Aloja (mythology)

In Catalan mythology an Aloja (Catalan pronunciation: [əˈɫɔʒə], Western Catalan: [aˈlɔʒa]; plural Aloges), also known as Dona d'aigua, Goja or Paitida, is a feminine being that lives in places with fresh water. This "water-woman" can turn into water blackbirds.

Legend

According to legend, these women are not immortal, but can live for thousands of years and retain their youth.

It is said that the lakes where the dones d'aigua bathe can boil in anger if any stranger enters them. In Majorca, the most famous water-woman is Maria Enganxa. According to tradition, she lives inside all the wells and cisterns and takes all the children that pass near them with her hook.

Appearance

Water-women symbolize the fertility and life-giving virtues of water and are said to possess oneiric beauty.

They are said to appear as small and innocent women, with a high self-esteem and very proud of their beauty. They are good women and try to bring wealth and well-being to the areas they live in.

According to myth, water-women are nocturnal; have shimmering gold or red hair, and emerald or deep blue eyes; wear fine, rich clothes; and enjoy viewing their reflections in lakes on full-moon nights. Some of them are said to have beautiful wings of various colors. Many are said to carry magic wands carved from hazel, which is considered to be the only wood capable of casting spells.

Human Interaction

There are many legends about romance and marriage between water-women and humans. In order to marry a water-woman, a human must agree to the water-woman's conditions. Often, one of the conditions is that the husband cannot reveal that his wife is a water-woman. If he does, the water-woman leaves him and disappears with his fortune. However, it is also said that the water-woman will still comb her children's hair and dress them every morning.

Water-women are purported to avoid any relations with humans, though this is not always possible. When contact with humans does occur, it often turns out ill for the humans.

This article relating to a European myth or legend is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Catalan mythology Catalan legendary creatures European mythology European mythology stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Akio Nakamori Peter Momtchiloff Look at other dictionaries: Aloja — may refer to:* The city of Aloja, Latvia * Aloja (mythology), mythical creatures in Catalan legends …   Wikipedia Spanish mythology — would encompass all the sacred myths of the cultures in the region of Spain. They include Galician mythology, Asturian mythology, Cantabrian mythology, Catalan mythology and Basque mythology. They also include the myths and religions of the Celts …   Wikipedia Catalan myths and legends — are the traditional myths and legends of the Catalan speaking world, especially Catalonia itself, passed down for generations as part of that region s popular culture.Among the figures of Catalan mythology are: *Aloja *Catalan mythology about… …   Wikipedia Fénix — Para otros usos de este término, véase Fénix (desambiguación). El ave Fénix en un manuscrito de Barthélémy de Glanville: Le livre des propriétés des choses (siglo XV). El ave Fénix o Phoenix, como lo conocían los griegos (el Bennu egipcio), es un …   Wikipedia Español 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”