Hola collacios y collacies, un añu más celebramos la Llacuada Celta de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies, esti añu en concordancia cola entrada d’Imbolc, la primavera celta. Axuntámonos, como ye vezu nel restaurante Ca’l Xabú, un garrapieyu celtes pa esfrutar en xuntanza d’una llacuada celta asturiana y, a la mesma vegada, face-y homenax a Ignaciu Llope, ilustráu asturianu que lleva toda la vida estudiando y trabayando pola cultura asturiana y el celtismu asturianu.
L’eventu emprincipió alrodiu les 13:00h del 1 febreru cola interpretación a gaita del himnu d’Asturies a cargu del nuesu compañeru Xermán, nun fai falta dicir que dexónos a toos y a toes colos pelos como escarpies.
De siguíu, Fernán Morán, Presidente de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies, verbalizó un discursu breve pero intensu entituláu «¿Por qué caltenemos esta llucha?», nel que faló de la situación académica y social del celtismu asturianu y la necesidá de caltener el punxu y trabayar con intensidá y rigor pola nueso cultura y la nueso identidá celto-atlántica.
Fináu esti discursu inicial, pasó a la llectura d’unes pallabres nes que faló de les razones que xustificaben la decisión de otorga-y el diploma d’agradecimientu que se-y dió a Ignaciu Llope basaes, sobremanera, na so llabor social al traviés del exerciciu de la melicina y la so vocación cultural-asturianista y celtista desendolcada a lo llargo de la so vida na que dexonos productos lliterarios enraigonaos na nueso cultura más ancestral; trabayos y ensayos venceyaos al celtismu asturianu, y una actitú exemplar hacia’l movimientu interceltista astur.
De siguío, procediose a la entrega del diploma y otros obsequios a Ignaciu Llope como amuesa del nuesu agradecimientu y almiración pola so llabor.
Darréu, Ignaciu, regalonos unes pallabres a tolos asistentes al eventu que dexaron manifiesta la so intelectualidá y el so fonderu conocimientu de la nueso cultura y el nuesu celtismu. Tamién, como amuesa de la so xenerosidá, quiso facer estensible el reconocimientu de la nueso organización a tol colectivu de la Fundación Belenos.
Dempués d’esu nun vamos dar más detalles, xintamos un maravillosu menú asturianu en Ca’l Xabú atendíos/es de maraviya pol escelente personal d’esa casa y regose tou ello con sidre abundante, vinu tintu, oruxu y llicor d’arándonos; falamos, canciamos, baillamos y esfrutamos como namái nós sabemos facelo -anque d’esto nun va haber semeyes… hahahaha-
Por una banda…
Pola otra banda…
La Lliga Celta d’Asturies quier agradecer fonderamente al restaurante Ca’l Xabú, poles sos viandes y el so escelente serviciu; la presencia de Lisardo Lombardía y Astur Paredes compartiendo’l momentu con Ignaciu; a les compañeres de vida de Lisardo y Astur pol so bon facer col panderu y el baille; al mio collaciu Diego Santos de la UPL de Llión pola so presencia en representación del nuesu queríu Llión, otra cara de la vieya Asturia; a tolos compañeros y compañeros que trabayan con pasión y allegría nes actividaes y proyeutos qu’entamamos na Lliga Celta d’Asturies y, por supuestu, a tolos/es que vos averastis a esta llacuada qu’esperamos os prestara tantu como a nós.
Un abrazu a toos y toes y ata la prósima!
Fernán Morán, Presidente de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies.
A Greek author, the monk from the 11th century Joannes Xiphilinos, compiled a work called ‘Epitome romanæ historiæ’ where he summarised the works of Cassius Dio, The Twelve Cæsars, and where he mentioned Astures and Cantabrians as Celtic peoples. This passage is reproduced below. From the original works of Cassius Dio, books from 61 to 80 have arrived to us. De L’Ibérie ou essai critique sur l’origine des premièrs populations de l’Espagne, L. F. Graslin, Paris 1838. ‘Dans la vie d’Auguste, Xiphilin, qui pouvet encore puiser à des sources dont nous avons à regretter la perte, s’exprime en ces termes: «Auguste fit subjuguer, par ses lieutenants Te-rentius Varro et Titius Carisius, les Astures et les Cantabres, peuples Celtiques».‘ ‘Je ne veux point dissimuler que je n’ai pas trouvé, dans les livres de Dion Cassius qui nous sont parve-nus, l’origine que son abréviateur donne à ces peuples. Mais, l’exactitude et la fidelité scrupuleuses de Xiphilin son trop généralment recon-nus, pour qu’il sois posible de suppo-ser qu’il nous ait transmis ce renseig-nement historique sans y avoir été autorisé par quelque passage de Tite Live, ou de Dion Cassius, dont nous ne possédons les ouvrages qu’avec des lacunes considérables.‘ (pag. 212-213). ‘On the life of Augustus, Xiphilinos, who may have had access to sources whose loss we now have to lament, speaks in these terms: «Augustus subjugated, thanks to his delegates Terentius Varro and Titus Carisius, the Astures and Cantabri, Celtic peoples».’ ‘I do not deny that among the books of Cassius Dio which have arrived to us, I have not found the origin whose compiler gives to these peoples. Nonetheless, Xiphilinos’s accuracy and scrupulous veracity are widely acknowledged, therefore it is possible to assume that this historic information has not been passed on without legitimisation by some passage from Livy or Cassius Dio, since their existing works have numerous missing parts.’
Fig. 1.- Denarius of Publius Carisivs with a chained Astur and an antenna-shaped sword.
The legendary tradition of the origin of the Astures: The following story is not as intricate as the Irish legend of the Milesians but it definitely holds a candle to the latter and it might very well be telling the story of the Sons of Míl before they left northbound. The Irish give the Sons of Míl a Scythian origin and, remarkably, some link between Astures and Scythians can be inferred from some of the information. For instance, that the Astures keep an ethnonym common among the people of that very same Scythian root, as maintained by Louis François Graslin, author of the aforementioned work. Thus, following this author, the Pæsici are mentioned by Pliny as a Scythian people, alongside the Sacæ or the Massagetæ (book VI, chapter 17). Also Ptolemy locates the people of the Asturicani in the eastern part of the Pontic steppe (book V, chapter 9). This author also relates the people Amaci with Pontic toponyms such as Amasia —city where Strabo was born— and the Amassi, a people of the Sarmatia Asiatica. He also relates Nabia and Nabius with the Nabiani, another people of the Sarmatia Asiatica according to Pliny. Could the Astures possibly be a people of Celto-Scythian stock? Libro de las grandezas y cosas memorables de España: Pedro de Medina, 1549. De las Asturias señorío de Bizcaya Provincia y Guipuzcua. Capítulo CXXIL De Las Asturias de Oviedo y Santillana, señorío de Bizcaya y provincia de Guipuzcua y su asiento colas notables dellas. ‘Son las Asturias dos, unas se dicen de Oviedo, y otras de Santillana. Las de oviedo confinan con Galicia y las otras con los Cantabros o bizcaínos. Estas son tierras de grandes montañas. Dize una cronica que en el tiempo que se contaron doscientos y cincuenta años antes del nacimiento de nuestro señor iesuchristo. Ciertas compañas de gentes llamados Galos que en españa avian venido caminaron hazia las partes septentrionales donde agora es Galizia y passaron adelante creyendo que hallarian tierra mas apazible donde pudiessen bivir. Pero las asperezas y fraguras de montañas crecian siempre cuanto mas yvan. De suerte que muchos dellos assentaron en aquellas asperezas derramadas en diversas partes, y algunos passaron adelante hasta que llegaron sobre las riberas de la mar. Donde visto ser acabado su camino pues lo demas todo era mar considerando que aquella tierra por las veredas y valles con que se pudia entrar era fértil y viciosa: bastecida de muchas frutas monteses que nacian por ella acada parte con que se podía sostener. Porque entonces de solas frutas y yervas que la tierra de si misma produzia bivian. Y que estando en un lugar cierto tiempo les bastaría la fructa de aquella comarca y acabada podian yr a otra donde hallasen otra hasta que buelto el año bolviessen ellos tanbien al lugar primero (…) Despues que estos Galos en algunas partes dela tierra con el ingenio delos Hombres se hizieron domesticos los arboles que la naturaleza produzia silvestres y se princi-pio el uso de transplantar y enxerir mucho se aprovecharon. Aunque saber que arboles o fructas entonces en españa usaron esto no se puede particularmente decir que sea con fundamento de autoridad porque no sabemos que frutas fueron entonces. Tenian alli mismo abundancia de rios y muy buenos pescados y muchas caças y muestra de metales. Tambien muchos puertos de mar en toda la ribera bien espaciosos; y repartidos con mas otros indicios de grandes provechos que la tierra les mos-trava por lo qual holgaron de dar alli poniendo fin a sus trabajos y desta manera se poblo aquella tierra. Esta tierra es fria abunda mucho en Mijo de que hazen pan y assi mismo ma-nçanas de que se haze la sidra que beven por vino. Tienen muchas castañas y otras frutas. La gente destas provincias son de mas apacibles corazones que las otras gentes de España muy liberales y amigables. Son naturalmente gente alegre y plazentera muy ligeros y buenos para la batalla. En estas provincias se crian muchos Animales y bestias salvages. Dize el silo ytalico que en asturias se criavan unos cavallos chiquitos a manera de frisones y avia dellos gran numero.’
Fig. 2.- Torque-type ferrule, found in Fompedrín, Quirós, L’Aramu.
Relating the same story, we have: Los cinco primeros Libros de La Cronica General de España, que recopilava el maestro Florián de Ocampo, coronista del Rey nuestro señor, por mandado de su Magestad, en Çamora 1578 (second and third books). We will list the titles and reproduce the content of the last one, this one being of interest to the topic at hand. 1) Como gentes advenedizas llegaron en España y se juntaron con ciertos españoles que vivían cercanos a las riberas del Ebro y después pobla-ron otras provincias della, particularmente la que llamamos Celtiberia, donde se pone los aledaños o mojones que solía tener esta región. 2) Como cierta gente de los Españoles llamados Celtíberos entro por diversas provincias Españolas y poblaron en ellas muchas ciudades, señaladamente por la región que los antiguos decían Lusitania entre los ríos de Duero y Guadiana. 3) Como los Galos Célticos de la Lusitania pasaron a Andalucía y fundaron en ella y en la provincia que dice Extremadura muchos pueblos y lugares, donde moraron largos años ellos y su generación. 4) Como parte de la nación o linaje de los Españoles Andaluces, nombrados Túrdulos, salieron a buscar otras tierras en que poblasen y venidos a las riberas del Guadiana, donde moravan los Galos Célticos, se detuvieron algunos días. 5) De las pobaciones nuevas que hi-cieron algunos Túrdulos andaluces entre los Galos Célticos sobre la ribera del Guadiana y como los res-tantes pasaron adelante por dentro de la tierra muy acompañados de los mesmos Célticos, donde fundaron vi-llas que permanecieron largo tiempo en España. 6) Como fue poblada la ciudad de Porto por los Galos Célticos que pasaron el río Duero contra las tierras de Galicia, donde también continuando su viaje fundaron Braga y a Guimaraes con otros lugaes antiguos de quien las coronicas hacen señalada mención. 7) De la mala división y discordia que tuvieron los Túrdulos Andaluzes con los Galos Célticos sus compañeros cerca del río Lima, llamado Letes entre los antiguos y de las poblaciones que los unos y los otros dejaron hechas en aquella tierra de Galicia. 8) De la jornada que cierto linaje de los Gallegos nombrados Astyros, hicieron fuera de su provincia los quales poblaron la tierra que por su causa llamamos Asturias cuya cabeza fue la ciudad que decimos Astorga.
Fig. 3.- Statues of Galician warriors from Guimarés, Norte, Portugal. Author: Gauson Fernande.
And this chapter explains: ‘…solamente podemos conjeturar de los señalado por nuestros historiadores que gastados algunos días en aquello, siendo ya cerca del año que se contaron docientos y sesenta y nueve antes del advenimiento de nuestro señor Dios, que fue justamente quince años después de la discordia que los Galos tuvieron entre sí, cerca de las aguas del río Lima, cuando se dividieron los unos de los otros, una compañía dellos nombrados los Astyros, no pudiendo reposar con los Griegos, como quiera que ya tuviesen con ellos travado parentesco, según lo tenían los otros linajes, de quién primero hablamos y tomando sus halajas, armas, ganados, hijos y mugeres, con alguna cantidad de griegos baldíos que les llegaban, movieron contra las partes Orientales de la tierra y atravesados los montes que se desgajan de la Serranía, donde son ahora los puertos del Rabanal y la cumbre de Sospacio, cuyas lomeras y cerros vienen a parar en las aguas del Duero, como ya lo declaramos en el quinto capítulo del segundo libro comenzaron a represar en la falda de esta montaña, recogiendo como mejor podían algunas personas silvestres que hallaban derramados en cuevas y chozas por la tierra; con los cuales fundaron moradas en sitios que pudieran vivir. Pero mas principalmente hicieron una población, que fue cabeza dellos y de las otras que por tiempo se multiplicaron entre la nación de los Astyros, la cuál nombraron Astyrica, cuyo vocablo vino después se mudar algún poco y la llamaron Asturica y agora muy más corruptamente le decimos Astorga, según que también corrompieron el apellido de los mesmos Astyros sus fundadores y de toda quanta gente dellos procedió, que poco después los llamaron Astures y agora los decimos Asturianos, puesto que los asturianos de nuestro siglo no tienen tanta tierra como poseyeron los Astures antiguos. Cuyas gentes hubo tiempo que se multiplicaron y cundieron contra la parte de medio día hasta la ribera del río Duero, donde confinavan con un pedazo de las gentes Lusitanas, que se decían Vetones y contra la parte de Septentrión ocuparon hasta la marina del océano Septentrional, poblando las fraguras de montañas entre medias que se hacen en por aquella tierra más difíciles y terribles que ninguna otras de España. Solos estos Astures Septentrionales son agora los que conservan y retienen el nombre de Asturianos que (Según parece por algunos cosmografos) fueron confines a ciertos Españoles antiguos llamados Syloros, de quién adelante trataremos algunos acontecimientos notables en el tercero capítulo del quarto libro. Y pues hallamos esta relación tan sustancial y tan concertada del principio de los Asturianos en las cronicas de los dos Iulianos, Pomerio y Diácono con casi lo mesmo que dellos escribe Iuan Gil de Zamora, claro parece ser cosa fingida lo de Sylio Itálico, quando dice que procedieron de Astur varón Troyano que vino en España criado y paje de Menón, el hijo de la mañana, que por otro nombre llamamos el Alva. Más dejada la tal vanidad y tornados a nuestro primer intento, declaran los Cosmografos, que toda cuanta tierra poseyeron estos Astures Galos, y los Griegos que consigo traían, se contó los tiempos antiguos entre las provincias de Galizia, como también se contaron en ellas muchas otras naciones mayores de tierra más adelante, de quién presto haremos relación en los X capítulos siguientes.« From the classic authors, among others: Herodotus, Estrabón, Plinio and Mela, we know that the Celts were in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula already in the 5th century BC. That they had passed from Gaul to Hispania first, so they were Celts from the cultural period known as Hallstatic, they might have passed in the Hallstat D cultural period (640 to 475). That they were a split of the group that gave rise to those known as Celtíberos and Berones that passed to Lusitania and from there they had settled in the Bética and those who settled in the Bética who have made emigration towards the Túrdulos northwest of the peninsula. That the Túrdulos, past the Limia river, have moved away and settled to the south of the Duero, known as Túrdulos Veteres. Among the Celts who settled in the northwest we find the Neros, Praesamarcos, Supertamarcos, Cilenos and the Ártabros. These authors also give us knowledge of people of Asitiaos Greek origin on the same coast of Gallaecia, name as being the: Heleni, the Grovios and those of the Tyde Castle. What has not yet come from the classic authors to us, has been the continuity of this story, that of the Celtic Astures or Astyres that split from the others give birth to the Asturians, and which these other authors of the si-glo tell us XV cited: Pedro de Medina and Florián de Ocampo, who in turn refer to previous authors who already collected this same story; like Juan Gil de Zamora (1241-1318) and the supposed chronicle of Iuliano Deacon of Toledo who was contemporary of Don Pelayo, of which he seems to be speaking long and hard. Chronicle that Florián de Ocampo has managed for his work, but unfor-tunately nothing more and has given time to publish four first volumes, even the Carthaginians and Roman origins in Hispania, a loss that not one had come to publish more before dying … because of such a chronicle, of that Iuliano Deacon, nothing is known. We will have to continue delving deeper to clarify the primary sources of this tradition of the origin of the Astures.
Authorship and reference:
FERNANDE, G. (2020); Antiguos testimonios del celtismu Astur; ASTOR, cartafueyu de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies, #18, pages 71-77.
While legends of people transforming into them exist wherever there are wolves, there are some Irish and Asturian stories that bear some similarities. Although the origin of these beliefs comes from ancient pagan/shamanic religions, where the wolf’s strength and coldness are valued primarily in warrior societies and have overtones of initiation trances. With the arrival of Christianity, the transformation into a wolf has been seen as a curse or demonic possession. In traditional Asturian stories, the transformation into a wolf occurs due to a paternal or maternal curse because the child eats meat during Lent. So here we find the violation of a Christian taboo, where the parents curse, saying: «May God grant that you become a wolf and gorge yourself on meat for seven years.» And so it will be: the young man will roll in the dust and become a wolf for the next seven years of his life. Aurelio de Llano collected this legend from Manuel Cadenas, from Tormaleo in the municipality of Ibias (aged 46 in 1921). The young man, while rolling naked in the dust, forgot to take off his trousers, and when he turned into a wolf, one of his paws was a different color, and the neighbors distinguished him from other wolves in the pack by calling him the pants wolf. A separate case is that there are wolf-witches, people who turn into wolves at will to wreak havoc on the neighbors’ livestock. Stories of this type occur in the villages of Robledal, Teinás, and Mieldos in the municipality of Cangas del Narcea—recounted by Basilio Garrido Álvarez, aged 81, on November 13, 1998—and in Ansarás, in the municipality of Tineo—recounted by Jovino González Alonso, aged 74, on November 8, 1999. Legends about a boy turning into a wolf due to a paternal or maternal curse for eating meat during Lent can be found in Faro, Miranda municipality; San Xuan de la Montaña, Veigamiedru, Murzón, Vil.latexil, and Vialar in the Cangas del Narcea municipality; Vil.lare de Vildas in Somiedo; Degaña, Cagadayoso in the Ibias municipality; and the village of Sotres in the Cabrales municipality.
Fig. 1.- German woodcut of a Wolf (1722). Public domain illustration.
In a Norwegian work entitled «Kongs Skuggsjo» (The Mirror of Kings), written around 1250, it is told that Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, learned that the island’s pagans were planning an ambush for him, so he placed a curse on them, saying: «Since you wanted to come at me like wolves, you will be wolves for seven years.» The curse became hereditary, and all Irish people are wolves for seven years. We are witnessing the Christianization of the myth. In both cases, Asturian and Irish, the transformation into a wolf is a curse for breaking a Christian taboo, eating meat during Lent, or attacking a saint. In the case of Ireland, Saint Patrick was born into an aristocratic family in Stratheylde, an ancient kingdom that stretched from the southern part of ancient Scotland to Northumbria, and who would orchestrate the Christianization of Ireland. It is also said that Saint Patrick transformed the pagan king of Galas Vereticus into a wolf for seven years, and that Abbot Saint Natalis placed the curse on a noble Irish family. In all these stories, both Asturian and Irish, the curse lasts seven years (there are also some stories from León, Zamora, and Galicia in this same vein). Giraldus Cambresius (1147-1220) speaks in his «Hibernian Topography» of the Ossoru people in Irish Ulster, cursed to be wolves for seven years by the abbot Saint Natalis. We find this reference in other priests such as Saint Boniface, Rabanus Maurus, Bishop of Fulda, and Richard of Worms. Instead, it is the Welsh monk Nennius in his «Historia Brittonum» who, when speaking of werewolves, gives us to understand that it is an initiatory trance: «There are some men of the Celtic race who have the marvelous power that comes to them from their ancestors; they take the form of a wolf at will (…) when they want to, they abandon the human body and order their lovers not to change their position, nor touch them, nor even wake them, because, if that had happened, they could instantly become human. While they are wolves, if someone wounds them, whether it be a cut or a blow, they remain in the human body, and the flesh of their prey also appears in their human teeth.» In Vil.lar de Vildas, in the council of Somiedo, there is talk of a wolf whose claw was shot off. When he returned to human status after seven years, he was missing a toenail—told by Mari Carmen de Ca el Ferréiru, 67 years old, on July 24, 1999. In a story from Naviego, in the council of Cangas del Narcea, a man in wolf form attacks his wife and rips off her shawl in one bite. The next day, now in human form, he has threads of the garment between his teeth. The woman discovers him, and he recognizes him as a wolf-witch—told by José Suárez Fernández, 59 years old, and Erundina Collar, on October 8, 1998, and February 10, 2008.
Fig. 2.- Engraving of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, who, in addition to cursing the Irish pagans by turning them into wolves for seven years, is also attributed to cursing all the pagans of Ireland. Ultimately, it is a metaphor for Christianity cursing the old pagan religion. Illustration and text: Alberto Álvarez Peña.
A separate story is the story of a man who encounters a woman a huge she-wolf and to defend herself she cuts off her front leg with a sickle, puts the paw in her bag and when she gets home and wants to show it to his wife, he sees that the paw is a human hand and his wife has her arm bandaged with her apron and is bleeding. The she-wolf was she – told by José Antonio Enríquez – Pepe Arroñada, 68 years old from Xestoso, Villanueva de Oscos council on November 13, 2013-. It is the only story of a she-wolf that I could find to date. A similar story is recorded in 1588 in Apchon, in the French Auvergne.
To quote: PEÑA Álvarez, A. (2025); «Homes llobos asturianos ya irlandesos»; ASTOR, nº 21, pp. 6-9; Ed. Lliga Celta d’Asturies.
Bibliography:
Álvarez Peña, Alberto (2012). El llobu na tradición oral asturiana. Edita Academia de la Llingua Asturiana.
Baring Gould, Sabine (1865 –reedición de 2004-). El libro de los Hombres Lobo, información sobreuna superstición terrible. Edita Valdemar Gótica.
NENNIUS (1989). Historia del pueblo bretón-britón. Edita PPV.
Petoia E. (1995). Vampiros y Hombre Lobo, orígenes y leyendas desde la antigüedad a nuestros días. Edita Galaxia Gutemberg.
¡Mui bones a toos y toes! Otra vegada más, tenemos l’inmensu preste de presentavos un nuevu númberu del nuesu cartafueyu ASTOR con dellos artículos bien interesantes qu’esperamos vos presten y vos seyen d’interés.
N’esti númberu cuntamos coles siguiente collaboraciones:
El gran druida asturianu, Bertu Peña, etnólogo, escritor, debuxante… escríbenos un artículu de mitoloxía comparao pente los homes llobo asturianos y los irlandesos entituláu «Los homes llobu asturianos ya irlandesos«… ¡ablucante!
José González, conocíu estudiosu de dellos campos de la etnografía asturiana fálanos nesta collaboración de les brañes asturianes somedanes y la so tipoloxía nel so artículu entituláu «Les brañes de Somiedo«.
El biólogu, investigador y escritor Berto Ordiales, fálanos del componente místicu, máxicu, monte Aramo nel so artículu «L’Aramo, un monte míticu para los astures«, ¡nun tien desperdiciu!
Dellos investigadores del CESIC, Museos de Xixón y la Universidá d’Uviéu como son: Fernando Rodríguez de Cueto, Almudena Orejas, Rubén Montes y Patricia García, ufrécennos los resultaos de les caberes investigaciones nes postreres escavaciones del castru Noega nel so artículu entituláu «Novedaes alrodiu de la Edá del Fierro nel xacimientu de la Campa Torres de Xixón«, ¡bien interesante non, lo silguiente!
L’archiconocía «pisapraos» -cómo autodenomínase ella mesma-, Carmen Morán, amuésanos un resportaxe fotográficu sobre les cases tradicionales d’Asturies nel so reportaxe entituláu «La vivienda campesina asturiana«, una delicia pa los güeyos.
Y l’investigador de la Universidá de Cantabria, Amable Concha, va facenos una disertación de la simboloxía de les representaciones del Peñatu nel so artículu entituláu «Les representaciones del tipu antropomorfu, espada y mitoloxía de los primeros metalúrxicos. Especial referencia al ídolo de Peñatú y la lleenda d’Osetia«, una perspectiva rialmente interesante desti monumentu líticu.
Fig. 1.- Portada del cartafueyu ASTOR nº 21, añu 2025. Autor: F. Morán.
Y yá, pa finar, dicivos que podéis descargavos de baldre el PDF del cartafueyu completu nel enllaz qu’apruz embaxu d’esti testu. ¡Esfrutaila!
Little do we know about ourselves before the Romans gave us a name, Astures, ascribed us to a territory, Asturia, and wrote about it. As a Celtic people that we are, we were illiterate, that is to say that we did not possess a known writing system, and therefore there are no documents written by the people named Astures by the Romans about themselves. Having said this, and for want of a future find of some archæological or palæographic evidence of writings prior to the classic sources, these are all we have, for the time being, to have a certain pic-ture of ourselves shortly before the beginning of our era.
In this article I shall present a compilation of fragments from diverse Græco-Latin sources wherein the Astur people is mentioned in any manner or one of its characteristics is described. Notwithstanding, we ought to bear in mind that these sources are written by the invading people, or they were written from hearsay decades after having made contact with us, which should make us approach them with a certain scepticism. Their documentary value is indubitable, but I do not think that they should be taken «as gos-pel» for obvious reasons which I do not believe necessary to expand on.
Fig. 1.- Title page of the 1620 edition of Isaac Casaubon’s Geographica. Public Domain
We shall commence this endeavour with Strabo, who, as you all will know, was a Greek geographer at the service of Rome and who wrote the globally renowned work entitled Geographica between the years 29 and 7 b.C., and subsequently amended A.D. 18 (Rodríguez Muñoz, J.: 1990). This Greek geographer was never in Asturia, not even on the Iberian Peninsula, and everything that he wrote about the Astures was entirely from hearsay; therefore what I commented before about the value of some of his descriptions of our people made with information passed on by someone else and years after contact with us, the Astures. This author offers some descriptions and commentaries on the Astures in one of the multiple vol-umes that compose his work Geographica, specifically volume III. Some of these fragments follow:
In this fragment he sets up the location:
«And yet the country north of the Tagus, Lusitania […]. The boundaries of this country are: on the southern side, the Tagus; on the western and northern, the ocean; and on the eastern, the countries of the CarpetaniaIns, Vettonians, Vaccæans, and Callaicans, the well-known tribes […]. These four peoples, in the eastern part of their countries, have common boundaries, thus: the Callaicans, with the tribe of the Asturi-ans and with the Celtiberians, but 188 the others with only the Celtiberians.»
Strabo; Geographica III, 3, 3. Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. Translation by H. L. Jones (1932).
FIG. 2. Map of the Celtic peoples of northwestern Hispania: Gallaecia, Asturia, and Cantabria. Author: Miguel A. González González
Here follows another fragment of Geographica, in this case III, 3, 7, wherein Strabo offers a description of the «mountaineers», adjective applied to the peoples of the North-West of the Iberian Peninsula, i.e. Astures, Cantabri and Gallæci. The text goes as follows:
«All the mountaineers lead a simple life, are water-drinkers, sleep on the ground, and let their hair stream down in thick masses after the man-ner of women, though before going into battle they bind their hair about the forehead. They eat goat’s-meat mostly, and to Ares they sacrifice a he-goat and also the prisoners and horses; and they also offer heca-tombs of each kind, after the Greek fashion — as Pindar himself says, «to sacrifice a hundred of every kind.» They also hold contests, for light-armed and heavy-armed soldiers and cavalry, in boxing, in run-ning, in skirmishing, and in fighting by squads. And the mountaineers, for two-thirds of the year, eat acorns, which they have first dried and crushed, and then ground up and made into a bread that may be stored away for a long time. They also drink beer; but they are scarce of wine, and what wine they have made they speedily drink up in merry feastings with their kinsfolk; and in-stead of olive-oil they use butter. Again, they dine sitting down, for they have stationary seats builded around the walls of the room, thoughthey seat themselves forward according to age and rank. The dinner is passed round, and amid their cups they dance to flute and trumpet, dancing in chorus, but also leaping up and crouching low. […] All the men dress in black, for the most part in coarse cloaks, in which they sleep, on their beds of litter. And they use waxen vessels, just as the Celts do. But the women always go clad in long mantles and gay col-oured gowns. Instead of coined money the people, at least those who live deep in the interior, employ barter, or else they cut off pieces from beaten silver metal and pass them as money. Those who are condemned to death they hurl from precipices; and the parricides they stone to death out beyond their mountains or their rivers. They marry in the same way as the Greeks. Their sick they expose upon the streets, in the same way as the Egyptians did in ancient times, for the sake of their getting suggestions from those who have experienced the disease. Again, up to the time of Brutus they used boats of tanned leather on account of the flood-tides and the shoal-waters, but now, al-ready, even the dug-out canoes are rare. Their rock-salt is red, but when crushed it is white. Now this, as I was saying, is the mode of life of the mountaineers, I mean those whose boundaries mark off the northern side of Iberia, namely, the Callai-cans, the Asturians, and the Canta-brians, as far as the Vasconians and the Pyrenees; for the modes of life of all of them are of like character. I shrink from giving too many of the 189 names, shunning the unpleasant task of writing them down — unless it comports with the pleasure of some one to hear «Pleutaurans,» «Bardyetans,» «Allotrigans,» and other names still less pleasing and of less significance than these.»
Strabo; Geographica III, 3, 7. Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. Translation by H. L. Jones (1932).
FIG. 3.- Idealization of an Asturian warrior. Author: Bertu Peña (2002)
Reading the description of the As-tures made by Strabo, we could think that we were an extremely primitive people, devoid of all civilisation and with scarce economic re-sources, especially as far as agriculture and livestock are concerned. Fortunately this is not true; archæology has brought to light that the appreciations exposed by Strabo are not entirely correct, at least with regard to diet, degree of civilisation and some social practices. Strabo says that we fed on acorn bread eight months per year; today, thanks to the information provided by the scarce archæological research car-ried out in Asturias in the past dec-ades, we can conclude that Astures in Protohistory were rather well fed as we harvested cereal, millet, peas, beans etc. (Peraza Fanjul, A.: 2019; Figueiral: 2008; Peralta, Labrador, E.: 2003; RAMIL: 1993). We possessed ovine, caprine and bovine livestock (Torres-Martínez, J. F: 2011; González, J. M.: 1976), which we seemed to let grow until being consumed, what indicates that there was no dire need of meat. This diet was complemented with hunting (venison, boar, fowl), fishing (river and sea) and shellfishing on coastal zones. We also have to add foraging for wild fruits and berries.
Having said this, it is evident that the diet of our ancestors was not as poor as de-scribed by Strabo. The next group of fragments corresponds to the period of the Astur-Cantabrian wars, particularly to the writings of the Greek historian Cassius Dio, the Hispanic historian Lucius Annæus Florus and the historian Paulus Orosius, whose origins are not clear; some sources attribute him to Bracara Augusta in old Gallæcia and other authors opt for the Tarraconensis (Rodríguez Muñoz, J.: 1990).
FIG. 4.- Bust of Dion Cassius (155-235AD) Source: EcuRed (public domain)
I shall start by some fragments writ-ten by Cassius Dio in his work «Romanike Istoria» (Roman History), written between the second and third centuries of our era and composed of 80 volumes, whereof we shall see fragments from the books III and IV dedicated to the Astur-Cantabrian wars:
«Augustus was planning an expedi-tion into Britain, since the people there would not come to terms, but he was detained by the revolt of the Salassi and by the hostility of the Cantabri and Astures. The former dwell at the foot of the Alps, as I have stated, whereas both the other tribes occupy the strongest part of the Pyr-enees on the side of Spain, together with the plain which lies below. For these reasons Augustus […] sent Terentius Varro against the Salassi. […] Augustus himself waged war upon the Astures and upon the Can-tabri at one and the same time. But these peoples would neither yield to him, because they were confident on 190 account of their strongholds, nor would they come to close quarters, owing to their inferior numbers and the circumstance that most of them were javelin-throwers, and, besides, they kept causing him a great deal of annoyance, always forestalling him by seizing the higher ground whenever a manoeuvre was attempted, and lying in ambush for him in the valleys and woods. Accordingly Augustus found himself in very great embarrassment, and having fallen ill from over-exertion and anxiety, he retired to Tarraco and there remained in poor health. Meanwhile Gaius Antistius fought against them and accomplished a good deal, not because he was a better general than Augustus, but because the barbarians felt contempt for him and so joined battle with the Romans and were defeated. In this way he captured a few places, and afterwards Titus Carisius took Lancia, the principal fortress of the Astures, after it had been abandoned, and also won over many other places.»
Cassius Dio; LIII, 25, 2 (25 b.C.) Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. Translation by Earnest Cary (1927).
Let us see now a text from the historian Florus compiled in his work entitled «Epitomæ «, written around the second century of our era:
«In the west almost all Spain had been subjugated, except that part which adjoins the cliffs where the Pyrenees end and is washed by the nearer waters of the Ocean. Here two powerful nations, the Cantabri-ans and the Asturians, lived in freedom from the rule of Rome. […] The Asturians meanwhile had come down from the snow-clad mountains in a vast host. This attack seems not to have been undertaken without consideration by the barbarians; but they pitched their camp at the river Astura and, dividing their forces into three parts, prepared a simultaneous attack on the three camps of the Romans. With such brave enemies attacking suddenly and with so well-conceived a plan the struggle would have been doubtful and bloody — and I would I could think that the losses on both sides would have been equal — had not the Brigæcini acted as traitors and had not Carisius arrived with his army as a result of their warnings. To have frustrated the enemy’s designs meant victory, though, even so, the struggle was a bloody one. The well-fortified city of Lancea opened its gates to the remains of the defeated army; here such efforts were needed to counteract the natural advantage of the place, that when firebrands were demanded to burn the captured city, it was only with difficulty that the general won mercy for it from the soldiers, on the plea that it would form a better monument of the Roman victory if it were left standing than if it were burnt. This was the end of Augustus’ campaigns as well as of the rebellion in Spain»
Lucius Annæus Florus; Epitomæ, II, 33 (46-60)Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. Translation by E. S. Forster (1929).
FIG. 5.- Archaeological site in the Asturian city of Lancia, León. Source: Official tourism website of Castile and León.
Let us see now some fragments writ-ten by Paulus Orosius, of probable Bracarense origin, extracted from 191his work Historiarum Adversum Paganos Libri VII, written between the third and fourth centuries of our era:
«In the seven hundred and twenty-sixth year of the city, when the emperor Augustus Cæsar was consul for the sixth time and M. Agrippa for the second time {28 B.C.}, Cæsar, realising how little would have been accomplished in Spain in the course of two hundred years, if he permitted the Cantabri and Astures, the two bravest peoples of Spain, to enjoy their own laws, opened the gates of Janus and in person set out with an army for the Spanish provinces.«
Paulus Orosius; Historiarum Adversum Paganos Libri VII, book 6, 21 (1) Raymond, I. W., «Seven books of history against the pagans: the apology of Paulus Orosius»(1936).
If we read carefully these two frag-ments we will realise that two different versions of the Astures on the battlefield are offered. Cassius implies that the Astures used guerrilla tactics in the Astur-Cantabrian wars, based on small skirmishes which were more of a «nuisance» than anything else and that we did not seem to be able to engage in open battle as we did not possess an army per se with adequate armament and military tactics which could match the Roman army. In contrast with that, we see what Florus and Orosius write about the Astures, and they clearly describe how the Astures, besides those occasional skirmishes, were more than capable to put together a well armed and organised army, and we had the capacity to plan our attacks using diverse advanced military tactics which could threaten even factions of the very Roman army.
FIG. 6.- Bust of Octavian Augustus (63 BC-14 AD). Source: Munich Glyptothek. Public Domain
Following on with the classic sources, I shall now show some fragments from the work of the Roman Gaius Plinius Secundus, known as Pliny the Elder, who, in the first century of our era, wrote about Asturia and the Astures in his work Naturalis Historia, composed of 36 volumes. This might be one of the most complete and best founded classic works of its era with regards to the geography of Northern Hispania, which he mentions in the books III and IV as we will see forthwith:
«The whole province [Hispania Citerior] is now divided into seven jurisdictions, those of Carthage, of Tarraco, of Cæsar Augusta, of Clunia, of Asturica, of Lucus, and of the Bracari.»
Gaius Plinius Secundus; Naturalis Historia III, 4. Bostock, J. and Riley, H. T., «The Natural History. Pliny the Elder» (1857).
“Next upon these [the Cantabri, in the Conventus Cluniensis] touch the twenty-two nations of the Astures, who are divided into the Augustani and the Transmontani, with the magnificent city of Asturica. Among these we have the Cigurri, the Pæsici, the Lancienses, and the Zoëlæ. The total number of the free population amounts to 240,000 persons.»
Gaius Plinius Secundus; Naturalis Historia III, 4 192. Bostock, J. and Riley, H. T., «The Natural History. Pliny the Elder» (1857).
«The earth, carried onwards in the stream, arrives at the sea at last, and thus is the shattered mountain washed away; causes which have greatly tended to extend the shores of Spain […]. The gold found by excavating with galleries does not re-quire to be melted, but is pure gold at once. In these excavations, too, it is found in lumps, as also in the shafts which are sunk, sometimes exceeding ten pounds even. […] Asturia, Gallæcia, and Lusitania furnish in this manner, yearly, according to some authorities, twenty thousand pounds’ weight of gold, the produce of Asturia forming the major part. Indeed, there is no part of the world that for centuries has maintained such a continuous fertility in gold.»
Gaius Plinius Secundus; Naturalis Historia XXXIII, 2. Bostock, J. and Riley, H. T., «The Natural History. Pliny the Elder» (1857)
We can observe two important evidences in these fragments written by Pliny that I have selected. The first one is that, even in that era, Asturia was already consolidated as a people, with an administrative capital and cohesion as such. Likewise, it clearly describes the mineral wealth of Asturia and the terrible spoil our people suffered at the hands of the Roman invader. In light of these figures, only referring to gold, I cannot help but to question what would have been of Asturia without the Roman invasion, being as we were an advanced society, and evidently rich, not only in gold but in multiple minerals. Lamentably we will never know.
What we do know is the indomitable character that defined us, and that is reflected in multiple references to our people from antiquity until our days. In a little homage to the literature from the ancient history I would like to, as culmination of this short exhibition of written references to our people, show two allusions to the Astures from classic poets: Rufius Festus Avienius, who wrote the Ora Maritima in the fourth century of our era and Claudius Claudianus, who writes Laus Serenæ in the same century. In those, works, we can read as follows:
«In Occident, almost all Hispania was pacified except for the part washed by the Ocean Citerior and touching the mountains of the end of the Pyrenees. Two very strong peoples yet to be subdued were agitating here, the Cantabri and the Astures.»
R. F. Avienius; Ora Maritima. Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. Translation by Maurice Platnauer (1922).
«Galicia laughed with flowers and on the rosecovered banks of Duria’s fair stream the once white fleeces of the sheep were everywhere turned to purple grain. The Cantabrian main cast up jewels upon the shore, and the pale Asturian delves no more into the bowels of the mountain; on the day hallowed by thy birth earth poured forth gold as dross from her open veins. Beneath the caves of the Pyrenees the river Nymphs gather the fiery thunderstones.”
C. Claudianus; Larus Serenæ, XXV (72-82); 193. Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. Translation by Maurice Platnauer (1922).
As final comments to this piece, I would like to stress the following aspects:
– Classic sources provide relevant and abundant infor-mation, but this has to be taken into account with caution since it is written by the invader and, not infrequently, by writers who do so from hearsay and decades after the events related in their chronicles have taken place.
– There is a duality as per the view of our people. Depending on whether we read Strabo or Florus, the image offered of the Astures differs; the former describes us as a primitive and coarse people, whereas the latter praises the combative and tactical capabilities of the Astur army.
– Archæology has demonstrated amply that the Astur people in Protohistory was a nation similar to others from continental Europe or the British Isles, with trading links with other peoples from the Atlantic Arc and the Mediterranean, which had a rich and complex material culture, which had a developed social structure, which had sufficient resources to allow its population to develop adequately…
To sum up, that we were a people far from the «barbaric» view which Strabo offers in his writings. As a matter of fact, we can even observe in other works a certain acknowledgement of our military capacity, as well as our will to continue being a free people.
– The fragments presented in this work do not constitute the whole corpus of existing references; there are not many, but certainly a few more. I have chosen to show those who I judged most adequate to reflect the essence of the Astur people, albeit through the prism of the invader.
Lamentably, Asturias is not characterised nowadays for being a region where desire for knowledge of its origin and history is particularly preeminent, unlike other regions like, for instance, neighbouring Galicia, where news about new archæarchæological finds or new research and excavations reach us day in, day out. No, regrettably, that does not occur in Asturias and, from here, I would like to make an appeal for the readers to do everything in their hands so that our leaders start to invest in research of our history and identity… We simply deserve it… We have the right to it.
Author:
Fernán Morán (2021).
Bibliography:
BOSTOCK, J. and RILEY, H. T. (1857) «The Natural History. Pliny the Elder»
CLAUDIANUS, Claudius.; Carminum minorum corpusculum. Ed. Maurice Platnaeur y Heinemann W. (1922)
FANJUL PERAZA, Alfonso (2019); Los astures, un pueblo céltico peninsular; Ed. Instituto de Estudios Bercianos, Ponferrada; ISBN: 978-84-15535-44-7
GARCÍA y BELLIDO, Manuel. (1978); “La España del siglo I de nuestra era según P. Mela y C. Plinio”; Ed. ESPASA-CALPE S.A., Madrid; ISBN: 84-239-0744-9.
GARCÍA VARGAS, A. (2017) Ora Marítima de Avieno, transcripción a versos en idioma español; AcademiaEdu (PDF)
GONZÁLEZ, Jose Manuel (1976); Antiguos pobladores de Asturias; Ed. Ayalga, Xixón; ISBN: 84-7411-001-7
RODRÍGUEZ MUÑOZ, Javier (1990); Colección de textos y documentos para la historia de Asturias”; Ed. Silverio Cañada, Xixón; ISBN: 84-7286-301-8
TORRES MARTÍNEZ, F. Jesús (2011); El Cantábrico en la Edad del Hierro; ed. Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, 2011; ISBN: 978-84-15069-28-7
English translation:
Sergio Fernández.
This article has been extracted from the digital magazine: ASTOR, Magazine of the Celtic League of Asturias, No. 19. For citation: MORÁN, F. (2021). The Astures according to Greco-Roman sources. ASTOR, Magazine of the Celtic League of Asturias, No. 19; pp. 70-80. ISSN-2695-6683. Ed. Liga Celta de Asturias.
Como ye vezu tolos años, güei pudimos aconceyar un garrapieyu celtas p’acoyer la presentación, otru añu más, del cartafueyu de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies, ASTOR.
Portada del númberu 20 del cartafueyu de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies
Esti añu, cunta con los siete artículos que suel cuntar que vos vamos llistar de siguío:
– «Histories de Valentones», escritu pol investigador y miembru de la Fundación Belenos, Gauson Fernande.
– «Símbolos proteutores», escritu pola investigadora y semeyera de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies, Carmen Morán.
– «El megalitismu del centro-occidente asturianu nel contestu atlánticu: el casu particular del conceyu Salas y el proyectu La Cobertoria», escritu por Fernando R. del Cueto, Prof. Ayudante Doctor, Departamentu d’Historia. Área de Prehistoria, Universidá d’Uviéu, Asturies; Miguel Carrero Pazos, investigador nel Institututu d’Arqueoloxía Marie Curie Research Fellow de la Universidá de Londres, Reinu Xuníu y Miguel Busto Zapico, investigador postdoctoral nel Juan de la Cierva-Formación, Universidad de Granada, España.
– «Llucha celta asturiana»: Valtu, escritu por Enol Fuente Corripio, coordinador del proyeutu de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies de recuperación de la llucha celta Valtu n’Asturies.
– «La sidre asturiana», una nota d’economía histórica, por David M. Rivas, profesor titular d’Economía Aplicada de l’Universidá Autónoma de Madrid.
– «La conquista d’Asturia por Roma», escritu pol doctor n’arqueoloxía Jorge Camino Mayor.
Cuntamos con dos de los collaboradores na revista, David M. Rivas y Carmen Morán, que nos falaron de sos respeutivos artículos y Fernán Morán, Director del cartafueyu ASTOR, que fizo los comentarios venceyaos al restu d’artículos que contien el cartafueyu.
D’esquierda a drecha: Fernán Morán, Director del cartafueyu ASTOR y David M. Rivas, profesor titular de la Universidá Autónoma de Madrid mientres la presentación del númberu 20 d’ASTOR.
A la fin, esfrutamos de los conteníos y sobro too de la compañía yá qu’ente la xente que s’averó a la presentación cuntamos con bonos collacios como Ángel B. Villa Valdés -doctor n’arqueoloxía del Museu Arqueolóxicu d’Asturies-, o Xosé Alba -profesor titular de la Universidá d’Uviéu-, que participaron activamente na presentación y formularon delles entrugues y comentarios bien interesantes y prestosos.
Dempués de la presentación del cartafueyu ASTOR númberu 20 nel «Conceyu d’Escoyíos», aldericando de «lo nueso» acompañaos de zusmiu cebada.
Como suel ser nesti tipu d’eventos, finamos l’eventu, nun chigre «los escoyíos», falando de delles coses «de lo nueso» mientres refrescábemos una migayina’l gargüelu con zusmiu cebada… ¡Tal prósimu númberu!
Esti pasáu sábadu 26 de febreru, un garapiellu celtes aconceyamos na sede la Lliga Celta d’Asturies pa sentir les desplicaciones del Dr. en Filoloxía Xuan Xosé Lajo respeutu a les sos motivaciones pa facer esti diccionariu, dellos aspeutos interesantes sobre la llingua celta irlandesa, datos interesantes sobre la llingua celta de los astures y delles coses que xurdieran mientres desendolcávase la conferencia.
Nun vos voi comentar nada sobre’l conteníu por que vais poder velo por vosotros mesmos, por primer vegada grabamos una actividá de la Lliga Celta en vídeu, como ye la primer vegada, quiciabes los vídeos nun tienen tola calidá que debiera -sobre tou en soníu-, diremos corrixendo dellos erros col tiempu y vueses indicaciones.
De siguío vamos colingar equí los enllaces de los vídeos, son tres, nos que vais poder ver la conferencia entera, esperamos que vos paezca tan interesante como foi pa nós.
Parte 1:
Parte 2:
Parte 3:
Con esto yá ta a la vueso disposición la interesante conferencia que les persones qu’asistimos pudimos esfrutar en vivu y en diréutu, pa los que nun pudístis acercavos teneis la oportunidá de poder sentila en diferíu, esfrutaila!
Nuesu mayor agradecimientu a Xuan Xosé Lajo por ufrecenos el so saber con un exerciciu comunicativu perafayaízu pa toos y la so bayura como persona; como nun puede ser d’otru mou, tamién queremos amosar nuesu fonderu agradecimientu a toles persones que vos aconceyásteis con nós pa sentir tolo que tenía que decinos sobre llingüística esti sabiu astur, Xuan Xosé Lajo, y lo qu’apurrieron na sala los tamién no menos sabios qu’aportaron a la conferencia.
Salú a toos y toes,
Fernán Morán Suari, presidente de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies.
Güei sábadu 27 de payares cellebramos la xinta añal de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies, eventu que facemos tolos años nel qu’aprovechamos pa venos, charrar, esfrutar de la gastronomía asturiana y fae-y un homenax a un/a asturianu/a que, por mor del desendolcu de la so llabor y so apurrimientu a la cultura e identidá asturianes consideramos que merez nuesu agradecimientu o reconocimientu.
Entrega del diploma d’agradecimientu pola so llabor al arqueólogo Ángel Villa Valdés por Fernán Morán, presidente de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies.
Esti añu decidimos homenaxar al arqueólogu Ángel B. Villa Valdés, angüañu arqueólogu del Museu Arqueolóxicu d’Asturies y miembru numberariu del RIDEA ya n’otru tiempu Direutor del Parque Arqueolóxicu Navia-Eo amás de participar dirixendo delles escavaciones de dellos castros d’esa fastera y pola so producción bien granible de conocimientu asoleyáu en non pocos trabayos arqueolóxicos, collaboraciones, llibros, charres, conferencies, etc. Fizo y fae una llabor impagable pa poder entender el pasáu de parte d’esta nación celta y comprender asina meyor nuesu presente.
Comensales de la xinta añal de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies.Comensales de la xinta añal de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies.
Esti añu la xinta fixímosla nel restaurante Abrelatas, de La Pola, nel conceyu de Siero, un sitiu bien prestosu nel que tar cómodu/a mientres que te «pones moráu» de bonos platos nos que s’amesta un pco de cocina de vanguardia fecha con productos asturianos 100% (nuggets de pitu caleya o bombones de gochu asturcelta -ye pa probalo de verdá, tan de muerte-) y de la mesma otros platos tradicionales asturianos como ye’l pote asturianu -sobren les pallabres pa describilo-. Too ello bien regáu con vino Los Escolinos de Cangas. Una fartura asturiana como tien que ser, dende l’entamu ta la fin. Vos encamentamos dir per ellí a conocelo porque paga la pena, producto asturianu, bona cocina, bon serviciu y un llocal mui afayaizu au tar cómodu/a xintando bien.
Semeya de grupu cola cocinera del restaurante Abrelatas de La Pola (Siero) incluyía.
Lo faláu, fartamos, falamos, canciamos, chumamos y retratámonos faciéndolo… Nun tábemos tolos que somos, faltonos nuesu querido compañero Sergio que ta pa la querida Éire, Enol que taba trabayando, Gayol que ta coles presentaciones del so últimu llibru… pero tabais con nós n’espíritu… ta l’añu próximu!
Fernán Morán, presidente de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies.
Dende fai dellos años, trabayamos apurriendo nuesu granín de sable nel procesu de recuperación de la llucha celta asturiana, el valtu.
Dempués d’un tiempu prudencial pa que los llectores del cartafueyu que vamos referenciar lleeran esti artículu de nuesu compañeru y coordinador del Proyeutu de Recuperación del Valtu de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies que s’asoleyó nel cartafueyu CONTRACORRIENTE, númberu 49 n’ochobre de 2019.
Ayeri sábadu tuvimos el preste de realizar l’actividá que teníamos programada de visitar los castros de Mouguías y Cabo Blanco guiaes pol doctor n’arqueología Ángel B. Villa Valdés.
A eso de les 11:30 de la mañana empezaron a llegar los primeros participantes, llegamos a xuntar daqué más de 40 persones con ganes d’esfrutar del paisaxe, de l’actividá y del conocimientu que pudimos deprender de mano de les esplicaciones del nuesu collaborador Ángel Villa.
Dempués d’unos minutos d’espera hasta qu’aportaron tolos/es participantes y dempués d’una curtia esplicación sobro que ye la Lliga Celta d’Asturies y les sos actividaes realizada por Fernán Morán, presidente de la organización, asina como de l’actividá que díbamos realizar, empezó la visita presentando a nuesu collaborador y guía de les visites a Ángel B. Villa Valdés, cendiéndo-y yá la palabra.
Ángel B. Villa Valdés púnxonos rápido en contestu y metiónos de llenu na xera cola so avezada y maxistral capacidá de comunicación de tou el so saber, faciendo qu’hasta la esplicación más técnica fora afayaíza y sobremanera interesante y motivadora para toles persones que tábemos participando de la sesión.
Nun fuimos directamente a la parte escavada del xacimientu, nos guió al traviés de maizales y cotoyes a lo llargo del perímetru del castru ónde pudimos ver detayes del fosu defensivu, cachos de la muria defensiva del castru y otros detalles bien interesantes. Ye realmente ablucante les coses que delles vegaes dexamos pasar cuando vamos solos/es y nun nos decatamos d’esos detayinos que faen que l’esperiencia de visitar el xacimientu seya rialmente especial.
Dempués d’esplicanos tolo visto y otres munches cuestiones que surdieron poles entrugues de los participantes, siguimos escontra la parte más escavada y ellí volvimos recibir otra clase maxistral d’arqueoloxía, hestoria y antropoloxía nun marcu más qu’aparente para ello.
Una vegada rematada la esposición d’Ángel Villa y dempués de contestar a una bon númberu d’entrugues derivaes del interés qu’aprució ente tolos/es participantes, rematamos la primer parte de l’actividá y colamos a la población d’A Caridá, nel conceyu d’El Franco pa xintar en xuntanza… non ensín facer enantes la semeya de grupu!
Escontra les dos y media la tarde realcontramos nel restorán El pozu de Güelita, n’A Caridá, tomamos un vermú y depués sentámonos nun comedor que nos acondicionaron para alluganos a tolos/es que díbamos -que nun yéramos pocos- ónde esfrutamos d’un escelente pote asturianu, un perricu y xugosu sollombu de gochu con pataques y un suculentu pastel de mazana. Y n’esa «perabegosa» xera tuvimos casi ta les cinco la tarde, intre nel que colamos para’l castru de Cabo Blanco con una bona fartura y mui bones sensaciones.
Llegamos al castru de Cabo Blanco dempués d’un curtiu paséu per campos de maíz hasta qu’aportamos al xacimientu. Yá a la entrada nun podemos evitar quedar impresionaos/es pola impresionante fondura del fosu defensivu del castru pol que nos metimos hasta llegar a un cantil que daba diréctamente al mar Celta. A lo llargo d’esti percorríu pudimos aprecirar -poles indicaciónes d’Ángel Villa-, les marques de los elementos de trabayu manuales colos que realizaron el fosu los habitantes del castru fai más de 2000 años… déxanos ensin palabres.
Depués siguimos el senderu que percuerre’l castru y que va llévanos lliteralmente hasta’l final del cabu. Esti castru nun ta escaváu, pero gracies a les esplicaciones d’Ángel Villa pudimos conocer toles partes del castru, l’allugamientu de les cabanes, del antecastro… a última hora, apurriónos una visión global del castru y de delles de les actividaes económiques que se desenvolvíen nel mesmu. Tou esto arrodiaos por un paisaxe que ye difícil tresmitir con pallabres.
Y a la fin acabamos la visita, despedímonos toos y toes emplazándonos pa la silguiente.
Fernán Morán, presidente de la Lliga Celta d’Asturies.
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Lliga Celta d'Asturies 