Supelegor Cave

Baskien · Spain · Natural site

In Basque mythology the goddess Mari dwells in this cave in the Itxina massif – and witches were said to gather by its mouth at night.

High in the mist-wrapped karst massif of Itxina in Gorbeia yawns the twenty-metre portal of Supelegor. According to Basque mythology, recorded by ethnographer José Miguel de Barandiarán, the cave is one of the dwellings of the goddess Mari, who stays seven years at a time before crossing the sky in a trail of flame to her next mountain. Her retinue was said to include sorgiñas – witches – and the goat-footed lamias, and shepherds shunned the cave on stormy nights when the local witches supposedly gathered around a fire at its mouth. Tradition held that anyone who dared enter should do so in silence – and walking backwards.

FAQ

Where is Supelegor Cave located?

Supelegor Cave is in Baskien, Spain.