Costa del Sol Towns

Sierra Nevada Myths

The daughter and shepherd decided to escape and, if necessary, to die before ever being apart. Night fell and the shepherd went in search of his beloved. Along the way a man who claimed to be the devil and wanted to offer his help gave him a broom so he could sweep the snow.

With broom in hand, the youth fled until he was near the peak of the fortress, where the broom began to sweep alone and caused an avalanche, burying those who followed. The broom now remains there to sweep the snow and cause landslides.

 

There are countless stories about Sierra Nevada and mythical characters that dwelled or walked in the area; the stories are often handed down through word of mouth by locals. The following are examples of these legends:

Devil's Broom. The story goes that in ancient times, there was a castle in the Alpujarra, in which lived a rich lord and his daughter, who guarded it as if it were a precious treasure.

When she turned 20 years old, she was promised in marriage to a lord of the region, who had so much wealth and power but was equally as brutal and did not realize she had fallen in love with a shepherd of the land.

Vacaro Lagoon. Where today is the Laguna de Vacaro, in a distant time there was a very beautiful garden, which a beautiful princess often went to to meet her lover. An influential Muslim prince also loved her, but the love was not reciprocated.

One day, tired of being rejected and blinded by jealousy, the Muslim prince sought revenge and decided to kill his opponent. One night, while fans were gathered, he consummated his revenge by cutting the heads off of the couple, who then became black stones, which are still visible on one side of the lagoon.

Given this vision, the princess went to a club and began to mourn until they filled the garden, flooding together. After that she became a rock. It is also said that sometimes terrible cries are heard coming from the bottom of the lake.