The fouth country is....... France 👄👄

I'm going to focus on two legends.

“𝕰𝖑 𝕮ó𝖉𝖎𝖌𝖔 𝖉𝖆 𝖁𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖎”

Hanging from a small hill is Rennes-le-Château, a peculiar corner of the vast Occitan region.Rennes, stands out in the foothills of the legendary Arcadia, a mountainous area and deep valleys next to the Pyrenees.

To get there (difficult question! Rennes is invisible to the visitor's eyes as it is not well signposted), you go up a narrow and winding path.

The road, to call it somehow, surprises with very pronounced changes in elevation, ideal for contemplating the impressive landscape of Arcadia.As soon as we enter this path, it is as if we are little by little transported to another dimension.

"ᵢf ₜₕₑ ₘₑₐₛᵤᵣₑ ₒf ₐ bₒdy'ₛ gᵣₐᵥᵢₜy ᵢₛ ₘₑₐₛᵤᵣₑd by ₜₕₑ ₙᵤₘbₑᵣ ₒf ₒbⱼₑcₜₛ ᵢₜ ₐₜₜᵣₐcₜₛ, ₜₕₑₙ ᵣₑₙₙₑₛ₋ₗₑ₋Cₕâₜₑₐᵤ ᵢₛ ₐ ₜᵣᵤₑ bₗₐcₖ ₕₒₗₑ ₐₘₒₙg ₜₕₑ ₘyₛₜₑᵣᵢₒᵤₛ ₐₙd ₑₙᵢgₘₐₜᵢc ₚₗₐcₑₛ ₒₙ ₑₐᵣₜₕ." ₗᵢₒₙₑₗ fₐₙₜₕₒᵣₚₑ ..... "

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖊𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖇𝖊𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖘 .....

The story of the local priest, Bérenger Saunière (1885 to 1917), caused rivers of ink to flow.

After the start of the works in the parish, the father undertook a series of disconcerting changes, unforeseen trips to Paris, construction of a huge estate of which today we have testimony: Villa Bethania, as well as ostentatiously restoring the modest and small parish church.

Rumors did not take long to appear. Saunière did not go unnoticed with his "crazy life".He lives with his "housekeeper", Marie, a faithful keeper of secrets and they say the bad tongues that something more.

All this history can be found in the museum located in the old presbytery, where the works undertaken, the travels, the fortune of the priest, as well as the characters of French high society who come to Rennes invited by Saunière are explained.

(Recreation of the figures of Saunière and Marie in the Villa Betania museum)

He lives with his "housekeeper", Marie, a faithful keeper of secrets and they say the bad tongues that something more.

All this history can be found in the museum located in the old presbytery, where the works undertaken, the travels, the fortune of the priest, as well as the characters of French high society who come to Rennes invited by Saunière are explained.

But what did the priest find that made him amass so much fortune? Here is really the mystery and the beginning of the legend. While the first earthworks were being carried out to restore the old parish, the workers found something important that they communicated to Sauniere.

For some, the lost treasure of the Temple of Jerusalem, since the castle was related to the Knights Templar and it was possible that they hid it here after leaving the Holy Land.

For others, the treasure was priceless documents relating to the true story of Mary Magdalene and Jesus of Nazareth.Everything indicates that Bérenger built a recreation of Bethany, the city of Magdalena, in these lands of ancient Arcadia.

𝕽𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖘𝖆𝖑𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝖞 𝖑𝖆 𝖑𝖊𝖞𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖆 𝖉𝖊 𝕭𝖆𝖇𝖆𝖚

In Rivesaltes, Eastern Pyrenees, there is an ancient legend that gave rise to one of the most important festivals in the municipality. A legend from the 12th century that presents the figure of the monster "Le Babau", a horrible being half iguana, half dragon.

Legend tells of how the ancient city of Rivesaltes was surrounded by a great wall. This defensive element was large enough to protect citizens from invaders, however, it had a small hole. A hole they called the oven hole, through which the city's waste was thrown.

One night, when the inhabitants were resting peacefully, they began to notice a huge tremor on the ground. All the children of the city began to cry, perhaps as an omen of what would happen next.

A few minutes passed until finally silence fell again. Villagers, frightened by this shaking, came out of their houses. They soon realized to their horror that many children had disappeared.

The only opening in the wall, the furnace hole, was visibly widened. Someone, or something, had passed by.

The episode remained there, isolated, because the following nights the villagers did not notice anything. The children did not return but they did not disappear anymore.

However, after three nights of calm, the noise and shaking returned. Almost stronger than the first. Stones flew through the air and villagers locked their houses. Despite the fact that no child disappeared tonight, they found two dead rabbits in the middle of the street.

Some villagers swore they had seen the monster, half iguana, half dragon. Also, on this occasion Babau's traces were visible, as there were large claw prints on the ground.

A valiant knight known in the region, Galdric, decided to help the town. He devised an infallible plan. He would tie a pig in front of the oven hole, where everyone believed he was hiding. Galdric thought that the smell of the pig and Babau's hunger would be enough to make him come out of his hiding place and finish him off.

Three days passed until Babau finally came out of his hiding place and threw himself hungrily on the pig. It was the moment when Galdric shot an arrow at his neck, the softest part of his hard anatomy. Furthermore, the guards poured boiling water over its scales. The beast, wounded, turned to the river.

It would be a few days before some Rivaseltans assured that they had found a dead monster, next to the water, not far from the town. They thus decided to send an expedition.

The men stared at the monster's body in amazement, picking up a bone so that the villagers could verify its death

Rivesaltes had got rid of Babau, and a great party was organized in its streets. Thus, after this day, every year in August Rivesaltes celebrates the death of Babau.