The Huesca Bell Legend
Encyclopedia
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
describing how Ramiro II of Aragon
Ramiro II of Aragon
Ramiro II , called the Monk, was King of Aragon from 1134 until withdrawing from public life in 1137...
, the Monk, cut off the heads of twelve nobles who did not obey him. The legend is told in the thirteenth-century anonymous Aragonese
Aragonese language
Aragonese is a Romance language now spoken in a number of local varieties by between 10,000 and 30,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in Aragon, Spain...
work the Cantar de la campana de Huesca.
After Alfonso I of Aragon died in 1134 leaving no descendents, his brother Ramiro II of Aragon
Ramiro II of Aragon
Ramiro II , called the Monk, was King of Aragon from 1134 until withdrawing from public life in 1137...
, bishop of Roda de Isábena, inherited the Kingdom of Aragón
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
, one of the states of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. At that time the kingdom had serious domestic and foreign problems.
The Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña
Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña
The Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña is an Aragonese chronicle written in Latin around 1370 in the monastery of San Juan de la Peña at the behest of Peter IV of Aragon...
from the XIVth Century tells how Ramiro II became so concerned about his nobles abusing his patience that he sent a herald to the Abbey of San Ponce de Tomeras to ask for advice from his former master.
The herald was shown the Abbey garden where the old monk removed the heads from roses that stood out from the rest (in other versions of the story, the roses are replaced by cabbages). The herald is then told to tell the king what he has seen.
After the heralds return, Ramiro II sent a message to the chief noble, saying that he wanted help in order to build a bell that could be heard all over the Aragonese Kingdom. As the nobles arrived, the king cut off their heads, building a circle with the heads, with the chief noble's head suspended as the bell clapper. The result was then shown as an example to others.