Xana

Xana (Spanish: Xana) — a character Asturian mythology. The origin of the Asturian word xana is not clear, although some researchers believe that it comes from the Latin name of the goddess Diana.

This is a woman of extreme beauty, considered to live in fountains, rivers, waterfalls or wooded regions with sources of clean water.

Xans are usually depicted in two versions. In the first, they look like young Northern girls, very beautiful, with long blond hair. This image is usually associated with xans possessing treasures or being under a spell.

On the contrary, in stories where xans kidnap children or break into homes to bite or steal, xans are described as small, slender and dark-haired.

The Xans have children named xaninos, but because they cannot take care of them - the xans cannot produce milk to feed the children — they usually substitute their children for the children of ordinary people. The human mother learns about the substitution when the child grows up in just a few months. To expose xanin, you need to place several pots and eggshells near the fire, and if the child is a changeling, he will declare: "I was born a hundred years ago, but I've never seen so many eggshells near a fire!"

In addition to replacing human children with their own, xans promise treasures and can be disenchanted. Some xans also attack humans and steal their food.

Xana can be a beneficent spirit, offering love water to travelers and a reward in gold or silver to those who prove worthy.

Their charming voices can be heard in spring and on summer nights. If a person with a pure soul hears their song, he will be filled with a sense of peace and love. Those whose souls are not pure will feel suffocated and may go mad.

The places where the Xans lived according to mythology are common in Asturian toponymy.