by
his disciples at
the castle of Queen Lupa|thumb
Galician tradition holds that Lupa, a widowed noblewoman, lived in
Castro Lupario, along what is now called the
Portuguese Way. She appears in Book III (
Liber de translatione corporis sancti Jacobi ad Compostellam) of the 12th-century
Codex Calixtinus, which contains a story regarding what was done with the body of the
Apostle James after his martyrdom. According to the story, after their arrival in
Iria Flavia, James's disciples Theodore and Athanasius Lupa chose to trick the disciples and sent them to the King of
Duio with the intent of having them killed. The king imprisons them, but they are freed by an angel and return to the queen. Then according to the
Golden Legend, Lupa tried deceiving them and sent them to
Mount Ilicino (now known as "Pico Sacro") to collect some of her oxen to carry the necessary material to build the tomb. She did not tell them that a cave in the mountain was the entrance to
hell and was guarded by a dragon. Upon witnessing the miraculous events, Lupa converted to
Christianity and helps build the apostle's tomb in
Libredon. It is also said that upon her conversion, she turned her home into a church. Lupa's legacy is subject to multiple interpretations. While her myth is popular among
Catholics, others think that Lupa could be the representation of a pre-Christian goddess, perhaps the female version of
Lugh. Galician Academic
Manuel Gago Mariño has written about Lupa and notes that in the Middle Ages, portions of the
Galician aristocracy claimed to descend from her. Lupa is said to be buried at the
Castle of Saint George, on
Mount Pindo. == In popular culture ==