Madeira folk Tales
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Legend of the Saint Vincent crows
To tell this legend we will have to reassemble in time and That King Rodrigo lost the Battle of Guadalete, and the Arabs, winners, occupied the entire Iberian Peninsula with the exception of the mountains of Asturias and Jaca. Valencia was dominated by the Saracens, just like the rest of Spain; And some Valencian families, not wanting to submit to the winner, were able to gather certain relics of martyrs, certain personal objects estimates, and flee to Asturias. They also left some monks. As soon as they arrived, they raised a temple to worship their saints, and made houses around them, giving birth to the city of Oviedo. Abderrahman I decreed then that they be converted into mosques all the churches of the Christians, making the relics of the Saints disappear. It was in this tragic moment that the Christians held in Valencia and living in the neighborhood around the church where the body of the martyr S. Vicente was preserved, alarmed by the Emir's decree, gathered to seek an efficient means of putting the martyr's body to safety. They decided to emigrate. It was his intent to embark with the holy relic, to surround the Spanish coast and reach Asturias.
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If they thought so, they'd better. They found a boat, moved the body of St. Vincent under the guardianship of a dean, reduced their own baggage to mere bales of clothing and some provisions, and departed entrusted in divine protection. Sailed with favorable wind across the Mediterranean and reached the Atlantic. But then, the rough waves were swaying the ship and putting gazes of astonishment at the simple expression of these good Christians. Fearful of shipwreck, they arrived as far as they could to the coast. The crew contemplated exuberance the strange beauty of these stops for them. One of them asked the pilot: -Master, what are these lands called? The master looked at the Earth, smiled and declared: -It's the algarves. -The Algarves? Yes. The sea here is tough, it pulls a lot. I'm going to try to change course. But they asked: -Always follow the coast, master! This is so beautiful! Shortly thereafter, a species of mountain was built into the sea. And then came the question: -What's this cable called? The master replied: — The navigators call it the sacrum promontory. 4
They looked at each other. Holy Promontory?... What if they came down on the ground? If they visited, you? If they gave him the name of Cabo de S. Vicente, since he passed the saint? They all agreed. But the Dean proposed more: -We will stay here for a while and, to commemorate our passage, we shall build a temple to the Holy martyr! But the men looked at each other in silence. The Dean asked: -Why do they hesitate? One of them replied: -We fear the Arabs. We ran from them from one side to get them to another. It won't be prudent. It's better to go on the road. The others were of the same opinion and the boat followed its route. Suddenly, as per enchantment, a violent storm arose. The boat was shaken like a walnut shell. And in a very strong one that lost the balance to the navigators, it ran aground. To release it was necessary to make it lighter. There was no other remedy. They poured some cargo into the sea, and they all abandoned the ship, taking the body of St. Vincent with them. In the lifeboats, going up and down the crest of the waves, they rowed ashore with how much force they had. Arrived. Terror dominated them. Terror by the danger because they had passed. Terror by the unknown that had offered them. They explored the nearest corners, afraid of a bad encounter with the Arabs. But they didn't find anyone. More serene, they
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decided to spend the rest of the day and the night, hoping that the next day the wind would be conducive to escape the ship. The morning was born serene, of a transparent beauty. It smelled like the sea and the sun, and the tide helped the ship out of its embarrassing post. Gladly, the Christians have embarked on the climbers again. They were going again to the sea, towards Oviedo. Suddenly one of them shouted: - Look! What do you see in there? Another replied: -it's a ship! — from where did he comes? -From Africa, perhaps! The Dean advised: -Be careful! They could be pirates from the African beaches. -What are we going to do? - Wait! To wait here, patiently hidden, to pass the new danger. -What about our boat? The pilot decided: -Me and a few sailors will take you away from here and seek refuge in the rocks. Otherwise, the pirate ship can discover it and we will be without means of
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transportation. When the danger is over, we'll come back here to board you. That's how it's done. The Christians who guarded the body of the saint saw to move away from the ship that brought them from Valencia while they were on the ground, hiding. It's been hours. It's been days. No ship was seen on the horizon. Coming out of their hiding places, indifferent to the moor danger, Christians questioned: -What would have happened to our boat? But the answer would never come! They understood that perhaps the pirate ship had discovered it and boarded it or sunk it. The men were amazed. Then the Dean tried to cherry up them: -My brothers, one thing is certain: God has saved us! We're on dry land, and alive! We gave thanks to God! They all knelt on the rock alive and rough, giving praise to the Almighty. The Dean has spoken again: — God's designs are shown by great or small things. This is what God wanted of us: that we will build here a sanctuary for him to place and venerate the body of the Holy Martyr. Well, let's stay here! An abbreviated time ago, the town of St. Vincent was a reality. Small houses around a humble shrine formed the newborn village. In holy peace, these Christians lived there for many years. Isolated, without meddling with their Moorish neighbors’, these ended up ignoring them too, leaving them in peace. But D. Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal, went to war with the moors of the Algarve. And then, desperate, they 7
avenged the Christians of St. Vincent. They entered the village and razed everything, taking captive the Christians. Again, the time has spun. It's been 50 years, half a century of struggles, with victories and defeats from side to side. But D. Afonso Henriques conquered Lisbon and made several prisoners. One day, a knight came to tell the king: - Sir! Do you know that among the prisoners there are captive Christians? The King frowned: — What did you say? -That's right, sir! They were defeated in the Algarves. - As? -No fighting! They lived there peacefully, by the headland... -How did they get there? -I think it's shipwrecked. But one of the men asked to speak to you. -then bring him into my presence. Within a short time, the knight came back with a very broken old man but looking bright. The king questioned him: -How can you be late among the moors? The old retorted humble, but firmly: 8
-Lord, we were captives of the moors and they brought us to fight your armies! -Christians against Christians? -It wouldn't be the first time! The king looked steadfastly at the man who so dared to speak and asked: -What were you before you fell into the hands of the moors? -he was Dean in Valencia. When the Arabs arrived in Spain, embarked with the relic of the martyr S. Vicente on the way to Oviedo. But God wanted us to be forced to disembark near the sacred headland, where founded the village of St. Vincent. But when you, Real Lord, didst on the Algarves, the Moors have avenged our homes and our people! Interested, D. Afonso Henriques inquired: -and the Martyr's body? -I buried him myself. - where? -In the village of St. Vincent. They don't know what we did to him. -Who knows more about the secret? -Just me and two more, one of whom won't have many hours to live. I'm old too, Real Lord. And I wanted to ask you the great mercy of a real promise. — What do you want?
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— Go yourself to fetch the body of St. Vincent and bring it to a safe place. Only then will I die rested. - Promise. But I want to take you with me. Soon a truce with the Moors was made by the king of Portugal. And a ship departed from Lisbon to the Cape of St. Vincent. But before they arrived, the Dean had suddenly passed away, without having indicated the place where the martyr's body was buried. A little confused, they went to the ruins of the ancient temple, and then they saw that a flock of crows flew over a certain place. A sudden light illuminated the brains of those who sought the sacred relic. Digging in the place where the Ravens were, they were to discover the body in a tomb dug in the rock, hidden in the sight of all. They removed the saint's body, brought it to the ship and returned to Lisbon. But two of the Ravens who had been guarding the tomb of St. Vincent accompanied them throughout the voyage. Deposited in the Church of Santa Justa, there was preserved the body of the martyr while the relocated not to the cathedral. And the weapons of Lisbon still today bear witness to this singular case, that the scholars do not decide whether it is a fabulous legend or a true story urn.
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Done by Students and teachers from the school February 2018
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