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Myths and Legends

As with any historic centre throughout Europe, Palma de Mallorca has a number of myths and legends surrounding the city, that are handed down from each generation to the next, which if nothing else, are always a good way of scaring young children before bedtime.

Our first story is the tale of The Dragon of Na Coca, which according to legend, was a giant reptile who lived in the city sewers during the 17th Century. After dragging a number of the city residents to their death, the beast was challenged by the Governor of Alcudia, Captain Bartomeu Coch, who finally slew the dragon after a fierce and lengthy battle. If all this sounds a little too improbable, then judge for yourself, as the remains of the animal were embalmed, and are today on exhibition for everyone to see at the Diocesan Museum of Palma. Contact details are:
Diocesan Museum of Palma
Calders, 2
Palma de Mallorca
Telephone; +34 971 730 657

Our second story is that of the hunchback and Na Joana. Legend tells that a young man, the "hunchback", was sent out by his mother to gather firewood. On the way down the hill from their home was a gully called Es Mal Pas, where the witch Na Joana lived in a cave. Hearing a noise from within, the young man entered the cave, and to his surprise saw Na Joana surrounded by a circle of witches, holding hands as they danced and leapt around. When the witches saw the young man standing watching, they invited him to hold hands and dance with them. As he danced with the witches they sang:-
"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, six".
They sang this over and over again and the young man sang along with a fine voice. After a while Na Joana stopped the dancing and said, "this is a fine and decent young man and he deserves a favour." Agreeing to this they all took the young man, removed his hump, and with a kiss from each witch, he retuned home with his pack full of firewood. When a woman living close by heard about this, she told her son, who was also a hunchback, to go to the cave and see if Na Joana would remove his hump. He too went to Es Mal Pas, and sure enough found the cave with the witches dancing in a circle around Na Joana. They joined him in the circle and asked him to sing along with them:-
"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, six".
However, after "six" he angrily shouted "no, Sunday seven!" He interrupted the singing three times and Na Joana became very angry with him. Finally she took the hump that they had removed from the other young man, which was on a shelf nearby, and put this hump onto the young mans chest. He then ran home crying because he now had two humps, one in front and one behind.

Certainly worth a mention is the Legend of the Conde Mal or "Bad Count", who's ghost is said to haunt La Reserva de Galatzo, which is a nature reserve situated in the nearby Ratx Valley. The story goes that Ramon Safortesa, Count of Santa Maria de Formiguera was a cruel Feudal Count, whose thirst for power and outrageous taxes, made the lives of the peasants living under his control unbearable. During the 8 years between 1639 and 1647 there were countless assassination attempts made on his life, which were always followed by a violent and bloody revenge against the families of those involved. Finally in November 1647, the peasants united in their anger stormed the castle and burnt it to the ground, in so doing killing the Count. Although the castle was subsequently rebuilt, such was the strength of local feelings that ancestors of the Count finally ordered its complete destruction in 1922.

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