Caballucos del Diablu

According to Cantabrian folkloric accounts, the Caballucos are the souls of sinners damned to roam Cantabria; in the legend they manifest annually on the eve of St John’s Day to release their fury for a year's worth of sins. The motif overlays Christian moral themes (damned souls, the Devil) onto regional fantastic-animal imagery and is recited within the local roster of Cantabrian fabulous beings.

Accounts describe the Caballucos as large stallion-type horses (the English summary of sources even specifies 'Percheron purebred' in some tellings) with damselfly-like wings, black manes, foaming mouths, gleaming eyes and forceful nostrils. Colors vary by individual and are morally mapped to specific named sins; one red, fire-breathing steed is said in the legend to be ridden by the Devil.

Folklore gives them an annual, ritualized eruption: on St John's Eve they appear among bonfires and ashes, fly between flames and smoke, emit terrifying screams and a rumbling noise, and stamp so forcefully that horseshoe marks are said to be left on rock. Their nostrils are said to blow strong winds and cold huffs; they pounce on people they encounter, eat shamrocks, and their saliva is said to crystallize into gold ingots that confer wealth at the cost of damnation. The red steed that breathes fire is associated in the tradition with the Devil's mount.