Estatua de Maruxaina

The rocky Farallóns islets off the picturesque fishing village of San Ciprián, Spain, are home to a bronze mermaid. The sculpture was made by artist Ángel Cao in 2006. The mermaid represents a long debated local legend. Some say that she warns of the worst storms, while others think that she is evil and jealous of the wives of fishermen, leading her to try to steal men away to her underwater palace.

The Maruxaina, as this Galician mermaid of folklore is called, has the strange habit of showing up on Isla Sombriza, one of the islets near the harbor, during raging storms. On days with heavy rain and wind she suddenly appears. Sometimes she appears as a beautiful blonde-haired mermaid who, like Ulysses, attracts sailors with her irresistible song. But on other occasions she shows her worst face, like that of a witch with sunken eyes and sinister intentions.

The legend has been perpetuated by the various shipwrecks that have occurred on this treacherous coast. To determine whether she is innocent or guilty, on the second Saturday of every August, the village of San Ciprián celebrates the Maruxaina festival. At dusk, the lights of the town are turned off and the men go out to sea in search of the Maruxaina, sounding all kinds of horns and trumpets so as not to hear the hypnotizing song of the siren. After her capture, the men return to the beach of O Torno with a figure that represents her. Amid fireworks, they take her to the town square where a trial is held. If it is determined that she has had bad intentions, she is burned on a large pyre and the party ends. If the woman is deemed good, the party will continue until dawn.