Gigante Mandrónius – Aranese legends
Betlan is yet another minute and striking villaje that dot the Valley of Arán. We decided to leave the main road for two reasons. Firstly because one of the Romanesque elements included in the tour and the second reason was we were searching for its most famous character: Mandronius the Giant.
If there is anything that piques my curiosity when I travel it is the legends and traditions that still live in the cultural heritage of the people. Some are legends, others are inventions and in the case of Betlan, the myth has some reality to it.
They tell, say, rumor has it that during the Roman invasions, a personality lived in this area , a man of great stature called Madrónius who ferociously fought against the Romans. At the end of his life he retired to a a cave, a place that is reachable today.
