Next to the heat of the fire, my grandmother was telling me some old stories. They were romantic and terrible legends filled with heroes, monsters, nymphs, goblins and princesses…Some of them conjured up the origins of this land, such as the story of Princess Pyrene…

When this was an extensive flat plain, full of forests and meadows, Noe sent his grandson Tubal to settle there and govern it. For a long time, he looked after its people in true peace and harmony.

His daughter, Princess Pyrene, was his most precious treasure and her sweetness and beauty dazed all those who knew her.

In the sunny spring evenings, Pyrene would walk aling the lakeside singing softly. Then, she would sit down on the shore and brush her beatiful hair using the crystalline waters like a mirror.

She felt protected in this place, surrounded by forests. It was her world. Howeve, someone was watching her, crouched among the ferns...

Pyrene was still unaware of the terrible events that were happening throughout the whole kingdom. A gigantic and monstrous being, with three horrible heads, had settled in the lands beyond the forest. His name was Gerion and he terrified the shepherds, demanding that they should give him their cattle in exchange for their lives. What’s more, he stalked their daughters…

However, the real aim of this cruel creature was to seduce Pyrene who he continued to spy on with great secrecy while she was carrying out her daily rituals near the lake. He had fallen madly in love and nothing would stop him from trying to conquer her

Unaware of the danger his daughter was running, King Tubal was desperately trying to protect his subjects from Gerion’s incursions, which were increasingly more frequent and malevolent. However, he could not find a way of stopping him.

Seized with despair, the sovereign implored the gods for help. Vey soon the gods would send their response…

Given the chaos that Gerion was causing and Tubal’s clamorous petitions, the powerful Zeus resorted to the strongest of all his men: his son Hercules.

The god of all gods sent him to wipe out the giant. By doing this, he would achieve a double objective.

Hercules set out to these lands. He wanted to please the gods and put an end to Gerion’s outrages as soon as possible. When he reached Tubal’s palace, Hercules caught a glimpse of the most beautiful and delicate girl he had ever seen.

He would forever be in a spell of love for Pyrene’s beautiful locks of red-hair. Their eyes crossed and something sparked off between them both.

Hercules and Pyrenne did not conceal their deep love. They walked through the forests, plethoric of the lakes and springs, holding each other’s hands.

Meanwhile, Gerion, who had not lost sight of them for even one moment, appeared at Tubal’s palace, in a fit of jealousy. To everyone’s surprise, he asked the sovereign for his daughter’s hand.

The sovereign had no alternative. On the return from her walk, Pyrene was surprised to find the malevolent being waiting to take her away with him.

Without any hesitation, she went up to the three-headed ugly monster and, in order to clarify that she would never belong to him, three times she refused to accompany him

The princess, who knew all the secret passages in her home, fled through one of them and took shelter in its forest. She waited for the courageous Hercules to rescue her.

Full of fury, Gerion left the palace to find her. Screaming and swearing, he devastated everything he encountered.

He called out Pyrene’s name repeatedly, threatening that he would force her to come out of the forest.

As he did not achieve his objective, the perverse giant did not hesitate to set fire to the trees. Soon, a huge cloud of smoke engulfed the plain.

Alerted about what was happening, Hercules came to help his dear nymph.

He faced Gerion’s cowardice in a death combat with such impetus that, one by one, he cut off his three heads.

He put the fire out afterwards and ran in search of Pyrene.

The strong and courageous Hercules tracked the completely burnt forest in order to free her.

He called her repeatedly, with the most distressed words. But, oh no… Nobody replied.

Suddenly, in a forest clearing, he found her in agony. In a whisper, the young woman repeated her love and then gave her final sigh.

Hercules, who was desolate, took his beloved in his arms and swore he would create the most beautiful tomb so Pyrene would never be forgotten.

He put her lifeless body on the ground and, then, by putting huge rocks one by one, he built the most beautiful mountain range ever known. In memory of his beloved, he called it the Pyrenees.

The hero, depressed and sad, could not contain his tears. While placing an everlasting white mantle of snow on top of the mountains, the tears from his eyes fell onto the ground and were so abundant that they formed crystalline lakes that remain intact even today.