At daybreak, a beautiful *moura*—a supernatural maiden—would appear above the *pía* (a megalithic stone basin located on a small hill near the village of Francelos, in the municipality of Ribadavia), combing her hair with a golden comb. People often spoke of her and her beauty, as well as the secrets she harbored; though few had ever seen her—and always from a distance—no one dared to approach, for things not of this world inspire great fear. One day, however, a dashing young man, braver than the rest, approached the spot and spoke with the *moura*. She revealed that both she and a vast treasure belonging to her were under a spell. She promised that if he helped break the enchantment, she would marry him and bestow the treasure upon him. To do this, he had to arrive before sunrise; she would appear in the form of a serpent with a carnation in its mouth. Since he had already shown great courage simply by engaging in conversation with her, all he needed to do was allow the reptile to embrace him and then remove the carnation from its mouth using his own lips. On the appointed night, just before daybreak, the young man went to the stone basin where the *moura* was accustomed to combing her hair. The reptile appeared with the carnation in its mouth, just as it had foretold; it moved toward him, coiled itself around him, and positioned its mouth right before the young man’s lips so that he might take the flower. But the young man, finding himself in such a situation—overcome with fear and seized by panic—violently broke free from the serpent. The creature fell dead and transformed back into the *Moura*; at that very instant, the hill where they stood trembled with a tremendous roar and flattened out, becoming the level ground that exists today. In memory of this event, the place is still called “A Chán da Moura.”
