The giant of the pine tree

Point of interest (7) Carrer Brocaters.

Columbus brought three Indians back with him, who drew a lot of attention from the king and queen and the people. One of them was a giant, which surprised the monarch a lot; he admired his size more than the colour of his skin. The councillors of Barcelona, to the admiration of the king, told him that another giant lived near the city, taller and fatter than the coloured one. The king expressed interest in meeting him; they were referring to the famous Farell de Caldes de Montbui, whom they sent for.

When the message from the Consell de Cent of Barcelona reached the giant, he refused the king’s call. When the messenger left, the neighbours and relatives told him that it was better to pay heed to the king’s wish. The giant decided to go to Barcelona. He uprooted a pine tree and used it as a walking stick. Upon reaching the portal of the Barcelona wall, soldiers asked him to pay the entrance fee for firewood due to the pine tree. The giant said that it was not a pine tree, and rather angrily, he threw the stick inside the city and jumped over the wall in the direction of the Royal Palace.

When the king saw him he was amazed, and confirmed that he was taller and bigger than the coloured giant of the Americas, and he organised a party for which all the kitchens in the city cooked. The giants ate as much as they could without responding to the mutual provocations.

After lunch, a battle took place in the square of Peces; the coloured giant barely hit the Farell giant. Without moving, Farell, the local giant, endured all the blows, until looking at the king, he asked him what he wanted to do with the coloured giant. The king told him to do the best for him, and that is how he crushed him with a snort, making him jump into the air. That is how he is remembered in the city of Barcelona.

Children of Barcelona know the song: “The giant of the pine tree dances along the path, the giant of the city dances on the roof”. In the Cathedral square you saw Picasso’s drawings of the giant’s dance, didn’t you? The king was so happy with the behaviour of the giant Farell that he gave him a bag of money as a prize. Then the giant returned to his village Caldes. That night, he fell asleep. It was a cold night, and he froze and died. The Collserola mountain around Barcelona looks like the shape of a giant lying down. Nobody knows where the money is.

In the medieval city of Barcelona, artisans played an important role. Note that many of the streets are named after their trades; this was because they were organised in guilds and each of them met on their street of reference, and they had their own churches.

Carrer Brocaters is an example; it means “Antiquarians’ Street”. Look at the shop in the corner; today it continues the same trade. We will walk to find Carrer de la Llibreteria (“Bookshop Street”).