Chorros de Epina - By Noemi M.M. (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons La Gomera
La Gomera is one of the seven Canary Islands which are an autonomous community of Spain situated to the west of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean The original inhabitants before the arrival of the Spanish were the Guanche people who were believed to be related to the Berber people of North Africa. Although much of their culture has been lost some still exists and can be found in legends and traditions of the islands. Roughly situated in the middle of the island is the Garajonay National Park which is a mountainous region of lush wild evergreen laurel forest. There is a folktale said to be of Guanche origin that tells how the Garajonay National Park was named after two lovers named Gara and Jonay.
The Legend of Gara and Jonay
Gara was a princess of Agula that was known as a place of water on La Gomera and looked across the sea to Mount Teide on Tenerife. Jonay was a prince and the son of the Mencey of Adeje a ruler of Tenerife known as the place of fire. This was because of the great volcano Mount Teide that the Guanches called Echeyde or Hell, that was situated on the the island. Presented here is a retelling of the legend of Gara and Jonay garnered from several other versions.
Los Chorros de Epina
On La Gomera, there was a tradition that there were even places where magic waters could be found. These waters had special properties beneficial to health and good fortune and were said to be able to foretell the future. One such place was called Los Chorros de Epina which is a natural spring that local legend says has healing powers and can also reveal the future to an extent. The spring water is fed through seven wooden tubes which turn the flow into seven jets of water each of which has different attributes.
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La Gomera is one of the seven Canary Islands which are an autonomous community of Spain situated to the west of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean The original inhabitants before the arrival of the Spanish were the Guanche people who were believed to be related to the Berber people of North Africa. Although much of their culture has been lost some still exists and can be found in legends and traditions of the islands. Roughly situated in the middle of the island is the Garajonay National Park which is a mountainous region of lush wild evergreen laurel forest. There is a folktale said to be of Guanche origin that tells how the Garajonay National Park was named after two lovers named Gara and Jonay.
The Legend of Gara and Jonay
Gara was a princess of Agula that was known as a place of water on La Gomera and looked across the sea to Mount Teide on Tenerife. Jonay was a prince and the son of the Mencey of Adeje a ruler of Tenerife known as the place of fire. This was because of the great volcano Mount Teide that the Guanches called Echeyde or Hell, that was situated on the the island. Presented here is a retelling of the legend of Gara and Jonay garnered from several other versions.
Los Chorros de Epina
On La Gomera, there was a tradition that there were even places where magic waters could be found. These waters had special properties beneficial to health and good fortune and were said to be able to foretell the future. One such place was called Los Chorros de Epina which is a natural spring that local legend says has healing powers and can also reveal the future to an extent. The spring water is fed through seven wooden tubes which turn the flow into seven jets of water each of which has different attributes.
Read More
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