Tradition: Navarrese Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternative Names: Uhanko, Ukhanko
Category: Giant
The Myth
Ujanko is a strange supernatural creature from the folklore of Navarre, a region in northern Spain. It is described as an enormous, multi-eyed giant whose body is covered with numerous eyes. Each eye disappears on a particular day of the year and reappears on Christmas Eve, giving the creature an unusual connection to the passage of time and the Christmas season. In Basque-speaking communities of northeastern Spain, Ujanko is understood as the personification of a year, with its many eyes representing the days that make up the annual cycle.
According to the legend, Ujanko has a single enormous eye on its face, which is often hidden beneath a multitude of eyes covering its body. On a particular day, ten of these eyes disappear, transforming the creature’s appearance. Its many eyes are said to correspond to the days of the year, and the return of its eyes on Christmas Eve marks the completion of the cycle. This strange annual transformation connects Ujanko to seasonal change and the transition from one year to the next.
Ujanko belongs to a wider group of giant-like supernatural beings found in the folklore of the Iberian Peninsula. It has been compared to the Ombre de los Ojos, or Man of the Eyes, from Cabazuela del Valle in Extremadura, and the One-eyed Nasus from Catalonia. Its unusual anatomy also recalls Argus from ancient Greek mythology, the many-eyed giant whose numerous eyes made him an exceptional watcher. However, Ujanko’s distinctive association with the yearly calendar and Christmas Eve gives it a particular place in Navarrese folklore.
Sources
“Ukhanko.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/ukhanko