Aatxe

Aatxe (Aatxegorri, Beigorri, also Etsai 'the enemy'), the cave young-red-bull spirit, understood as a guise of Mari's chthonic domain; he comes forth in storms and by night to shelter the good and punish wrongdoers. Documented by Barandiarán (secondary).

Domains

• caves and chthonic guardianship
• storm and night justice

Powers

• Appear as a young red bull or cow and shift into human form
• Emerge from his cave in storms and at night to drive the good home and punish evildoers
• Enforce the will of Mari, punishing cheats and wrongdoers

Epithets

• Aatxegorri Basque · Aatxegorri · lifelongred young bullBarandiarán, Mitología vasca (secondary)
• Etsai Basque · Etsai · lifelongthe EnemyBarandiarán, Mitología vasca (secondary)

Relations

• aspect of: MariAatxe is a chthonic guise of Mari's domain (directed, non-symmetric).J. M. Barandiarán, on Aatxe as a guise/manifestation of Mari (secondary)

Sources

• existence: J. M. Barandiarán, Diccionario ilustrado de mitología vasca, s.v. Aatxe / Aatxegorri / Etsai (secondary); J. Caro Baroja, Los vascos (1949), on the bull-genius of Basque caves (secondary)