Valencia is a major city on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. It is famous for its history, parks, canals, ancient and new unique buildings. However, there is another Valencia located in Venezuela. It is also a very large city, even twice becoming the capital of the country. Some confuse the two Valencia, especially since the Spaniards conquered the lands of present-day Venezuela and brought a lot of their culture to their lives. Let's try to figure out which animal is the symbol of the city of Valencia in Spain.
A look into history
Valencia is a very ancient city, founded in the immensely distant 138th year BC. At that time, this small settlement was easily captured by the Lusitans, the ancestors of modern Portuguese, and completely destroyed. The Roman consul Junius Brutus rebuilt it and called it Valentia, which meant "fortress." Also, this word means "good omen." Subsequently, Valencia was attacked many times, was ruled by the Moors, Visigoths, Moors again, until in 1238 it was finally conquered by the King of Aragon Jaime I. Then a dragon appeared on the coat of arms of the city. But since 1503, he was replaced by a bat, which became the symbol of the city of Valencia. Why exactly her? Indeed, for Europeans, unlike the Chinese and Indians, this nocturnal animal personifies demonism and the forces of evil.
Merits of the bat
Some are surprised to find out which animal is the symbol of the city of Valencia. More often than not, for the symbols of their cities, people choose good-natured fluffy animals or beautiful and proud birds. And here, few people like the night bloodsucker, which is also a symbol of vampires. But in reality, the bat is not as scary as some people think of it. It is even useful because it destroys insects. And this animal has earned a
prejudice for its secretive and nocturnal way of life. It is present in the arms of several cities in Spain. In some eastern countries, a
bat symbolizes health, wealth, luck and even happiness. But why did this animal become a symbol of the city of Valencia? The people live several legends that answer this question.
Legends of the Bat and King Jaime I
King Jaime I is called the Conqueror, because he was successful in military campaigns, having conquered the Bolear Islands and drove out the Moors that dominated there from Valencia. The city was proclaimed a kingdom, the life of its subjects flowed in a new direction. Many people wonder what animal is a symbol of the city of Valencia and why it is. Legends say the following. When the king was preparing for a decisive battle, a bat fell on his helmet. Previously, people regarded any extraordinary event as a sign. So at that time they decided that the mouse was the harbinger of victory, however, it warns the king about the danger. The little half-blind animal knew about upcoming events, or there could be a simple coincidence, but both omens came true. First - Jaime and his army won. The second - during the battle, the king barely escaped death. And again, a bat intervened in the course of events, substituting his body for the arrow and, as it were, covering the king.
Winged symbol
To understand which animal is the symbol of the city of Valencia is very easy. You just need to look at his coat of arms, tickets, even sewer manholes. A bat flaunts everywhere. Why this happened, says such a legend. It was as if King Jaime I and his army had camped before the decisive assault on Valencia. At night the soldiers were awakened by incomprehensible sounds heard from the royal tent. It turned out that a bat flew in there. The animal was desperately trying to break free and flew around the tent in search of a way, touching various objects. Some of them fell to the floor. This sound woke the soldier. All would be fine, but it was on this night that the Moors crept up to the camp with the aim of killing the sleeping enemy. The bat broke their plans. Warriors of Jaime I successfully attacked and killed scouts. The bat did a lot of good for the residents of Valencia. Therefore, she was chosen as the symbol of the city. Citizens are sure this animal brings them good luck.