Basque Religion

While many populations of Europe can be traced back to an original homeland through historical accounts of conquest and the archeological evidence of early migrations, the origins of the Basques of the Spainish Pyrenee mountains are more mysterious. The origin of their language, Euskara, is also unknown. It is a unique pre-Indo European language with only slight similarities to Caucasian and Berber. Because the Basque homeland is so easily defended, Roman, Arab, Spanish, and French invaders were never able to fully control the region. They could occupy some parts of it, and make laws to rule it to some extent, but they never fully subjugated the Basque population. In 1609 an investigator was sent from Bordeaux to report on the churches in French-held Basque regions. He observed that the Witches' Sabbat was often held in churches with the consent, and often the participation of priests. He was scandalized at how sympathetic the Basque priests were towards the Old Religion. Four centuries ago, .ost of the population was still practicing a dual religion of Paganism and Christianity. This report and others resulted in the greatest destruction of Basque religion and culture in their entire history. The Catholic Church was able to achieve something that the Romans and Arabs never could: complete domination of the Basque people. Up to this time, Witches who practiced magic were a part of many communities. If their magic was used against an enemy and it became known, then the Witch was sometimes paid to stop if the enemy would agree to cease their actions. Neighbors might protest if they felt magic was misused against someone. To keep peace within the village, the Witch was obliged to make reparations for any damages. Despite the destruction of withces and withcraft, the Basque continued to maintain a strong oral tradition. Based on folklore, the best known Basque deities are Ortzi (a sun God), Ilargia (the moon Goddess), Mari (an earth goddess), and Sugaar (a God with ties to both the sky and the sea). Ortzi, also called Ost or Eguzki, is the God of sun, sky, and thunder who is often compared to Jupiter, Zeus, and Thor. Ortzi ruled both the sun and the earth, since it was from the earth that the sun emerged every morning and back into the earth that it returned every evening. Moon goddess Ilargia is important to the Basque since lunar cycles are significant for agricultural practices. Ilargia is the guardian of the dead and leads them into the otherworld. She also rules the realms of hidden knowledge, divination, and magic. The most well-known deity is Mari, a goddess associated with storms and lightening. She is described as a beautiful woman dressed in finery and adorned with jewels. Mari is also a shape-shifter who might appear as an animal, a rainbow, a white cloud, or a burning tree. As a woman she is often depicted with cloven hooves or claws. In addition to storms and lightening, she is goddess of sorcery, divination, water, and justice. She is known to punish anyone guilty of lying or stealing. Between the worlds of gods and man is the Lord of the Woods, the Basajaun who guards the forest and its creatures. He was the first farmer. Humans obtained the right to cultivate the land after a man won a bet with Basajaun. The man seized the seeds that Basajaun was planting, then returned to his people to teach them how to grow food.