Basque ethnography at a glance

Rabid dog. Dioscórides, Madrid, 1566. Euskal Biblioteka. Labayru Fundazioa.

In the modern society we live the figure of the so-called saludador (literally, a healer or health-giver) has no place. The very meaning of the term is strange to Spanish speakers. The Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española, abbreviated as RAE), in its second entry, defines it as a trickster dedicated to heal or forestall rabies and other virulent diseases with their breath, saliva and certain charms and formulas (“Embaucador que se dedica a curar o precaver la rabia u otros males, con el aliento, la saliva y ciertas deprecaciones y fórmulas”). It stands out and draws our attention that a saludador should be defined as a trickster (direct translation of embaucador, the word used in the definition) or fraudulent pretender. As we know, rabies is most commonly transmitted to humans by an infected dog. It was a widespread belief that dogs eating too little were prone to contract rabies, and let us not forget, in former times, people were more exposed to bites from rabid dogs. (more…)