The Nymphs’ Fountain (Font de les Nàiades) is located along the Tordera route, near the Illes campsite, between the village of Montseny and the source of the Tordera (Font Bona). But do you know the history of this fountain and where its name comes from? We will try to explain it to you in this short article.
Approximately 7 kilometers from the village of Montseny, following the Tourdera towards the source of the river, you will find a very characteristic fountain, the Nymphs’ Fountain. This section of the Tordera route is of great beauty and highly recommended, while also allowing you to discover points such as the Llavina bridge, Font Bona, or, among others, the Nymphs’ Fountain.
But first of all, what are nymphs (nàiades)? As explained very well on the website vallaltadelatordera.cat, the term naiad comes from Greek and refers to minor divinities of Greek mythology who inhabited the waters. In Catalonia, they are also known as “paitides”, “goges”, and “dones d’aigua” (water women). The myths and legends surrounding them are varied, but they always relate to women who eventually emerge from the aquatic environment to bring happiness and wealth to the farmer they marry. But also, inevitably, the legend ends with the man saying something he should not have said, and the fairy disappears forever (but never forgetting her children). They say that naiads can live for more than a thousand years, but they never age; in fact, pictorial tradition always represents them as young women of distinguished air, with long golden hair, and dressed in loose white tunics.
Well, the Nymphs’ Fountain in Montseny was formerly quite different from the current one; like many other fountains, the water flowed directly from the mountainside until it was remodeled. Specifically, it was the Sant Celoni Hiking Group, which annually participated in the Matagalls pilgrimage, that proposed fixing the fountain, which at that time was in very poor condition.
The remodeling of the fountain, as a most prominent element, was the creation of a triangular prism that emerges from a flat horizontal platform from the ground, crowned by a pyramidal stone. On each of the three sides of the prism, there is an iron spout where the water flows out. The reason for this characteristic water outlet is born from the water fairies (the naiads), who seem to emerge directly from the subsoil, instead of coming out of the mountainside.
Now that you know a little more about the history of this fountain, we encourage you to do the section of the Tourdera between Font Bona (Sant Marçal) and the village of Montseny. If you want more information, you can consult the section files, in either direction:
