Lara, Infantes de (princes of Lara) (10th century) In Spanish history and legend, seven brothers who were killed by their uncle Ruy Valásquez in 986. The murder was arranged by Doña Lambra, Ruy’s wife; she had the Moors perform the deed. The father of the boys, Gonzalo Gustos, was then invited to the hall of King Almanzor, the Moorish leader, to view his seven dead sons. The Spanish ballad The Seven Heads relates how the father, seeing the horrible sight, attacks Almanzor and his men and kills 13 of them before being killed himself. Another Spanish ballad, The Vengeance of Mudara, tells how Mudara, the son of Gonzalez, the youngest of the seven brothers, avenges the death of his father by slaying Ruy Valásquez and having Doña Lambra stoned to death. Juan de la Cueva’s play Tragedia de los Infantes de Lara and Angel de Saavedra’s El Moro Exposito (the Moor in danger) deal with the legend.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow
– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante