Mari, the Lady of Anboto
Basque shepherds said a goddess lived in a cave high on a limestone mountain, and crossed the sky between peaks as a ball of fire.
What was reported
Mari is the most important figure of Basque mythology, a goddess of the earth and the weather who lives in caves on mountain peaks. Her best-known home is a cave on Mount Anboto, in Biscay; people said that when she was there, the weather would be wet, and when she was away, dry.
She was seen as a beautiful woman combing her hair at the cave mouth, or flying between mountains as a flaming ball or a sickle of fire. Those who visited her had to address her with respect, never turn their backs on her, and take nothing from her cave.
Explanations offered
Mari probably comes from a pre-Christian Basque religion of the earth and sky. The fireballs may recall lightning, ball lightning or meteors over the mountains. Her stories were collected by the Basque priest and anthropologist José Miguel de Barandiarán in the 20th century.
- When
- Told since ancient times
- Where
- Mount Anboto, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain
- Witnesses
- Basque folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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