He was in a bind, ‘cause he was way behind, and he was willin’ to make a deal. When he came across a young girl who was tired of hauling water, the devil jumped up on a stone and said, “girl let me tell you what.” (Apologies to Charlie Daniel).
Our Segovia guide, Mariano, told us the charming myth about how the Segovia Aqueduct was built. A young girl had to fetch water every day from a spring far up in the hills, and it was a difficult job. One day she was so tired, she said she would give anything to have an easier time of getting water.
The devil heard her complaining, and offered to bring the water to the town in exchange for her soul. The girl took the deal with two conditions – the job had to be done in one night, and completed before dawn.
During the night, the devil’s demons worked hard to hammer the rocks into shape, flew them from the quarry to Segovia, and put them into place. There are even holes in the rocks made by the demons so they could carry them to the Aqueduct. The devil’s work may be never done, but his demons work hard and fast.
Meanwhile the young girl was having second thoughts, praying to the Virgin Mary to save her soul. The devil, proud of his work, stopped his crew when only one stone remained to be placed. Just then, however, a cock crowed and dawn broke over the mountains. Lucifer couldn’t seal the deal, coming up just one stone short.
The empty niche of the stone has since been filled with a statue of Virgin Mary, because it was her who heard the girl’s prayers and caused the sun to rise and the cock to crow.
The story causes controversy nearly to this day. About five-six years ago, the city council decided to install a statue of a sitting devil on a hill right by the aqueduct. A smiling Satan is snapping a selfie with the aqueduct behind him, and the final stone resting at his feet, forever not in place.
A group of local residents blocked the statue, which features, fittingly, a devilish grin. The opponents said it was offensive for Catholics, because it glorifies evil. The idea behind the statue was to more easily convey the myth, as well as drum up extra tourism. Reason prevailed and charming statue was put into place. Despite concerns of a few years ago, it has not resulted in Segovia becoming “a focal point for satanic worship.” You will see from the pictures below that the little scamp is too cute to be worshiped. Besides, he lost his attempt to steal a soul, much like that famous story set down in Georgia.
Ironically, the statue of the devil is located next to the building that served as the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition. And nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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