Like many legends, ‘the woman of Rojales’ has a romantic side, but it begins with a curse.
One night, a Moorish king found his daughter, Zoraida, trying to escape from the castle of Cabezo Soler near the Segura River in Rojales on the Costa Blanca.
A princess, a prince and a curse
Zoraida was a beautiful princess with blue eyes and blonde hair. She was running away to meet a young Christian prince she loved in secret. Her father was furious.
A fierce fight broke out, and the king was badly hurt. Before he died, he cursed Zoraida to live forever trapped inside the rounded mountain of Cabezo Soler.
Every year, on the night of San Juan, people say the Encantá, the enchanted woman, appears on the mountain, asking to be freed. If a brave man finds her, she asks him to carry her to the Segura River and wash her feet to break the curse.
The Woman of Rojales: A popular event
But the curse is strong. Her spirit makes her heavier and sends monsters to stop the man. Many fail. They faint, drop the princess, and end up cursed themselves, dying with their tongues cut out.
So, the enchanted woman of Rojales stays trapped. Every year, on the right night, she wakes and wanders, still waiting to be set free.
Each year, Rojales organises a climb to Cabecico Soler on the 23rd of June. It’s one of the town’s most popular events. Local tradition says that on the night before Saint John’s Day, the Moorish princess, La Encantá, comes out from the hill. A small bonfire is lit to wait for her to appear.
