The mermaid and the knight

Its last inhabitant left the island of Sálvora in 1972. It was the final point to a history whose first document dates back to the year 899 when King Alfonso II donated it to the chapter of the Cathedral of Santiago. It was a refuge for pirates and privateers for centuries and it is documented that it was colonized in the 18th century when Jerónimo de Hijosa, a merchant from A Coruña, installed a salting plant. There were already a few families who lived from agriculture and fishing in this enclave, located in front of the Arosa estuary, with an area of ​​190 hectares. Today some boats take tourists to visit the island, dominated by a lighthouse built by the State in 1921, which replaced the one that had been inaugurated 70 years earlier. Visitors can see the manor of the Otero Goyanes family, the old salting plant, the chapel of Santa Catalina, once a sailors’ tavern, a stone fountain and the remains of a plaza and eight houses. It is estimated that in 1900 around 70 people lived in Sálvora. Today the Atlantic winds shake the island whose only inhabitants are lighthouse keepers, seagulls and other sea birds. Tradition says that the place was already inhabited when the Romans arrived on the coasts of Galicia. Its mythical natives had the gift of petrifying their enemies with their gaze. The islets that surround Sálvora are the vestiges of that magical power. As with the Cíes and Ons, the neighboring islands, legends are confused with history in these places. The visitor can see on the rocks of one of its three beaches the representation of a mermaid, sculpted in stone in 1956. The figure, standing on a promontory, looks towards the sea. It evokes the romance between Don Froilaz, a knight whose ship was shipwrecked, and the mute mermaid who lived there. They both married and had a son, Mariño, whose lineage populated the island. The etymology of Sálvora refers in Indo-European to “water that runs or flows”, which could be related to the existence of a source, called Telleira, from the which the Normans, Vikings and pirates who passed through there were nourished. On the stone you can still read: “Source of virtuous water that gives health and strength.” It is also known that the Saracens invaded the island in 1120, being evicted by Christian ships. The visitor can observe on the rocks of one of its three beaches the representation of a mermaid, sculpted in stone in 1956. Sálvora was nationalized in 2007 and then transferred to the Government of Galicia. Today it is a protected national park like Ons and las Cíes. The visitor can follow several paths around the island, which lacks electricity, pipelines and services. Its waters are cold and crystalline and it is possible to bathe on its paradisiacal beaches of fine sand. It was in those waters where in the early hours of January 2, 1921 the steamship Santa Isabel crashed against the rocks on a stormy night. It was the greatest tragedy in the history of the coasts of Galicia, since 213 people died. Only 56 passengers saved their lives thanks to the heroism of the inhabitants of Sálvora who went out in three boats to rescue the shipwrecked. Three young women were decorated for their bravery. They say that abandoned towns preserve the spirit of those who lived there. This is especially true in Sálvora, where it is impossible to walk along the roads and beaches without noticing that the soul of its former inhabitants still wanders through the island.

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