Ibiza is mysterious and above all superstitious. Wrapped in mediterranean magic, superstitions and legends abound, and if something is not missing on the small island, there are numerous legends and characters that are real to the Ibizan, although you cannot see it with the naked eye.
One of the greatest exponents of magic are some elves that in Ibiza call “fameliars”, at least in folklore, and of these, the most famous are those of Santa Eulària. These elves are small and strange creatures that live in humid areas and especially under the stone bridge of the Santa Eulària river.
The Santa Eulària bridge
A bridge that is said, was built by the devil on the night of San Juan (from June 23 to 24) where, that same night and only for a few moments, if you have a lot of eye, you can find a grass “grass des fameliar” that, if you take it and quickly put it in a black bottle, in a short time one of these elves appears inside, becoming your master and having his magic at your service.
The “fameliars”
This “fameliar” or goblin should try to keep it entertained, giving tasks to perform or giving food, eye that, although small, can leave the pantry empty.
The control of these creatures is a double-edged sword, because they help you fill them with bad luck. The “fameliars”, although somewhat naughty, are not bad, although sometimes they have a bad character. They are not very aesthetically graceful, not to say they are ugly, with a large nose and arms of disproportionate size to their small body (they fit in a glass, a bottle or a jug), small body of immense force that is not expected of something so tiny.
Carrying them with you is simple, but you must know how to impose yourself and do your will. Normally, filling them with work, feeding them well and transporting them in a bottle does not give you any headaches. To put them in the bottle when they are out of control you must help yourself with an olive branch of the blessed on Palm Sunday, praying a special prayer.
Legends of the elves of Santa Eulària
There are many stories in Ibiza about anecdotes with the “fameliars”:
The wife who, when her husband, owner of the “fameliar”, went on a trip, took the opportunity to take it out, and who lost control of it, generated chaos until her husband returned.
Or the story of a fisherman who went to fish with his “fameliar” and back, when some thieves wanted to take away the fish, asked the goblin to throw them overboard and so it happened, not leaving the elf anymore at home.
Or the story of a beautiful young woman who put two men, one rich and one poor, to compete for her love, building a house for her in the shortest possible time. The poor young man used his “fameliar” who built a house in record time and married with her, but the house was filled with bad luck and they had to leave it forever.
Why are there “fameliars”?
Legend has it that in ancient times the mayor needed to build a bridge to cross the Santa Eulària river in Ibiza with the load of flour mills. There was no money for the bridge and it was something of first necessity for the survival of the people, so the mayor could not sleep.
One night a man appeared who offered to build the bridge with only one condition: to give him the soul of the first to cross the bridge once built. The mayor agreed and the man, who many say was the same devil, created the bridge on the night of San Juan, and once the bridge was standing and were about to open it, the mayor made the first to cross the bridge It was a cat that let loose so cunningly so it would be. The devil became very angry and when he was about to destroy what was created, the parish priest who was there for the inauguration quickly blessed the bridge with holy water, thus avoiding its destruction.
From that moment the bridge is standing but full of magic and power, the best place for the special grass to come up to bring a “fameliar” into your life.
