Giraldilla of Havana
Fairy Tales in Romanian.
Giraldilla of Havana. Welcome to Havana! I am your tour guide, Camilo, and today I will tell you a very interesting story about this place.
So, let the wind sing its song, let it tell tales of times gone by, let it rustle the leaves, for in true love we believe. So, close your eyes and let me take you back in time.
The Beginnings of a Legend
The year is 1537. King Charles I of Spain was impressed by the courage and bravery of Don Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer, conqueror, and strategist, and appointed him Captain General of Cuba and Florida.
When he returned to Spain, rich and famous, he fell in love with Isabel de Bobadilla, daughter of Pedro Arias Davila, another renowned conqueror with whom de Soto began his invasions.
The two were inseparable and married immediately. Don Hernando and Isabel arrived in Havana, Cuba, and lived in the castle, where the general took up his duties to guard the bay and defend the city from the pirate and corsair attacks common in those times.
A Love at a Crossroads
— Why do you gaze at the sea with such longing, my love? — I am an explorer, my love. The sea calls to me, for there are so many places I still need to tread and discover. — I won't let you go anywhere! Never! I cannot live a moment without you. — Nor I without you, my love. But I cannot promise you that. The sea is my first love. There's nothing I can do. But that doesn't mean I love you any less. — Whatever happens, I will never let you go.
The salty ocean wind whispered to the lovers as it ruffled their hair. Isabel and no one else could hear. Except for Don Hernando, for he knew that soon the day would come when duty would call him, and he would have to leave, leaving his wife at home.
As the two watched the silhouettes of the boat sails in the harbor, Don Hernando smiled at his wife, the woman he loved so much. He felt safe and protected in her company. But the tides were soon to change, and fate had prepared an unhappy ending for the lovers.
The Expedition and the Search for the Fountain of Eternal Youth
— Captain General, a messenger has arrived with news from the king. — Let him enter!
Don Hernando's heart beat strongly, suspecting what message he would receive from the king.
— Captain General Don Hernando de Soto, His Majesty King Charles I has accepted your request to sail to North America for an expedition. — My! My request?
Don Hernando had forgotten his aspiration to explore North America and the request he had previously submitted to the king.
— Oh, I... that was a long time ago, and I had completely forgotten about it. What else did the king say? — The king wants you to depart urgently, on a four-year expedition. — Four years?
Don Hernando looked at his wife and then lowered his head.
— Thank you for bringing me the message. Tell the king I will depart soon.
Tears streamed from Isabel's eyes, and she left the room. That evening, as Isabel stood in the tower, battling her sorrow, Don Hernando came to her. For a moment he said nothing, just stood and watched her.
Then:
— I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about my request to the king. It's true. I completely forgot about it. — Isabel, look at me. I love you as I breathe. You are everything to me. I don't want to be a moment without you, not a single day. You are my world. — Then don't leave me! — You've always been proud of me, haven't you? You fell in love with me because of my courage and my dedication to the Spanish crown. And now you ask me to turn back? — Then take me with you! — You know I cannot take you. It is not safe for women to travel at sea for so long. You will get sick, and I cannot let that happen. But I promise I will return soon. — Do you promise? — I promise! And whenever you miss me, come here and look at the horizon. The wind will carry your scent to me, wherever I may be, and soon, one day, I will return to you. And if you ever feel lonely, look at the moon. It will watch over both of us. Send your message to its gentle light, and I will bask in its glow, the bearer of your thought.
Isabel closed her eyes and embraced her husband, not knowing what was to come.
Thus, on May 12, 1538, Don Hernando de Soto departed with his men for the continental expedition from Havana, which was to last four years, on seven of the king's ships and two caravels. They transported tons of heavy armor and equipment, as well as 600 men, 24 priests, nine ships, 537 horses, and many provisions.
Left alone, Isabel, now the regent governor of Cuba, waved goodbye to her husband as she watched the ships move further and further away from the coast.
The Waiting and the Tragedy
— Was she standing right here? — Yes, somewhere here. — And then what happened? — Then... then the longing begins. Followed by a long wait.
Isabel de Bobadilla, who was now the most powerful woman in the Americas, governed the island with dedication and courage. She had promised her husband that she would take care of it and would not leave him.
But the heart is a strange thing too, isn't it? It clings to what we desire most and remains steadfast. Several months passed, and Isabel began to grow restless and impatient. She missed her husband and spent her time at the top of the tower.
— If you can feel my scent and my heart beating, know that I am strong and I await you every passing minute. Return soon, for I miss you. Come back at once, because I love you.
Months passed. Don Hernando de Soto traveled through different places in what are now the United States, crossing Georgia and Alabama, where he discovered the Mississippi River. It is said that in those days, there was a legend that a fountain of eternal youth was located near the river, and Don Hernando wanted to find this priceless treasure, as it would have been the greatest treasure for the king and would have brought an end to his expedition.
— We must find the fountain of eternal youth, at all costs! I want to return to my wife. — But, sir, we don't know exactly where it is. — Then let's find it! That's what explorers do.
But the brave explorer did not find the fountain of eternal youth. Instead, on May 21, 1542, he contracted a fatal fever that took his life. In the end, he had actually died of a broken heart. Don Hernando de Soto remembered the love of his life, and as a tear welled in the corner of his eyes, a gentle breeze caressed his face. And in it, he felt the scent of his wife. Smiling, he closed his eyes, gazing at the western bank of the Mississippi River, which he saw for the last time.
— Oh, no! And what happened to poor Isabel?
Ah, Isabel! Isabel was far from guessing that in distant lands, her husband had died and would never return home. She waited and waited and waited. And she spent years sitting in the castle tower, looking out at the horizon over Havana Bay, searching for signs of her husband's return. She didn't eat, she didn't drink, and she spent most of the daylight hours in the tower, gazing at the horizon, hoping for the silhouette of a ship that would bring her husband back.
— Oh, moon, faithful companion of the night, as loyal as the love between me and my husband. Yes, my husband, who is across the seas, far from me, I have a message for him. Please take it to him from me. I send my message to your gentle glow. Tell him I can no longer bear this pain. I cannot see him, but you surely accompany him. Please convey my message to him. I am melting from missing him.
Oh, but Hernando's boat never came, and instead came the news of Hernando's death.
— No!
Poor Isabel could not bear the news and eventually died of a broken heart in the year 1546.
— That's very sad!
The Giraldilla Statue: A Symbol of Hope
Wait! The story isn't over yet. Because Isabel is still alive, and so is her hope for her husband's return.
— What?
Yes. You see, moved by the story, the sculptor Geronimo Martin Pinzon created a statuette to endure through time, which since the early 1630s has remained in the highest position on the northern bastion of the Castle of the Royal Force.
— This statue is of Isabel? Wow! — Yes. The woman holding her head high and looking into the distance is her. The statue was named Giraldilla, the weather vane of Havana, inspired by El Giraldillo, located in the Sevillian Cathedral.
But what you see now atop the Royal Force is a replica. The original piece was destroyed by a powerful hurricane that struck the island on October 20, 1926. After being restored and showing its past splendor, the statuette is now in the city museum.
**Whether she's crying or not, Giraldilla tells us everything about her misfortune and brings peace as she watches over Havana. Perhaps Hernando did not die, and perhaps some travelers from distant lands will one day bring the eagerly awaited news and console his wife in her sorrowful gaze. Some people say that sometimes Isabel de Bobadilla moves her eyes and searches for her husband among the passersby
