The legend of the painted bug – Vila de Rei

At Penedo Furado, in Vila de Rei, there is a fossilised rock marked by a trail that scientists say could have been made by trilobites 480 million years ago. But we all know that this is not the real reason. It was the encounter between a shepherdess and a beautiful Moorish woman that was forever marked on the rock. They call it the Painted Bicha.

Near Penedo Furado, a humble shepherdess took her flock to the fertile pastures of the Ribeira de Codes. While her goats meekly grazed, she heard a sad melody coming from the lips of a woman.

Attracted by the melancholy song, the shepherdess saw a beautiful Moor who was combing her beautiful black hair with a golden comb, while watching her reflection in the calm and translucent waters of the stream.

The Moor was so sad that the young shepherdess was not afraid and approached. The beautiful lady, feeling that she was being watched, abruptly interrupted her singing and suddenly stood up, as if frightened.

The shepherdess was then able to see her better. A long dress of fine silk covered her body and the rich jewels with which she was adorned were so resplendent that greed flashed in the shepherdess’s eyes. Without even realising it, she held out her hand as if to ask for the golden comb.

The woman smiled and, in a soft voice, said that she would give him the golden comb and even a golden calf hidden at the foot of the rock, but only on one condition: that he help her break the spell that had been cast over her, which was forcing her into a sad and solitary immortality.

To come into possession of this immense wealth, the shepherdess would only have to allow him to kiss the roof of her mouth and convert to the faith of the Moor.

The shepherdess looked at the Moor’s silk dress and her rich jewellery, saw herself as ragged and barefoot, and imagined herself also richly clothed.

She looked so sad and the enchanted Moor was so beautiful that she was not afraid. And the fear of being kissed by the woman and converted to the Moorish faith was far less than the lust that the glittering gold aroused in her.

The young shepherdess nodded in agreement, and the beautiful Moor languidly approached and was already only a few centimetres away from the shepherdess.

Suddenly, as if by magical arts, the beautiful Moor transformed into a huge serpent that reared up and stretched its head towards the young shepherdess’ open mouth in amazement.

Panicked, the young woman leapt backwards and said the blessing. When she saw in front of her the sign of the cross, the hideous serpent stalled and hissed with rage, retreating and crawling down the stone until it crawled into a hole where it was found no more.

When the shepherdess arrived in distress at the village, the men gathered to raid the serpent, but of the huge venomous beast there was no sign. Only its escape was forever marked in stone.

And that’s how the Painted Bug was born.

On nights when the moon is full, the enchanted Moor still comes out of her lair to see her reflection in the stream, and her sad singing still overlaps with the sweet splashing of the waters of the Ribeira de Codes.

If he promises you riches in exchange for a simple kiss on the roof of your mouth, don’t accept!