7 Places in Europe That Legends Say Were Built by Giants, Devils or Dragons
Bridges, mountains, caves and rocks whose origins seem impossible to explain have become centers of attraction for folklore. My fascination with devil's bridges began with a murder. Not a real murder, but a "
Bridges, mountains, caves and rocks that seem impossible to explain have become the focus of folklore.
My interest in Devil's Bridges began with a murder. Not a real murder, but a murder in a Nordic-style crime series that begins with the discovery of a body on a remote stone bridge called Devil's Bridge. My curiosity finally led me to the same bridge, near Aberystwyth in Wales, and it made me wonder: Why are there so many bridges called Devil's Bridge all over Europe?
In European folklore, numerous bridges are attributed to Satan. The story usually goes like this: when building a bridge seems impossible, the Devil offers to finish it in exchange for the soul of the first person to cross it; But in the end he is deceived.
Throughout Europe, impressive landscapes and ambitious structures that seemed impossible for man to build were often attributed to demons, giants, dragons, saints, and other supernatural beings.
Siri Holbrook, a folklorist and archaeologist at the University of Hertfordshire in England, says:
We've long turned to folktales and legends to make sense of the world around us, especially when faced with something we can't explain in any other way. Outstanding features of nature that look or feel different attract stories like a magnet.
A deep valley, a dangerous river crossing, or a mountain full of caves could be dangerous, and extraordinary structures required explanations beyond human ability. Even as geoscience and engineering provide evidence-based answers, these stories persist.
We all love a good story. Whether we believe that a certain rock was thrown by a giant, or that a certain cave was the residence of a witch, or that a certain hill was formed by the devil, or not, we still continue to tell these stories; Because they amuse us, delight us, fascinate us and even scare us.
In the following, we will discuss the legends behind seven structures or natural phenomena in Europe.
The Devil's Bridge in Wales consists of three bridges, one on top of the other, spanning the Mynach Gorge. The lowest bridge is believed to date back to the Middle Ages, possibly built by monks from the nearby monastery, the Strata Florida Monastery. The second bridge was added in 1753 and the third bridge, which is metal, was built in 1901. Minakh Falls falls about 300 feet through a narrow valley before the Minakh River joins the Raidwell River.
According to legend, Satan offered to build it in exchange for the soul of the first living creature to cross the bridge. An old woman tricked him by throwing a piece of bread across the bridge and sending her dog after it (as a sacrifice).
But the original history is not so straightforward. The bridge was known in Welsh as Pontarfynach, or Monks' Bridge, said Michael Freeman, vice-chairman of the Cordygion Historical Society. Its association with Satan does not seem to be older than the early 18th century. According to him, the story was not mentioned in any printed text until the early 19th century, when English tourists helped make it famous.
Unable to understand how seemingly impossible structures were built, people in the past attributed them to certain forces such as Satan, giants, Samson [a biblical character], King Arthur, and others.
Juliet Wood, a folklorist at Cardiff University, says the story of Devil's Bridge is one of many popular myths that are often called sojourners because they appear in so many places.
Satan is not always as scary as he seems. Noting how easily the demons in these stories are fooled, Wood says:
The demons that built these structures are usually not so much evil, but more like cannibalistic giants that don't seem very intelligent.
6. Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland
About 40,000 interlocking dark basalt columns form a natural pavement along the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. Formed by volcanic activity some 50 to 60 million years ago, these strikingly regular, mostly polygonal columns have fascinated visitors for centuries. This landscape is so similar to a fake structure that geology as the only explanation does not seem convincing.
Irish legends say that a giant named Finn MacCool built a ford across the sea to face his Scottish rival, Bendonner. When Finn realized that his rival was much bigger than him, he transformed himself into a baby. Seeing the huge baby, Bandoner ran away and destroyed the passage behind him. The remnants of this route are thought to have formed the Giant's Causeway and Fingal's Cave across the Irish Sea.
As our understanding of geology grew, these stories did not die out. We want to populate our fictional landscapes with giants and other supernatural creatures.
On the uninhabited island of Staffa, Fingal's Cave is made up of tall basalt columns formed by ancient volcanic activity and later sea waves carved into the cave. The cave shares impressive basalt columns with Giant's Passage, and folklore links the two through the story of Finn and Bandoner.
This cave became famous after the naturalist Sir Joseph Banks visited it in 1772. The geometry of Fingal's Cave gives it an architectural identity, while its acoustics earned it the Gaelic name An Uamh Binn, or musical cave, and inspired Felix Mendelssohn's overture Hybrids.
If nature could not form them and humans could not make them, then how can we explain them? We look to the distant past and to architects lost in the heart of time who must have had such power or skill that they could not have been human.
Mount Pilatus, 6,995 feet above Lake Lucerne, has long been associated with dragons said to have healing powers.
Adriana Haveri, a researcher at the University of Lucerne, says that the lake and its surroundings were considered very dangerous in the Middle Ages. He says:
The location of geography and topography played a significant role in the emergence of dragon legends. With its rugged cliffs, valleys, and caves, this mountain seemed like an ideal habitat for dragons.
These stories were later recorded in writing and developed by several chroniclers. Haveri's research shows that the mythology of Mount Pilatus was also influenced by the scientific culture of the 16th and 17th centuries; when local traditions and published accounts began to reinforce each other.
These stories include the legend of the Dragon Stone of Lucerne, said to have been dropped by a dragon flying from Mount Rigi to Mount Pilatus in 1421. Another story is about a man who fell into a cave and found two peaceful dragons with whom he spent the winter.
Lorelei is a steep outcrop of slate that rises 410 feet above one of the narrowest sections of the Rhine. Navigation on this waterway was historically difficult: strong currents, sharp turns, and a narrow channel made this section dangerous for boats.
The modern myth of Lorelei took shape during the Romantic period, particularly through the writings of Clemens Brentano and Heinrich Heine. In Brentano's ballad At Bacharach on the Rhine (1801), Lorelei dies after being disappointed by an unfaithful lover. Heine's poem Lorelei (1824) transformed this character into a beautiful woman on a cliff whose singing distracts the sailors until their boats are wrecked. This story is also reminiscent of the Sirens in Homer's Odyssey, whose songs lead sailors to their doom.
2. Pont del Diable, Tarragona, Spain
The Devil's Bridge or Los Ferres Aqueduct is more of a Roman aqueduct than a medieval bridge. It is said that this structure was built in the first century AD and transported water from the Francoli River to the ancient city of Tarako. This structure with two floors of stone arches crosses over a natural valley and its length reaches 712 feet and its height at the highest point reaches nearly 90 feet.
According to local legends, Satan built this aqueduct after agreeing with its architect; Instead, he asked for the soul of the first person he drank from. The builder tricked him by sending a donkey to drink the water in the first place.
This is an ancient aqueduct, but the legacy of this legend is from modern times. According to a publication in Tarragona, this story was passed down from generation to generation until a local historian named Juan Salvat y Buve recorded it in his 1969 book, The City and Region of Tarragona.
Holbrook says Satan's popularity may be due in part to his flexibility. He says:
He can appear in any role; From the prince of evil to a trickster and mischievous character.
In these stories, he can also provide the architectural knowledge necessary to create something that seems beyond human ability.
1. St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall, England
Mount St. Michael is a tidal island with an ancient cobbled causeway that disappears under Mount Bay at high tide. This changing landscape has long fueled paranormal stories.
The Archangel Michael is said to have appeared here in 495 AD to warn fishermen of danger, and the site later became a shrine. Until the Norman period, the site belonged to the Benedictine monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel, and the construction of a parish church and monastery began in 1135.