The trasgo, trasno or trasgu is a mythological creature present in the tradition of several cultures of what is now northern Spain, especially in Galician, Asturian and Cantabrian traditional culture, it is also found in legends of North Portugal. There are similar creatures in the mythologies of other European cultures, such as the "gnome", "sylph", and the "kobold". The origin of this mythological creature is Celtic.
Trasgu or trasno (in Galician and Portuguese) is very common in the folklore of Trás-os-Montes and it was taken by the Portuguese throughout their empire originating similar myths like the Saci in Brazil.
The trasgu is the best known being of Asturian mythology, and is shared with mythologies of Celtic origin, like Galicia's. It is a domestic goblin with a mischievous and nervous character. It is often represented as a tiny man who limps with his right leg; he has dark skin, wears red clothes and a pointy red hat. He has a hole in his left hand. He is described at times as having horns, tail, sheep ears and long legs, and wearing a long black and gray cloak; at other times he is described as small, with long thin legs and wearing a tight dark brown dress. [1]
Nocturnal noises are attributed to him, and also small pranks like changing the location of objects. He enters homes at night when the inhabitants are asleep. If he is in a bad mood he breaks kitchen vessels, spooks cattle, stirs chests of clothes and spills water. These activities do not cause material damage, because the inhabitants find everything as they left it. On the other hand, when he is treated well, he does house chores during the night.
In Asturias, the trasgu is known by different names depending on the location. He is known as Trasno, Cornín or Xuan Dos Camíos in western Asturias. He is known as Gorretín Coloráu or the one with the "gorra encarnada" (both meaning "little red hat") in eastern Asturias. [2]
It is difficult to get rid of him. If the house inhabitants decide to move to a new house, he follows them. In a tale, the inhabitants of a house abandoned it because of the trasgu. On their way to the new house, the woman asks her husband: "Have we left anything?" The trasgu, following them, answers: "You have left the lamp, but I'm carrying it." [3]
In order to expel a trasgu it is necessary to request of him an impossible task, like bringing a basket of water from the sea, picking up millet from the floor (it falls through the hole in his hand), and whitening a black sheep. Because he thinks himself capable of doing everything, he accepts the challenge. In his stubbornness, he will try until he becomes exhausted. When he fails to accomplish the tasks, his pride is hurt. He leaves and does not return. He will also become spooked if someone falsely recreates actions proper of goblins.
In Cantabria, the trasgu is a small goblin with black face and green eyes that inhabits forests. His main activity is to mock people and carry out pranks, especially against girls who are engaged in a specific activity, like shepherding. Because he must hide from humans, his clothes are made of tree leaves and moss.
Trasgu's pranks are told with variations in numerous towns of the Iberian peninsula, and his adventures are evoked in classical works of Spanish literature, like the anonymous 1554 novella Lazarillo de Tormes , the short farces of Miguel de Cervantes and the comedies of Lope de Vega. [4]
In instances of fantasy literature, and many times in sword and sorcery literature, the term "trasgo" may be confused with "orc", when it more generally is used to translate the English term "goblin" (and vice versa from Spanish to English). For example, the Spanish translation of the novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien uses the term "trasgo" to signify the "goblins". However, in the Spanish translation of The Lord of the Rings , the orcs are referred to by the term "orcos".
Brazilian translation of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novel series uses the word "trasgo" to refer to the creatures known in English editions as trolls. [5]
Asturleonese is a Romance language or language family spoken in northwestern Spain and northeastern Portugal, namely in the historical regions and Spain's modern-day autonomous communities of Asturias, northwestern Castile and León, Cantabria and Extremadura, and in Riudenore and Tierra de Miranda in Portugal. The name of the language is largely uncommon among its native speakers, as it forms a dialect continuum of mutually intelligible varieties and therefore it is primarily referred to by various regional glossonyms like Leonese, Cantabrian, Asturian or Mirandese. Extremaduran is sometimes included as well. Asturleonese has been classified by UNESCO as an endangered language, as the varieties are being increasingly replaced by Spanish and Portuguese.
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The Academia de la Llingua Asturiana or Academy of the Asturian Language (ALLA) is an Official Institution of the Government of the Principality of Asturias that promotes and regulates the Asturian language, a language of the Spanish autonomous community of Asturias. Among its principal objectives are investigating and normalising the Asturian Language, developing a dictionary, promoting its use and education and awarding literary prizes. It has 21 full members, 19 foreign members and 15 honorary members, and its current president is Ana María Cano González.
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Antón González Reguera, better known as Antón de Marirreguera was the author of the first preserved literary works written in the Asturian language, the «Pleitu ente Uviéu y Mérida pola posesión de les cenices de Santa Olaya», of 1639, that takes the first prize in a poetical contest dedicated to Saint Eulalie. Other works include the «Diálogu políticu», the fables «Dido y Eneas» and «Hero y Lleandro» and the entremeses «L'ensalmador» (The Healer, «L'alcalde» and «Los alcaldes».
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Manuel Asur is a Spanish essayist and poet in Asturian. He's considered to be one of the first modern poets in this language. He has a PhD degree in Philosophy. His book, Cancios y poemes pa un riscar meant the beginning in 1977 of the rebirth of asturian literature, because he contributed with a poetry more newfangled and risked than anything written before in this language. Most of their works talk about the socio-political facts of the moment. Some of their poems became very popular in Asturias in the 1970s since the group Nuberu used them as lyrics for their songs. He wrote also a narrative book in 1987, Hai una llinia trazada, with short stories that he say to consider "almost monologues". He's a current articulist of La Nueva España publications and works in the Consejería de Medio Rural y Pesca del Principado de Asturias.
Adolfo Camilo Díaz López is a Spanish writer in asturian language. He is specially known as a playwright and author of short novels. He had achieved some of the most important prizes of the Asturian literature, as the Xosefa Xovellanos of novel or the short novel prize of the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana.
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Pablo Xuan Manzano Rodríguez a scholar of Asturian language. He carried out his basic education in his home village and later on he studied teaching in the University School of Oviedo. He started to work at the age of 20 in the school of L'Entregu, and afterwards he also worked in Gijón, Amieva and Campo de Caso before he started working in the Juan José Calvo Miguel High School in Sotrondio. He is a member of the Council of Asturian Communities representing the Academy of the Asturian Language, of which he has been a fellow since 1984.
Berta Piñán Suárez is an Asturian writer, professor of Spanish Language and Literature, full member of the Academy of the Asturian Language, and since July 25, 2019, Minister of Consejería de Cultura, Política Lingüística y Turismo del Principado de Asturias.
