Tradition / Region: Catalan Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Crocodile
The Myth
The Cocollona is a legendary creature from the city of Girona. According to tradition, it was once a novice nun who sincerely embraced the religious life while the other nuns in her convent neglected their vows and lived carelessly.
The novice repeatedly reproached the other nuns for their behavior. In response, they imprisoned her in a dark, damp cell beneath the convent, where she remained for many years. The constant darkness and humidity gradually transformed her body, causing scales to grow until she became like a crocodile.
Because of her purity and holiness, however, she also developed beautiful butterfly wings upon her back. In this way, she became the Cocollona, a creature that was half crocodile and half butterfly.
After her death, the Cocollona returned as a ghost. It is said to swim through the waters of the Onyar River near the place where she had been imprisoned. According to the legend, only on nights of the full moon, just before dawn, can those with sensitive souls glimpse the ghostly Cocollona gliding silently along the river before disappearing with the first light of day.
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Cocollona. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocollona