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Queen Lupa

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Portrait of Queen Lupa from theMuseum of the Astorga Cathedral

Queen Lupa(also known as Raíña Lupa, Raíña Lopa, Raíña Luparia, Raíña Luca and Raíña Loba) is a character fromGalician mythology.She is mentioned in both theCodex Calixtinusand theGolden Legendinvolving the translation of the body of the Apostle James by his disciples. Her name alludes to her cunning, and she is written as being a roadblock to the disciples of the Apostle James,Theodore and Athanasius,as they search for a place to entomb his body. She eventually sees her error and converts to Christianity.

Her story is well-known throughout Galicia and she still influences the culture of that portion of Spain. Her story is integral to the translation of the relics of the apostle, and her home is along the route of thePortuguese Wayto Santiago de Compostela.

Legend

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The transfer of the body ofSaint Jamesbyhis disciplesatthe castleof Queen Lupa

Galician traditionholds that Lupa, a widowed noblewoman,[1]lived inCastro Lupario,[2]along what is now called thePortuguese Way.[3]She appears in Book III (Liber de translatione corporis sancti Jacobi ad Compostellam) of the 12th-centuryCodex Calixtinus,which contains a story regarding what was done with the body of theApostle Jamesafter his martyrdom. According to the story, after their arrival inIria Flavia,James's disciples Theodore and Athanasius[4]approached the queen about giving them a place to bury James's body.[5]Lupa chose to trick the disciples and sent them to the King ofDuiowith the intent of having them killed. The king imprisons them, but they are freed by an angel and return to the queen.[6]

Then according to theGolden Legend,Lupa tried deceiving them and sent them toMount Ilicino(now known as "Pico Sacro" ) to collect some of her oxen to carry the necessary material to build the tomb.[4]She did not tell them that a cave in the mountain was the entrance tohelland was guarded by a dragon.[4]However, the presence of theholy crossprotected the disciples from harm and tamed the bulls.[7][8]Upon witnessing the miraculous events, Lupa converted toChristianityand helps build the apostle's tomb inLibredon.[7]It is also said that upon her conversion, she turned her home into a church.[9]

Among the stories about Lupa is one collected from an elderly Galician peasant about the queen living onPico Sacro:

Queen Lupa lived in O Pico Sacro. There was a servant of a house who took the pigs to graze to the mountain. This servant realized that some of the pigs were fattening a lot so he decided to follow them. He went to a cave. There he met Queen Lupa. She told him she would feed the pigs and in return when the animals were slaughtered he should give her the best pork sausages of the best pork. He accepted. When the owner of the pigs, an old woman, heard of it, instead of taking her the best pork sausages, she took her the worst. Queen Lupa throw the deception back in the old woman’s face and told her she was going to punish her. The pork sausages turn into snakes, which eat her. Her skeleton can still be seen at the bottom of the well[10]

Lupa's relationship with Pico Sacro is strong. Author H.W. Howes writes about stories of her castle being located there and that a "half-human monster guards her hidden treasure."[11]

Her name, "Lupa," recalls the Spanish word "lupino" (meaning "characteristic of or relating to wolves" ), which in turn is derived from Latinlupus.The folklore of Galicia holds many tales of "Lobishome."Her name may be an allusion to hershe-wolf-like nature.[12]Lupa's legacy is subject to multiple interpretations. While her myth is popular amongCatholics,others think that Lupa could be the representation of a pre-Christian goddess, perhaps the female version ofLugh.[13]Galician AcademicManuel Gago Mariñohas written about Lupa and notes that in the Middle Ages, portions of theGalician aristocracyclaimed to descend from her.[14]Lupa is said to be buried at theCastle of Saint George,onMount Pindo.[15]

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Thepilgrim's scallop,used by travelers on the camino may also be related to the queen. One version of the story of James's body being brought to Galicia fromJerusalemtells of the ship as it approached land. The wedding of the daughter of Queen Lupa was taking place on shore.[16]The groom was on horseback, and upon the ship's approach, his horse got spooked, and horse and rider fell into the sea.[17]They both emerged from the water alive, covered in seashells.[18]: 71 

Today, there is a deep cut (2 by 6 metres (6.6 ft × 19.7 ft)) at the top ofPico Sacroknown as the "Rúa da Raíña Lupa" (English:Queen Lupa's path). The cut may be a natural fissure, or the result of mining performed by the Romans or the Moors. Local legend attributes the cut to Queen Lupa, or the sword of aTitan.Some tales place her castle on Pico Sacro, and that the cut was part of its defenses.[19]

A number of pieces of art feature her, among them theTraslado del cuerpo de Santiago el Mayor ante el palacio de la reina LupabyMartín Bernatis on display in theMuseo del Prado.[20]Lupa still holds the imagination of many people, withCastle Lupariobeing a tourist site.[3]On 2 July 2016, the operaA Raíña Lupa,with music by the Galician composerFernando Vázquez Arias[gl;es]and a libretto byXoán Pérez[gl],premiered at theTeatro Colón[gl;ca]inA Coruña.[21]

TheSierra Raíña Lobais named after Lupa.[22]TheRaíña Lupa Awardis given for Galician works of children's literature.[23]

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Further reading

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  • Balboa Salgado, Antonio (2005).A raíña Lupa: as orixes pagás de Santiago(in Spanish). Santiago: Edicións Lóstrego.ISBN9788493424039.OCLC123755215.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Howes, H.W. (30 June 1925)."The Cult of Sant-Iago at Compostela".Folklore.36(2). Taylor & Francis, Ltd.: 132–150.doi:10.1080/0015587X.1925.9718319.JSTOR1256325.
  2. ^Castellá Ferrer, Mauro (1610).Historia del Apostol de Iesus Christo Sanctiago Zebedeo.pp. 117, 130.
  3. ^ab"The Mar de Arousa and Río Ulla Route".The Way of Saint James.Xunta de Galicia.Retrieved28 November2021.
  4. ^abcde Voragine, Jacobus(1265)."St. James the Greater".The Golden Legend.
  5. ^Regional Government of Galicia."Legends of the Camino de Santiago"– via Google Arts and Culture.
  6. ^Pazos, Antón M. (2016).Translating the Relics of St James: From Jerusalem to Compostela.Routledge.ISBN9781317007173.
  7. ^abSenén, Felipe[in Galician](5 June 2016)."O" Bosque de Galicia ": os bosques animados, Libredón, Ilicino..."La Opinión de A Coruña(in Spanish).Retrieved20 December2020.
  8. ^Rodríguez, Eladio(2001),"Boi",Diccionario enciclopédico gallego-castellano,p. 368,ISBN9788482884288,Rodríguez attributes to this legend the origin of the popular saying "Boi bravo, vente ó carro, que o manda o Señor Santiago" (EnglishBrave ox, come to the cart, sent by Lord Santiago)
  9. ^abBourdua, Louise (2012)."Some Pilgrimage Sources for Altichiero".A Wider Trecento.pp. 190–199.doi:10.1163/9789004226517_014.ISBN978-90-04-21076-9.
  10. ^Moralejo, A.; Torres, C.; Feo, J. (1951)."Liber Sancti Jacobi. Codex Calixtinus"(PDF).Ed. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.Santiago de Compostela: Instituto "Padre Sarmiento" de Estudios Gallegos: 391.as quoted byCostas Goberna, J. Bernardino; Otero Dacosta, Tereixa; LÓpez Mosquera, J.M. (January 2008)."Myths, legends and beliefs on granite caves".Cuadernos do Laboratorio Xeolóxico de Laxe.Universidade da Coruña:PDF.ISSN0213-4497.
  11. ^Howes 1925,p. 141.
  12. ^Camino de Santiago.Yale Alumni Academy. p.The Golden Legend of Saint James.Retrieved20 July2023.
  13. ^Cuba, Xoán Ramiro[in Galician];Reigosa, Antonio[in Galician];Ruíz, Xosé Miranda[in Galician](1999).Diccionario dos seres míticos galegos.Xerais de Galicia.ISBN978-84-8302-363-1.Archivedfrom the original on 18 February 2022.Retrieved18 February2022.
  14. ^Gago Mariño, Manuel[in Galician]."Hai unha muller no corazón mítico de Galicia (Raíña Lupa)".Retrieved9 March2023– via Twitter.
  15. ^Stanton, Edward F. (1994).The Road of Stars to Santiago.The University of Kentucky Press. p. 192.ISBN9780813118710.
  16. ^Bahrami, Beebe (2009).The Spiritual Traveler: Spain: a Guide to Sacred Sites and Pilgrim Routes.Paulist Press. p. 36.ISBN978-1-58768-047-2.
  17. ^Starkie 1965,pp.70–71.
  18. ^Starkie, Walter(1965) [1957].The Roads to Santiago: Pilgrims of St. James.University of California Press.
  19. ^"RÚA DA RAÍÑA LUPA / CALLE DE LA REINA LUPA".Concello de Boqueixón(in Galician). 14 October 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 16 July 2023.Retrieved20 June2023.
  20. ^"The Transfer of the Body of Saint James the Greater at the Palace of Queen Lupa".Museo Nacional del Prado.
  21. ^""A Raíña Lupa" de Fernando Arias ".La Voz de Galicia(in Spanish). 2 July 2016.Retrieved22 December2020.
  22. ^Caamaño Rivas, Víctor M.; Leiro, Adela; Daporta, Mon; Núñez Pérez, Manuel; Pontanilla Pérez, Isaac (2006).As montañas de Galiza(in Galician). A Nosa Terra.ISBN84-8341-126-1.
  23. ^"Premio de Literatura Infantil e Xuvenil" Raíña Lupa "".Deputación da Coruña(in Galician).Retrieved23 November2017.

Bibliography

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