Tradition / Region: Cantabrian Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Mountain dweller
The Myth
In the mountains and wild lands of Cantabria there is said to roam a dreadful creature known as the cuegle.
Though small in stature, it walks upright like a man. Its skin is black as soot, its beard long and tangled, its hair grey and unkempt. From its body sprout three arms—yet each ends bluntly, without hands or fingers. Upon its head sits a short, stunted horn, and in its face gleam three terrible eyes: one yellow, one red, and one blue. When it opens its mouth, five rows of teeth are revealed, layered deep within like the jaws of some monstrous trap.
Despite its size, the cuegle possesses enormous strength. It prowls at night, attacking travelers and livestock, dragging them down with ferocity. But most feared of all is its hunger for infants. The cuegle creeps silently into homes and steals babies from their cradles, vanishing into the darkness before anyone can stop it.
Families learned that the creature recoils from certain leaves. Oak and holly are hateful to it. So mothers would place fresh sprigs of oak or holly in the cradle beside their child. The sharp scent and sacred greenery drove the cuegle away, protecting the infant from its grasp.
Thus the people of Cantabria guarded their homes with leaves and vigilance, wary of the small, three-eyed horror that stalked the night.
Gallery
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Zana (mythology). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 13, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuegle
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Cuegle