The Geese of Potes: Guardians of Mystery

It was no coincidence that the ancient Romans attributed the salvation of the Capitoline Hill to geese, nor have they gone unnoticed, especially by pilgrims traveling the various pilgrimage routes. Beyond their esoteric symbolism, which links them to vigilance, wisdom, travel, and protection.

They also represented the anonymous guilds of medieval stonemasons who, following the path of the stars, erected sacred architecture. This architecture was defined not only by its unique symbolism but also by its connection to a distinctly initiatory narrative that, in a game called the Game of the Goose, imparted lessons of ancestral wisdom.

One of the most symbolic places, which also houses a popular colony of geese and is located in the heart of a valley that is not only magical but also frequently visited by pilgrims traveling to the Picos de Europa to kiss the largest portion of the Holy Cross at the Monastery of Santo Toribio, in the Liébana Valley, is undoubtedly that charming mountain village, which almost disappeared after suffering a devastating fire, known by the unique name of Potes.

(This last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly from a different source: "We have, without a doubt, that charming mountain village, which almost disappeared after suffering a terrible fire.") Potes, the confluence of two eminently sacred rivers, the Deva and the Quiviesa, which symbolically make it a gateway between two worlds, is not only rich in folklore, teeming with a marvelous array of mythological beings hiding behind every rock, sheltered by riverbanks or along the edges of jungle paths, but also constitutes that special place where geese, established countless generations ago, not only represent the transcendence of a place seemingly frozen in time, but also accompany, in a spiritual way, the formidable personal adventure of the pilgrim, who, whether consciously or not, is in reality undertaking the most initiatory journey of all: the hero's journey.

Or, to put it another way: that necessary and vital journey, common to all cultures and traditions of humankind, finds in the geese of the paths unique and magnificent allies.

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