by Heraclius Astudillo Pombo, DMACS, UdL
A demystifying interpretation of etiological versions of the legend of "Mews" Rojales including petrified bones, helps decipher the mysterious origins of legendary monsters .
If we try to interpret the legend with a modern mentality, natural and rational type, you must identify the various types of material remains, archaeological and paleontological type, based on which versions of the legend etiological "the charming" of Rojales. This approach can be rational see how the same material elements, real and concrete, existing in "the Cabezo Soler" that were interpreted, sometimes very naively assume that in the past should be interpreted "very convenient" to the dominant social and religious paradigm, to the fabulous an explanation of the bones as reasonably credible for a population, mostly gullible by a mindset magic explanatory, so that the material remains that the evidence was passed to become evidence of the truth of a legend, "the Encantá "Rojales which had been invented to explain about certain facts that were observable in various parts of the hill of Cabezo Soler.
First, we have as material evidence, archeological remains, which are waste of ancient buildings, completely ruined, located in the upper parts of "the Cabezo Soler, who played the popular imagination as the shattered remains magically of the former fortress and the Moorish palace of the emir. At present there is historical evidence, documentary and archaeological, that on top of the hillock Soler existed human settlements, human occupation which began in prehistoric times and comes up medieval times, at the time of Muslim occupation: the remains "older" correspond to settlements in the Bronze Age (1000 BC) and the "more modern" remains of a " hisn " or fortified rural settlement, Andalusian, built and occupied, in the Muslim period (centuries XI-XII).
If we try to interpret the legend with a modern mentality, natural and rational type, you must identify the various types of material remains, archaeological and paleontological type, based on which versions of the legend etiological "the charming" of Rojales. This approach can be rational see how the same material elements, real and concrete, existing in "the Cabezo Soler" that were interpreted, sometimes very naively assume that in the past should be interpreted "very convenient" to the dominant social and religious paradigm, to the fabulous an explanation of the bones as reasonably credible for a population, mostly gullible by a mindset magic explanatory, so that the material remains that the evidence was passed to become evidence of the truth of a legend, "the Encantá "Rojales which had been invented to explain about certain facts that were observable in various parts of the hill of Cabezo Soler.
First, we have as material evidence, archeological remains, which are waste of ancient buildings, completely ruined, located in the upper parts of "the Cabezo Soler, who played the popular imagination as the shattered remains magically of the former fortress and the Moorish palace of the emir. At present there is historical evidence, documentary and archaeological, that on top of the hillock Soler existed human settlements, human occupation which began in prehistoric times and comes up medieval times, at the time of Muslim occupation: the remains "older" correspond to settlements in the Bronze Age (1000 BC) and the "more modern" remains of a " hisn " or fortified rural settlement, Andalusian, built and occupied, in the Muslim period (centuries XI-XII).
Secondly, we have the Paleontological evidence, consisting of fragments of skeletons and loose bones and teeth of different classes of vertebrates, aquatic and terrestrial, from the late Tertiary (Pliocene) and early Quaternary (Pleistocene).
We assume that once, no extractive activities of existing national and foreign plunderers, had dwell the bones of various animals of medium to large size, especially of different types of cetaceans in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene they were exposed to the sight of all those who went by the place because they had been exhumed from the rocks The included, by the combined effects of erosion and weathering. As Daniel Jiménez de Cisneros said in relation to a visit in 1908, while trying to locate a supposed plesiosaur bones, whose existence had informed an acquaintance that finally resultaton be fossilized bones of cetaceans.
As cetaceans, the effect of adaptation the aquatic environment, have spines much longer than terrestrial quadrupeds, because many more vertebrae pose them and, moreover, also have vestigial hind limbs, it is possible that their best preserved and therefore they could be recognizable alignments were large vertebrae, skull fragments connected, since the other long bones, thin imcluidos which form the nose of the animal, would have fragmented and dispersed during tafocenótico or fossilization . So that the appearance of the whole, could induce the villagers to confuse the fossilized remains of several cetaceans, with the petrified remains of large snake monsters, especially the remains of the great toothless whales (baleen) that in this particular case, it could be a kind of "baleen whales, a precursor to the current gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus ) , about 12 to 15 m. length, whose head having thin jaws, and disjointed, like snakes, offer a vaguely serpentine appearance.
looks like a snake's skeleton is now complete and fully articulated, note that his long spine only shows as annexes, a large number of ribs, as the skeleton of the waist, shoulders and pelvis, and the limbs are completely absent, being completely atrophied.
looks like a snake's skeleton is now complete and fully articulated, note that his long spine only shows as annexes, a large number of ribs, as the skeleton of the waist, shoulders and pelvis, and the limbs are completely absent, being completely atrophied. 
Schematic illustration depicting the appearance of a gray whale skeleton would be complete current if we had not removed the rib bones and former members to provide a serpentine appearance. The skeleton is displayed perfectly articulated, note its on, like a giant snake, but rather "short" and "stubborn" because its long spine and his big head, does not keep the proper proportions typical of a snake. Image: http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/images/HumpbackWhaleSkeleton.jpg
The axial skeleton fossils of other aquatic vertebrates, contemporary of the toothless whale could have also contributed the generation the legend of the "snake monsters" of Cabezo Soler. This could be the case of the backbones of dolphins, sea cows and even crocodiles.
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Deprived of the bones of their limbs, as the skeletons of dolphins (top left), as the sea \u200b\u200bcows or manatees (top right) or the crocodiles (below left) take on a clearly monstrous "serpentine" Pictures:
1 - Current common dolphin (Tursiops ):
2 - manatee fossil Neogene ( Metaxytherium ): www.sirenian.org / sirenianevolution.html
3-modern African crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus ) :
The origin of the "monstrous giant dogs" mentioning etiological versions of the legend, quite possibly, be found in the probable BSERVING, and fabulous interpretation of some incomplete skeletons skulls attached to toothed whales (odontocetes). In this particular case, possibly, there would be some kind of dolphin Neogene, whose skulls are much more compact than baleen whales, and also fitted with thicker jaws, with many strong and very sharp teeth, may have given rise to 
fantasy of monstrous giant dogs, of which also is said that dogs were flying. It is very likely that called "wings" were actually the bones of the "fins" (former members more or less complete) of some other species of whales or other specimens of the same species, but larger and age that would have been superimposed in position and more convenient, so it could be misleading to inexperienced observers.
fantasy of monstrous giant dogs, of which also is said that dogs were flying. It is very likely that called "wings" were actually the bones of the "fins" (former members more or less complete) of some other species of whales or other specimens of the same species, but larger and age that would have been superimposed in position and more convenient, so it could be misleading to inexperienced observers. looks a complete skull of common dolphin, now it is clear, sharp teeth that provides a very fierce and frightening, but do not manage to enrcontra similarities with the head of a dog that apparently could find their ovservadores primitive.
Image: Http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/511081914_7a6dcfdf33.jpg?v=0
A more or less similar to the bones could be "petrified" of the supposed giant lizards mentioning some versions of the legend, because if in recent times, paleontologists have found remains of crocodiles, in the same place, presumably in the past
could also have been in view, some skeletons, more or less complete, this kinds of animals, whose observation should lead to confusion with giant lizards.
looks complete and articulated skeleton of a Nile crocodile, current (Crocodylus niloticus). Villagers in Rojales as the first English explorers, that first observed the first crocodile, in America and in Africa, called them "lizards" because of its close resemblance to the modest relative or taxi to inhabit the peninsula in time
historical
is quite possible that the "great mental reconstruction" which made the villagers in the area of \u200b\u200bevil monsters of the hill of Rojales, from the observation of different types of skeletal remains, may have contributed to the mix skeletal remains of different individuals and even different species, something not uncommon in some fields, thus helping nature to create true "chimeric" that would be very difficult to interpret, rationally, for people with little knowledge zoological and anatomical, as far a morphologically fauna of domestic and wild fauna, typical of the area, I was the only known to them.
A more or less similar to the bones could be "petrified" of the supposed giant lizards mentioning some versions of the legend, because if in recent times, paleontologists have found remains of crocodiles, in the same place, presumably in the past
could also have been in view, some skeletons, more or less complete, this kinds of animals, whose observation should lead to confusion with giant lizards. looks complete and articulated skeleton of a Nile crocodile, current (Crocodylus niloticus). Villagers in Rojales as the first English explorers, that first observed the first crocodile, in America and in Africa, called them "lizards" because of its close resemblance to the modest relative or taxi to inhabit the peninsula in time
historical
is quite possible that the "great mental reconstruction" which made the villagers in the area of \u200b\u200bevil monsters of the hill of Rojales, from the observation of different types of skeletal remains, may have contributed to the mix skeletal remains of different individuals and even different species, something not uncommon in some fields, thus helping nature to create true "chimeric" that would be very difficult to interpret, rationally, for people with little knowledge zoological and anatomical, as far a morphologically fauna of domestic and wild fauna, typical of the area, I was the only known to them.
Sources:
- Agencia EFE. 2001. "Found a Pleistocene fossil whale."
www.grupopaleo.com.ar/paleoargentina/hemeroteca2001.htm
-Anonymous. Rojales. History municipalities Vega Baja http://www.convega.com/historia/rojales/rojales.html
- Agencia EFE. 2001. "Found a Pleistocene fossil whale."
www.grupopaleo.com.ar/paleoargentina/hemeroteca2001.htm
-Anonymous. Rojales. History municipalities Vega Baja http://www.convega.com/historia/rojales/rojales.html
- Cartagena González, Fausto. 1991. "The Legend of Cabezo Encantá Rojales Soler" in Segura in downstream. legends and stories. Rojales. City Hall & Bank of Alicante.
- Gonzalo, R. 2005. The prodigious Spain (II), in De Occulta Philosophia . CCLXXIV. Rgonzalo 9/jun/05, 5:05
http://foros.hispavista.com/de_occulta_philosophia/3474/629880/m/la-espa% C3% B1a-prodigious-(ii) /
- Goy, JL, Zazo, C. , Somoza, L. & Dabrio CJ. 1990.
- Jiménez de Cisneros, Daniel. 1908. "Excursions to the S and SW of the province of Alicante." Bulletin of the Royal English Society of Natural History, Volume VIII, pp. 193-208
- Mascarell, MJ 2005. Pego A researcher discovered the first gray whale ancestor Europe. Levante, Sunday 26 June.
- Saez Sendra, Joaquin. 1997. "Paleontology and popular folklore, mythological monsters Rojales (Alicante)"
- Saez Sendra, Joaquin. 2000. Virtual tour section Paleontology. Municipal Archaeological Museum, Paleontology, Rojales (Alicante)
- Serra, Maria C. & Román del Cerro, JL 1986. "The Legend of The Enchantress of Rojales" in Legends of the Vega Baja. University of Alicante.
- Albert Sierra, Javier & Callejo, Jesus. 1997. "The Legend of Rojales Encantada" in The Strange Spain. FASD. p.265-267
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