The visual impact that they cause in those who contemplate them does not leave behind the historical value of these stones.They are considered an important and sacred place of worship, whose origins date back to Roman times. Despite this, their form of creation and arrangement is not entirely clear. Some experts attribute its birth to a natural process led by molten magma that solidified when it came to the surface. However, because of its placement and orientation, other researchers firmly believe that it is an artificial formation of man. Carlos Sánchez-Montaña, an architect and specialist in ancient history, is sure that the placement of the stones is not natural, because their location is very well studied to symbolize the marriage between the sun and the Earth. In spite of that, its origin remains a mystery.                                                                

Legends

The location of the rocks is the result of various theories, such as their use as a pagan sanctuary or as a calendar (they could be used to predict important dates in the agricultural cycle). The last interpretation led to many investigations that highlight the orientation of the monument towards the sunset during the summer solstice and towards its sunrise during the winter solstice. Nevertheless, not only its morphology and placement are present: the magic that surrounds the area led to fables that are now part of local history.

One of the best known legends about the Sorrows of Rhodes – recorded by the writer Manuel Marina in his poems – refers to the interior of the two spheres, because it is said that one of its stones is full of gold and that the person who managed to break it would become rich. However, the other would be full of tar and, in case of breaking it by mistake, it would spill and devastate the whole area. For this reason, the two rocks are still in a perfect state of conservation: the desire to live has been able to achieve the ambition of getting the gold.

Related to the previous one, another legend refers to the hypothetical breakage of a single primeval formation that would have led to the formation of the two rocks. At the time of its fall, the original stone would have split in half, spilling all the tar that was inside. The catastrophe petrified all the residents of the area, which would explain the current existence of numerous large stones in the area: they are the bodies of the inhabitants of the place that, due to the passage of time and erosion, adopted the usual shape of those rocks.

On the other hand, the inhabitants of the parish of Gaioso have their own belief about the origin of the Penas de Rodas. Their fable explains that they were created by a goblin or by the devil, who placed them on allí́ to make fun of the men who, without result, would try to move them.                                                                    

The pilgrimage

The views from the top of Penas de Rodas and its situation in the middle of a pine forest invite to leisure and rest. To make the visit more comfortable for walkers, a recreational area has been built near the area of the megalithic site, with tables, benches and fountains. In addition, in this same conditioned space and the esplanade in front of the stones, every Sunday before August 12 a busy pilgrimage is held to welcome a large number of visitors. The music, dances, popular games and crafts help every year to revive the legend that surrounds the monument.

Penas de Rodas is one of those places that must be seen from up close, because only in this way is it possible to capture all the majesty and magic of the place. Many visitors come on June 21, but any time is good to enjoy this place full of mysteries and legends.

Any time of the year is good to go to San Andrés de Teixido, but on November 30th (and the previous days) it is one of the most marked dates because it is the day on which the festival of the patron of the place is celebrated. There are several rites that will have to be fulfilled by those who approach there: take a stone along the way to deposit it in a “milladoiro” (rock mounds deposited by pilgrims); kiss the small image of the saint inside the sanctuary, visit the miraculous fountain or make the bouquet of St. Andrew. Another of the rites of the place was related to the famous “Herba de Namorar” (weed to fall in love), although today it has been affected because it is an endangered species that should not be torn off.

The pilgrimage to San Andrés began at least in the 12th century, but its importance as a place of worship starts much earlier, which allows us to see how, as with other celebrations, millenary customs and superstitions are hidden under the Christian culture. Already in the time of the Celts, these places enthralled the inhabitants of the area, which made them the scene of various rituals related to the transit of earthly life to the beyond through the seas. Local tradition relates these rites directly to the Holy Company to indicate that the souls in pain that make up this spooky procession also go to San Andrés de Teixido looking for the gateway to the next life. Hence the famous expression “A San Andrés de Teixido vai de morto quen non foi de vivo” (To San Andrés goes live who didn’t go dead).

The transition from the Celtic tradition to Christianity did not subtract mysticism from the place and even gave rise to more mythical tales. One of them tells that the place is dedicated to San Andrés because the saint himself stepped on those lands. According to this legend, the saint arrived in a ship that was shipwrecked and his remains became a rock, known as the Barca de San Andrés (Saint Andrew’s boat) for its resemblance to an inverted hull. Another one of these stories places Jesus Christ and Saint Peter in Teixido and tells that the first ordered Saint Andrew to remain in the place assuring him that he would never miss the visits of people arriving from many other places.

Today, the current sanctuary, which began to be built in the fourteenth century and received several subsequent reforms, is indeed the goal of a multitude of people who come there to demonstrate their fervor, to continue the tradition, to enjoy a enthralling landscape and, also, not to have to return in the next life.