The legend of the Pyrenees

The legend of the Pyrenees.

One of the legend of the Pyrenees in

Catalonia has a strong Greek and Latin tradition, crystallized in the Empúries and Tarraco Romans foundations. Within Greco-Latin mythology, one of the main heroes is Hercules. He was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, called Heracles in Greek and Hercules in Latin. He had to complete twelve “labors” as penance to redeem his soul because he killed his wife and children, a struggle that led to immortalize him.

Within this mythology is where we find the birth of the Pyrenees and the real foundation of Barcelona. According to the mythology, all stars in the celestial sphere were supported by the Titan Atlas. We find the constellations of Hercules and Pleiades where Atlantis is located. These constellations can be seen clearly in the summer or winter sky from the Pyrenees mountains. These constellations help us not lose sight of the events that took place. Plato, too, speaks about Atlantis in his Dialogues.

Verdaguer’s poem tells us that “Pirene” was a daughter of Túbal, the grand-daughter of Noah. She was also a queen of Spain. Pirene succumbed to the flames scattered throughout the Pyrenees that the giant Geryon created from Roses to the Canigou. Geryon was a monster with three heads. He tried to kill Hercules because he stole his animals, but Hercules killed him with his arrows.

Found the city of Barcelona.

The giant fires in the forests and pastures created flares and smoke that could be seen from afar. Alcides sent down another giant to Provence called Crau. He approached Geryon by way to Hesperides, the garden of gold apples that one had to navigate through to get to the Hercules Columns in Gibraltar (south Spain). This is where the two oceans of the Mediterranean and Atlantic are separated. But, there is no longer any time for Alcides to save Pirene

Pirene died in the flames that covered the mountain range and thus isn’t a queen of Spain anymore. Alcides cried and sighed near the corpse because of his love of Pirene. He built a magnificent mausoleum with rocks, the Pyrenees themselves, that sink down to the Creus cape, complete with gold and silver lines down to Conflent and Portvendres harbors. Alicides went down to Montjuic, a mountain near Barcelona, where he promised to build the city of Barcelona (Barca-Nova “new-boat”).