ARQUETU

[Folklore] This is a being from Cantabria (northern Spain) that appears to people as a white clothed old man with long red hair. He walks slowly, and seems to wander without aim. He dislikes gamblers that loose their money without discernment, and people that fall into vice anger him. Yet he is good-natured and forgiving. If a remorseful gambler that has lost all possessions seeks refuge into the mountain, the Arquetu will come to him and give him some gold to be invested into work (for instance, to buy some fields, or a new house, or some cows). The gambler should thus be able to earn a living again. But should the man forget his promise and loose this money with games or vice, it will be condemned by the Arquetu to wander from village to village and beg for the rest of his life.