Tradition: Spanish Mythology
Alternative Names: Simiots
Category: Monkey
The Myth
The Simiots are diabolical, monkey-like creatures from the Pyrenees, particularly associated with Arles-sur-Tech in Vallespir and the Haut Empordà region of Catalonia. Their exact appearance is poorly described, but they are portrayed as monstrous apes resembling monkeys, gorillas, baboons, or dog-headed humanoids. Feared as servants of evil, they were blamed for calamities, attacks on people, and the disappearance of children.
According to a legend associated with Saints Abdon and Sennen, the Simiots terrorized the Roussillon region around the year 1000. Droughts and hailstorms destroyed crops, wild beasts attacked people, and the Simiots carried off children to devour them. Arnulphus, the abbot of Arles, travelled to Rome to obtain the relics of Saints Abdon and Sennen. When he returned with the relics and brought them into the church, distant screams were heard as the Simiots fled the region. Centuries later, in 1465, a shepherd named Noguer de Gasnach reportedly caught two witches summoning the creatures to unleash a storm. The saints’ relics were brought out again, preventing the threatened disaster. In remembrance, the inhabitants of Montbolo began offering a Rodella, a candle made from rolled beeswax measuring approximately twenty metres long, every year on July 30.
Other legends describe the Simiots living in the ruins of Rocaberti Castle near La Jonquera. In one tale, a traveller seeking shelter astonished them by blowing on his fingers to warm them, then blowing on hot soup to cool it. Unable to understand why he blew on both cold and hot things, the Simiots suspected him of sorcery and threw him out. The creatures were also associated with the Sanctuary of Núria, which was said to have stood in a place infested with demons, satyrs, and Simiots. According to tradition, a hermit named Amadeu drove these evil beings away by building the sanctuary.
Sources
“Hee-hi Monkey.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1050617498.html