IRATXO

Nowadays, in general, we call in Basque Iratxo to an allegorical creature or spirit; so, we could translate it into English as “goblin” or “elf”. But, according to the legends from Biscay, Iratxo is a special mythological creature: Iratxo is a restless spirit that comes out at night. He is not evil but he turns up by surprise scaring everybody. If someone follows him, Iratxo will take him to a cliff or to a dangerous place. He usually lives in caves or chasms.

Sometimes, he looks like human but, many others, he looks like a domestic animal: a donkey, a black ram, a pig or, often, a bird that throws fire out of its mouth.