Tuesday 10 April 2012

I is for Indalo man

The Indalo Man is an ancient symbol found in the province of Almeria over 100 years ago. Also know to some as the “Indalo Puppet”, it was first found somewhere in the Las Velez mountain range of northern Almeria province in a caved known as La Cueva de los Letreros (Cave of the Signboards), near Velez Blanco by Antonio Gongónia y Martinez in 1868. The cave itself was made a National Historic Monument in 1924. The symbol is said to date back to Neolithic times and seems to depict a man holding a rainbow in his arms, over his head.

The original symbol was also placed along another of symbols, including horned men and animals. It is believed to date back some 4500 years. Some believe that the Indalo represents a prehistoric god holding the rainbow in his open arms in an apparent pact of protection with man. Others believe that the true meaning has been lost. The Indalo became a local “good charm” symbol and over time, it was used to ward away bad luck and even the “evil eye”.
My parents have an apartment in a small town in spain called Mojaca where the indalo man can be found everywhere :) i have many at home too, in my room, on my keys and on my necklace :)

Gecky xx

2 comments:

  1. Visiting from AtoZ. Picking blogs at random is a lot of fun and I'm learning some of the darndest things! Thanks for the great post.

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  2. I have one of those! Can't remember where I got it from, though, and didn't know what it meant, so thanks for filling me in. This is an interesting post. Love your blog title too!

    Fellow A-Zer and new follower. :)

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