Tras las huellas de Hércules. La "Estoria de Espanna", la Torre de "Crunna" y el Pórtico de la Gloria

Abstract

Not only does Alfonso X’s La Estoria de Espanna make a very explicit point of identifying Hercules as the greatmythical conqueror of Spain following the death of the tyrant Geryon, and as the founder of a new Hispanicmonarchy that he would put in the hands of his heir Espan, it also states with great clarity that the Greek herobuilt two great towers at its westernmost outposts (in Cadiz and La Coruña) and that the latter, under the name“Crunna”, was the first city he founded on the Iberian Peninsula. Knowledge of Hercules in medieval Spain,which is founded upon well known ancient sources, perhaps also helps to identify the controversial figure of thebearded man taming lions at the base of the trumeau of the Portico de la Gloria. This is probably a representationof the hero associated with pagan Spain, which would succumb to the Christian faith introduced into thecountry by the apostle St James the Greater.