Mouras Encantadas — The Enchanted Women of the Springs
In the mountain communities of this region, the Mouras Encantadas are not described as mythological figures. They are described as presences. The distinction is made consistently and without prompting by community members when asked. They are not stories about what happened long ago. They are accounts of what continues to happen, at specific locations, under specific conditions.
The sites associated with the Mouras Encantadas are consistent across communities separated by distances that preclude direct influence: ancient springs, granite outcrops, the entrances to old hill forts, certain standing stones that predate the current settlement pattern. According to documented oral tradition, the Mouras are the souls of those who were left behind — compelled to remain at the threshold between what was and what came after, guarding what could not be taken.
| TRADITION CLASSIFICATION | Pre-Roman, Indo-European origin. Present in all documented communities of the region without exception. |
| ASSOCIATED LOCATIONS | Ancient springs. Granite outcrops. Standing stones. Hill fort entrances. Threshold places. |
| REPORTED MANIFESTATIONS | Singing heard near water. Golden comb found and then not found. Water that does not behave as water should. The feeling of being watched at liminal hours. |
| APPEASEMENT PRACTICES | Milk left at spring entrances. Documented in Years 798, 803, 807, 811. Communities continue the practice without institutional instruction. |
| INSTITUTIONAL POSITION | No official position. This record exists because the observations are consistent and the locations overlap with Ashline survey data. |
The Folklore Division notes that the sites identified by community members as locations of Mouras Encantadas activity correspond, in eleven of fourteen documented cases, with sites that the Survey Division has flagged for Ashline proximity or anomalous ground-level readings. This correlation has been noted in internal correspondence dated Year 806. No formal investigation has been authorised. The correspondence is filed under reference ████████.
I left at dusk. Before I left, I noticed that someone had placed a small clay vessel of milk at the entrance to the spring enclosure. The vessel was not there when I arrived. No one was present when I found it. The milk was fresh.
I do not know what to do with this observation. I am recording it because it happened. The institution can decide what category it belongs to.
Survey Apprentice Kira Ashvane filed a supplementary note to this record on Day 18 of Year 812, following a survey assignment near the SW-14 spring. Her note states that the clay vessel was still being left. Her note states that the milk in it was always fresh. Her note does not speculate. It simply states what she observed. The Commandant's office requested a copy of her note the same day it was filed.
Kira Ashvane filed a note about the spring on Day 18. The Commandant requested a copy the same day.
READ ASHWANA — BOOK ONE →