"The Serpent’s Stone in Vilaescura" Mural

Traditional legends tell of how many, many years ago, when the supernatural ground-dwelling beings known as mouros and mouras first arrived in this part of Galicia, a beautiful moura fell in love with a young man from the village.

They began to meet each other in the forest, always in the same place: behind an enormous stone along a hidden path. One day the moura’s family found out about what was happening, and they decided to kill the young man. They could not accept a love story between people from such different origins and cultures. When the moura found out that they had killed her lover, she went mad. She cast a spell and turned herself into a black serpent.

Ever since then, she has remained in the area near the large stone that hid their secret meetings in the forest, hoping that one day her lover will return. This means that even now, if you are walking through the forests of Vilaescura and see a black serpent, you must be careful not to harm it, because it the serpent of the moura’s stone.
(Source: Antonio Reigosa, Galicia Encantada).

Mural and text by Xoana Almar and Miguel Peralta (Cestola na Cachola). Sober (Lugo). 2015. Created as part of the project "A Touch of Colour in Ribeira Sacra".