the lillitu spirit, screeching owl that steals and kills children at night, comes from. Lilith is a succubus spirit, she was never the first wife of adam, there are male and female lillitu spirits, called incubus and succubus that come to men in the form of a beuatiful woman, steal their sperm and begets demonic children with it, called changelings. (fairy children) these spirits can shapeshift into anything, object, animal, strange creatures (ET) and even humans.
The lamia or lamina (plural: lamiak or laminak) is a siren or nereid-like creature in Basque mythology.[ Lamiak, laminak, or amilamiak are typically portrayed as living in and around rivers. They are depicted as beautiful, long-haired women with webbed duck feet, usually found at the river shore combing their hair with a golden comb and charming men.
Mythology in coastal areas includes itsaslamiak, a variety of lamiak who live in the sea and have fish-like tails, similar to a mermaid.
The book of Enoch says the female angels that also went astray, shall become sirens in the earth. That was their judgement. Sirens were first females with fish tails, during the great world flood, after the flood they transformed into females with bird wings and feet, like the depiction of ereskigal summerian goddess of the underworld, and Inanna. These are the female fallen angels that laid with men in our ancient past and begat themselves demi god sons, Nephilim children, just like the sons of God / watchers like zeus and poseidon that slept with woman and begat giant sons. The jentil giants spoken of in basque mythology came through two bloodlines after the great deluge, during the Sumeria era. Those 2 bloodlines, were Ham’s descendants such as the Canaanite and Egyptian giants, and through the line of Japhet, which is referred to as the actual gentile (pagan worshipping nations). Those bloodlines of the northern hemisphere. and Europe, like greeks, italians, balkans, russia, asia etc.