1 Video View·Feb 1, 2026
UN VIAJE POR LA MITOLOGÍA CANTABRA A TRAVÉS DE LA SENDA MITOLÓGICA “LAS CRIATURAS DEL MONTE HOZARCO”, QUE CONDUCE AL EXPECTACULAR MIRADOR DE SANTA CATALINA.
En el municipio de Peñarrubia está la Senda Mitológica: “Las criaturas del Monte Hozarco”, en una zona montañosa, rodeada por moles calizas y surcada por el río Deva, con espléndidos paisajes y exuberante vegetación.
Los numerosos personajes mágicos creados por el artista cántabro Fran Querol, en madera y fibra de vidrio, son fruto de un gran trabajo de investigación y recopilación de escritos de Manuel Llano, Adriano García-Lomas y otros autores.
Estos seres han convivido con sus pobladores, transmitiéndose oralmente sus leyendas de generación en generación. Representan el bien y el mal, junto a los miedos y debilidades humanas. Los encontraremos entre robles, hayas, castaños, avellanos o cerezos silvestres, en una senda que conduce al mirador de Santa Catalina para contemplar el impresionante desfiladero de La Hermida y los majestuosos Picos de Europa.
Partiendo de la ermita de Santa Catalina de Piñeres, a unos 400 metros comienza la Senda en un entorno natural maravilloso. Encontramos al Roblón, un viejo tronco de un gran roble en mitad del bosque, que nos escucha y observa. Que un día de tormenta una joven se refugió en un hueco de su tronco. El roble la abrazó mortalmente, absorbiendo su esencia y creando esta simbiosis.
Cobijada entre las ramas, está la Ojáncana, pareja del malvado Ojáncano. Cuando caza y corre lleva sus grandes pechos colgando a la espalda. Los niños perdidos que caza son su mejor manjar, pero normalmente se alimenta de animales.
Caminando va el Arquetu. Al que encuentra, que perdió su dinero en vicios y está arrepentido, le reprende y da consuelo con una onza de oro de su arca. Si recae, la condena es pedir limosna por los caminos.
Entre los árboles nos vigila el Pecu Ave, mitad hombre, mitad ave, que predice cuando se casarán las mujeres: “Pecu, Pecu, colita de escoba: ¿Cuántos años quedan para mi boda?
Junto a piedras tapizadas de musgo encontramos a Musgoso, que lleva zurrón y flauta de madera. Cuida del bosque y avisa del malvado Ojáncano y de la proximidad de tormentas, tocando la flauta.
Escondido entre arbustos encontramos al Trenti, un duende del bosque que se oculta entre la maleza para tirar de las faldas y pellizcar las pantorrillas de las jóvenes.
Volando entre los robles, encontramos un Caballuco del Diablo. Dicen que son siete, uno de cada color y vienen del infierno, el rojo lo monta el diablo y los otros hombres malvados que perdieron su alma.
Bajo el caballuco está la Guajona, una vieja bruja que por la noche entra en los hogares para chupar la sangre de niños y jóvenes, haciéndoles palidecer.
En la rama de un haya está el Tentirujo, duende malicioso y lujurioso que a las mozas buenas, obedientes y solitarias las hace caricias con una raíz de mandrágora, volviéndolas alegres y apasionadas.
En otro sedero paralelo, encontramos al Trastolillo, un duende pícaro, revoltoso y juguetón que protege los hogares.
Junto a dos Anjanas, está el Ojáncano, el ser más cruel y malicioso, que con su bastón puede transformarse en lobo y que solo tiene miedo a las Anjanas, hadas llenas de virtudes que con sus báculos mágicos apaciguan las bestias, curan y hacen hechizos.
Sentado en una roca está el Enano Bigarista, aliado de las Anjanas, tocando el bígaro. Es generoso, pero si se le ofende se vuelve malvado.
En la pendiente del camino está el Cúlebre, mitad dragón, mitad culebra. Se come vacas enteras y una vez al año devora a una doncella.
Cerca del mirador de Santa Catalina encontramos a la Osa de Ándara, con cara arrugada y quemada por el sol, por vivir en el macizo de Ándara de los Picos de Europa.
Desde allí admiramos el desfiladero que atraviesan el macizo de Ándara con paredes que alcanzan los 600 metros del que decía Benito Pérez Galdós: “Llaman a esto garganta, debería llamársele el esófago de La Hermida, porque al pasarlo se siente uno tragado por la tierra”.
https://www.youtube.com/@proyoudigital669
PROYOU DIGITAL
Este canal tiene por finalidad compartir experiencias con los demás. Tiene cabida todo tipo de reportajes sobre turismo, viajes, naturaleza, arte, historia, etc. La mayoría de ellos están comentados intentando plasmar gráficamente en vídeos, grabados en 4K y HD, contenidos para todos los públicos a través de mini-reportajes.
In the municipality of Peñarubia one of the most unknown yet captivating and untouched places
of Cantabria lies the legendary trail Las Criaturas del Monte Ozarco in a regio
mountainous and surrounded by limestone formations carved by the Deva River with splendid landscapes
and exuberant vegetation An adventure featuring numerous magical characters created by
e Cantabrian artist Frank Herol crafted in wood and fiberglass the result of extensive labor
of research and compilation of writings by Manuel Llano Adriano García
Lomas and other authors These beings of traditional Cantabrian culture
They have lived alongside its inhabitants passing down their legends orally from generation to generation
They embody good and evil along with human fears and weaknesses We will encounter them one by one
among oaks hollies chestnuts hazels or wild cherries along a path leading
at the Santa Catalina viewpoint to admire the breathtaking gorge of the hermitage
and the majestic peaks of Europe Starting from the hermitage of Santa Catalina de
Piñeres a small 17th-century structure about 400 meters away marks the beginning
e path We walked slowly listening to the sounds of the forest which stirred the
magination in a wonderful natural setting among birds and butterflies fluttering around
around us The path indicates a fork leading to find
At the heart of the forest ancient oak stump weathered and wise listens and watches over us
It has long grassy hair a broad and rough forehead and arms and legs made of ash branches
On a stormy day a young woman took shelter in a hollow of an oak tree The oak embraced her
mortally absorbing its essence and forging this symbiosis It traverses the mountains destroying
what it encounters along its path and drying up springs to nourish its roots
We returned to the main trail to continue climbing through the forest sheltered among
Ramas is the ojáncana the evil ojáncano's companion Flat-faced with dirty hair and
His face was gaunt with sharp protruding fangs from his massive mouth His skin was scaly and cracked
Puebla covers his body with rough bristly hard warts When hunting and running he carries his massive
eir prey causes back pain The lost children they hunt are their finest delicacy yet usually
feeds on animals Walking slowly and aimlessly it goes on its way
arquetu a slender old man with long hair wearing a sack over one shoulder
on the other arm a chest of gold and silver To whoever finds that lost their money to vices
and he repents he rebukes him and comforts him with an ounce of gold from his treasury If he relapses
The sentence is to beg for alms on the roads Hovering among the trees it watches us
The calf born with severe deformities was ridiculed endlessly
classmates Angry one day he fled into the mountains and transformed his head now
and grayish-hued he is cross-eyed with a white-tipped horn emerging from his forehead He has nine
five fingers one hand and only two on the other His wings are those of a hawk with a broad broomstick-like tail
And predict when the women will marry Pecu pecu broomtail how many years
How many are left for my wedding Above a sorrowful and harmonious flute melody can be heard
Next to moss-covered stones we found a tall slender man with long hair
a dark beard He is mossy wearing a bluish-gray flute and a wooden flute a moss coat and a moss ha
and wolf-hide garments and footwear He tends the forest aids the shepherds and warns them
from the wicked jangano and the approaching storms playing the flute to ensure their protectio
s flock At night you can hear him whistling Hidden at a fork in the path
among the bushes we found the trenti a forest sprite cleverly disguised in clothing
of moss leaves and roots In winter it lives in caves and in summer beneath trees It
cornmeal bran blueberries and blackberries hidden among the underbrus
grabbing at the skirts and pinching the calves of young women He's mischievous yet kind-hearted
They assist the elders and help locate the lost livestock of the shepherds
Riding a red pony flying between the oaks far from the main path we found him
For heaven's sake It looks like a dragonfly with long wings and legs equipped with powerful spines
Their eyes gleam like embers It is said there are seven little horses one of each color and
They come from hell The red one is ridden by the devil and the other wicked men who have lost
eir soul They cause fires destroy crops and on Saint John's Night emit
fiery breaths raging through flames and smoke With their powerful icy snorts they provoke
The falling of the tree leaves Beneath the little horse is the guajona an old woma
sinister and slender witch shrouded in a black cloak Her face is yellowish wrinkled and full of
air and warts with small bright eyes and a long sharp tooth protruding from
Her mouth Her hands are wrinkled and blackened and her feet look like bird's legs Hidden
Underground it emerges at night to feed entering homes to suck blood
children and young people making them pale with fear On a beech branch lies the mistletoe
mischievous and lustful spirit capable of becoming invisible clad in reddish garments and carrying a
a tall slender figure with long limbs and patchy skin its ears sharply pointed At the
Gentle obedient and solitary she strokes them with a root of mandraora
making them joyful and passionate once more Later on along another trail parallel to this one
we found the little mischievous sprite a green-eyed curly-haired playful and mischievous gnome
long small horns twisted tusks and a tail that safeguards homes Between two
Pathways beside two anjanas lies the oján calo the most cruel and malicious being Enormous
a head adorned with a large root and a white strand in the beard at the center of the forehead
as a single eye surrounded by warts and a wide toothy mouth Its large hands and fee
ey have ten fingers on each limb sharp claws and with their staff can transform
In wolf form he fells trees dries up fountains destroys bridges steals sheep and abducts young shepherdesses
sowing resentment pride and envy among the villagers Eat acorns leaves of
acebo sheep and cows He enjoys fishing for trout and hunting swallows and bats The oján calo
ot only is he unafraid of the fairies those virtuous beings fragrant with chamomile and rosemary but he embraces them with courage
and laurel wearing white silk tunics and sandals their long hair adorned with garlands
with silk ribbons and coral combs and her voice resembles the song of the nightingale With her
Magical staffs calm beasts heal wounds and cast spells soothing pain and restoring what is broken
e soul They protect the forest and its creatures dwelling in caves with golden floors and walls
silver-colored surrounded by wildflowers The path begins to wind and twist upward
o our right seated on a rock we find the dwarf Vigarist ally of
The ancient ones played the conch a wind instrument crafted from a large sea shell
He's tiny with pointed ears a white beard large hands and feet and wears a hat
He is generous helpful and gives advice but if offended he turns malicious I
e famous half-dragon awaits us atop the stone perched on the path's steep incline
alf snake Broad-headed with powerful jaws filled with massive fangs
spina bifida with a prominent dorsal ridge running from its head to its powerful tail is covered
with tough scales sharp claws on its powerful legs and dragon-like wings It lives in the
e cliffs and rocky areas where it guards treasures When it leaves the cave
spreads terror among people causing storms It devours entire cows and one
Each year it devours a maiden The path turns right near the viewing platform
ear Santa Catalina and beside the gate that shields carved symbols on the rock we find
with a weathered sunburnt face from living in the Andes mountain range
of the peaks of Europe His outfit is old and worn with long dark hair and enormous
Her limbs were thick with hair Bold and strong she fed on milk and chestnuts
roots and maize hunting roe deer and stealing a lamb or kid here and there To the east
The distance at the base of the Sierra de los Cuerres lies Cicera and a bit closer the little hermitage
from where we began Little by little we approached the summit where the lookout is located and beside
o him the archaeological remains of an old castle known as the Moors' Bowling Green
where Christians who fled Arab invasions fortified themselves This spectacular
The balcony offers an impressive panorama with Nábedo and Linares to the right and the opposite side facing
e deepest part of the ravine of the hermitage and the peaks of Europe with vultures
Eagles soaring above us and the lammergeiers The gorge leaves a 21-kilometer-long scar
at cuts through the Andara massif with walls reaching up to 600 meters Benito Pérez
Galdós described the landscape through which the Teba River flows fed by
e flow from its eastern tributaries They call this a gorge it should really be called
e chapel's throat because passing through it feels like being swallowed by the earth
