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Oven-dried ears of maize. Akaitze Kamiruaga. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.

While in Greek mythology Prometheus managed to steal fire back from the gods and give it to humankind, the Basque mythological character Samartintxiki thieved wheat seed from the jentil and became the very first to farm the land. Saint Martin (316-397), bishop of Tours, acquires a special role in Basque mythology, its diminutive Samartintxiki —literally, “little Saint Martin”, and affectionately translated into Spanish as “san Martinico” by Barandiaran— being him who not only seized wheat, maize or turnip seed from Basajaun —or Basajaunak, its plural form— and even the Devil himself, but also found out the exact time to sow it. (more…)