Tradition: Spanish Mythology
Alternative Names: Ñuberu, Reñubeiru, Xuan Cabritu, Nubeiru, Nubero
Category: Dwarf
The Myth
The Nuberu is a supernatural being of the clouds and storms, whose appearance changes across northern Spain. In Asturias he may appear as an elderly, dark and terribly ugly man, sometimes winged, with a thick beard, dark pelts and leather clothing, a large hat, and a patch covering one damaged or missing eye. He is sometimes imagined travelling through the sky in a chariot pulled by wolves. Elsewhere he appears as a whole race of small, dwarf-like creatures. Cantabrian Nuberus are little, chubby beings with black wings and mischievous, demonic faces, while southern Galician Nubeiros are small hairy men with long, twisted tails who fly upon grey clouds. Another Galician form is a huge man wrapped in wolf or goat skins, carrying himself as a storm-maker who forges lightning in an iron workshop high in the mountains.
The Nuberu has complete command over the weather and can bring rain, hail, lightning, fog, gales and destructive storms. He may water fields and bring excellent harvests, but he can just as easily destroy crops with hail, strike animals with lightning, smash roofs, or send violent winds across the sea. Fishermen particularly fear him, blaming him for the sudden and dangerous storms of the Cantabrian Sea. His temper can be dangerous, and he will even turn lightning against anyone who attacks or disturbs him. Yet he is capable of gratitude toward those who treat him kindly. Long ago, the Nuberu came to Asturias riding upon a cloud but fell to the ground. He wandered through the countryside seeking shelter, until a peasant finally took pity on him and gave him a place to stay. In return, the Nuberu watered the man’s fields and gave him abundant harvests, continuing to provide rain for the people of the region.
Years later, the same peasant travelled to Egypt on a long journey. While there, he learned that his wife, believing him dead after his many years of absence, was preparing to marry another man. Desperate to return home in time, he called upon the Nuberu for help. The storm spirit came to his aid, and the two travelled back to Asturias upon the clouds, arriving just in time to prevent the wedding. The Nuberu could also descend to earth in other forms, sometimes appearing as a traveller while observing the damage caused by his storms or searching for a cloud he had accidentally lost. In Galicia he is said to forge his own lightning before riding through the sky and hurling it down upon the world, although his missing eye makes his aim unreliable.
People developed various ways of defending themselves against the storm spirits. In Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia, bells were rung loudly during storms to drive the Nuberu away, while candles were lit during dark and threatening nights. Priests could also repel certain Galician Nubeiros through religious counter-enchantments. In Leonese tradition the Nuberu is viewed somewhat more kindly because the rain he brings can be valuable, particularly in autumn, though his lightning and summer storms remain feared. There, people traditionally burned dry grass at the appropriate seasons so that the little storm creatures would have no suitable target to strike. Thus the Nuberu could be both benefactor and destroyer: the bringer of life-giving rain, but also the dark power behind hail, lightning, floods, violent winds and ruined harvests.
Sources
“Nuberu.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuberu