Nuberu
Encyclopedia
The Nuberu or Nubeiro is a character of Asturian
, Cantabrian
or Galician mythology. He is known by the two names respectively depending on the mythology. According to Asturian mythology
, the Nuberu - literally "The Cloud Master" (also known in Western Asturias as Reñubeiru or Xuan Cabritu), is the Asturian
divinity of clouds and storms.
Sometimes it is represented as a man with a thick beard, who wears goat leathers and a big hat. He can be terribly cruel with people, damaging fields and pastures, although he can be also be very kind with those who had helped him before. The myth tell us that he lives in the city of Orito
, in Egypt
. Folklorists think that Nuberu is an Asturian remnant of the ancient god Taranis
, who also ruled over the skies and was worshipped in Asturias until the Middle Ages.
riding a cloud, but he was very unlucky and fell to the ground: then he asked for shelter but nobody wanted to help him until, late at night, a peasant took pity on him. In appreciation for his help, Nuberu irrigated his fields, and gave him good harvests. The story tells that some years later this peasant had to make a long journey to Egypt, and when he arrived in that land he heard that his wife was about to marry another man, thinking that her husband, after so many years of absence, already had died. The peasant then asked Nuberu for help and together they travel back to Asturias riding the clouds and they arrive in time to prevent the wedding. In Asturian villages it is common to ring the bells in order to exorcise Nuberu.
The Nuberu controls the weather at will and amuses himself triggering storms and gales, striking animals with streaks of lightning and ruining the harvests of men with hail. He will not hesitate to use lightning as a weapon if he is attacked or bothered. Among the people of Cantabria and Asturias he is feared for the damage he causes in villages. Nights of rainfall and storms are attributed to him. For this reason during the dark hours locals light up candles and ring bells to scare him away. Fishermen fear the Nuberu because they blame him for the strong northwestern winds of the Cantabrian Sea, which forces them to return hurriedly to port, where worried people await them.
At the sunset
In the mists
With a big hat
In the mountain
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, Cantabrian
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
or Galician mythology. He is known by the two names respectively depending on the mythology. According to Asturian mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, the Nuberu - literally "The Cloud Master" (also known in Western Asturias as Reñubeiru or Xuan Cabritu), is the Asturian
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
divinity of clouds and storms.
Sometimes it is represented as a man with a thick beard, who wears goat leathers and a big hat. He can be terribly cruel with people, damaging fields and pastures, although he can be also be very kind with those who had helped him before. The myth tell us that he lives in the city of Orito
Orito
Orito is a town and municipality located in the Putumayo Department, Republic of Colombia....
, in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Folklorists think that Nuberu is an Asturian remnant of the ancient god Taranis
Taranis
In Celtic mythology Taranis was the god of thunder worshipped essentially in Gaul, the British Isles, but also in the Rhineland and Danube regions amongst others, and mentioned, along with Esus and Toutatis as part of a sacred triad, by the Roman poet Lucan in his epic poem Pharsalia as a Celtic...
, who also ruled over the skies and was worshipped in Asturias until the Middle Ages.
Asturian Tradition
A long time ago the Nuberu came to AsturiasAsturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
riding a cloud, but he was very unlucky and fell to the ground: then he asked for shelter but nobody wanted to help him until, late at night, a peasant took pity on him. In appreciation for his help, Nuberu irrigated his fields, and gave him good harvests. The story tells that some years later this peasant had to make a long journey to Egypt, and when he arrived in that land he heard that his wife was about to marry another man, thinking that her husband, after so many years of absence, already had died. The peasant then asked Nuberu for help and together they travel back to Asturias riding the clouds and they arrive in time to prevent the wedding. In Asturian villages it is common to ring the bells in order to exorcise Nuberu.
The Nuberu controls the weather at will and amuses himself triggering storms and gales, striking animals with streaks of lightning and ruining the harvests of men with hail. He will not hesitate to use lightning as a weapon if he is attacked or bothered. Among the people of Cantabria and Asturias he is feared for the damage he causes in villages. Nights of rainfall and storms are attributed to him. For this reason during the dark hours locals light up candles and ring bells to scare him away. Fishermen fear the Nuberu because they blame him for the strong northwestern winds of the Cantabrian Sea, which forces them to return hurriedly to port, where worried people await them.
Nuberu images
With a raven
At the sunset
In the mists
With a big hat
In the mountain
