Almond Trees
The Moorish ruler of Silves brought some prisoners to the Algarve from a northern campaign. A young woman among the prisoners was of special charm, and the ruler fell in love with her. Winter after winter, she became sad and sadder and the ruler no longer knew what to do and finally questioned an old fellow prisoner about the cause of her depression. This one explained that in winter she missed the white snow, which was always plentiful in her home country at that time. She was homesick! After some deliberation, the ruler planted almond trees everywhere, bathing the whole land in a white-pink sea of flowers from about the turn of the year. When the young lady saw this from the castle walls in Silves, she lost her homesickness and sadness. Now then she became the king’s wife, and both lived and reigned happily for a long time.
The Portuguese cock
This legend from the north of Portugal tells of a farmer from Barcelos (north of Porto), who was on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Shortly after his departure, he was accused by a wealthy landowner of silver theft. The farmer was put on trial despite vehemently denying the act, found guilty and thus spoken to death by hanging. Shortly before his execution, the farmer demanded as his last wish to speak with his judge. The judge was just about to eat a fried rooster. Then the condemned man predicted that the cock would bounce off the plate to prove his innocence and would crow during his execution. When the farmer was to be executed, the rooster actually jumped up and then also began to crow. The judge ran as fast as he could to the town square to stop the execution. There he saw that the strand had opened like a miracle. The farmer was saved and now moved his way.
Years later, the farmer returned to his hometown and built a memorial to St. James and the Virgin Mary.