Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (Errementari)

Do you believe in Hell?

That place which priests talk about so much.

A dark, cruel abyss, where the souls of the condemned are sent.

A place inhabited by terrible demons who punish and torture the condemned.

Hell,

where all hope is lost upon entry.

Hell's subjects beguile sinners with ease,

tempting them with fulfilling their desires

in exchange for their mortal souls.

Few have escaped successfully from such a terrible pact.

This story, like many others,

begins with a man of flesh and blood.

A man who outwitted that fearful pact.

A man so evil, so cruel,

that even the Devil himself would fear him.

A blacksmith.

1835. 1ST CARLIST WAR. ARABA, BASQUE COUNTRY

Soldier. Come here.

Well?

Sir, it seems these old-fashioned

were trying to transport something to the north.

Sir. Look at this.

I bet Zumalacárregui will have trouble entering Bilbao without this.

That's enough, Father.

We don't have all day.

Firing squad!

Attention!

Get ready!

Take aim!

Fire!

Deliver this to the major. It's urgent.

Devil.

8 YEARS LATER

Look at these treasures.

Faustino, that's all rubbish.

Santi, your eyes are deceiving you.

Look at this. It's a relic.

Links from the chain that the legendary Teodosio de Goñi carried as penance

when he witnessed the death of the Dragon of Aralar

from the hands of St. Michael.

If you bite this,

it will ease your headache, Santi.

Only 30 reals.

Sell that to the priest. I'm sure he'll buy it.

Good morning.

Good morning, sir. What can I get you?

Nothing, thank you. Do you have a room free?

Yes, and with a very comfortable bed. Ten reals a night.

Very well.

I'll prepare it right away.

Won't you have something meanwhile?

I've got excellent Patxaran. The best in the region.

And the Txakoli is very good.

I don't drink, thank you.

May I ask what brings you to our town?

My name is Alfredo Ortiz.

I work for the provincial government. I'm investigating a matter.

An investigation? About what?

I'm looking for a smithy in this area.

There's only one smithy here and it's in ruins.

I need to talk to its proprietor, a certain Francisco.

Patxi? The blacksmith?

Don't even think of it! That man is mad.

He's an animal. And he's dangerous. He's so fierce they call him the Hammer.

The locals avoid that place. It just brings trouble.

I just need to go in there to carry out a search.

Is there something of value there?

I'm sorry, that's confidential.

Are you alone? Maybe we could help you.

I've come ahead to start work on the investigation.

The police will be here in a couple of days.

Look, it's bad enough that they raise our taxes.

We don't need more nonsense.

That smithy is a ruin.

You won't find anything of value in this area.

During the war, everything was melted down to make weapons,

from cooking pots to the church bell.

This is a poor town.

And that room?

Yes.

Benito!

Wipe the sleep from your eyes and take this gentleman to his room.

I'm coming.

And put a blanket over the still.

Come this way, sir.

By the way, how do I get to the smithy?

Take the path on the left when you reach the wash house.

Then follow the river through the forest. But be careful.

The Devil lives there.

GET OUT OF HERE

From what I hear, today a government official has come to our town.

Naive of me to think he would share our mass with us.

Here we have the contempt of the new government for the Church.

The Devil is among us, walking through our lands,

in the form of filthy liberal ideas

which draw good people away from the word of the Lord.

It's been three years since the war ended.

Three years during which those avaricious bourgeois fornicators

have ruled the country.

- What's that? - Nothing.

Give me that.

They have even moved our borders,

and now traders can cross to the sea, without any control,

without paying duties.

They have torn our customs,

our laws from us.

What will be next?

Let's pray.

- Let us pray to Our Lord Jesus Christ. - We pray to you, Our Lord.

Benito, do you know where Usue is?

How should I know? She must be around.

But you're always following after her.

What the hell do you mean?

Mind your manners.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, where has the child gone to?

Let us proceed to the Eucharist. Let us drink the blood of the Lord.

For God's sake, Blanca. Where did you put the mass wine?

There.

I don't like it.

Don't be cheeky, Matilde. Behave like a young lady.

If your mother was alive, she'd slap you.

Are you crying again?

Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Come now, I didn't mean that.

Here, a present.

It was your mother's, you know?

And you, Mr. Napoleon, console your wife, for God's sake.

Let us drink the blood of the Lord.

That's disgusting.

Hello. You've come.

You got our invitation.

Sit with us.

Let us continue with the mass.

Yes! Right on its head.

What did you do, you brute?

Shut up, shitface. I saved your life. It was going to bite you.

No, idiot! It was my friend!

You're the idiot. You're in trouble for missing Mass.

I don't care about going to Mass. That's for idiots like you.

Then you'll go to Hell, like your mother.

What? Are you going to cry?

The hanged woman is burning!

Shut up!

Matilde!

Please, Usue, help me.

No! No!

Take your doll.

- Hold your head back. - I know that.

Why are you stopping?

It's the mad blacksmith.

They say he kidnaps children,

slits them open and sucks out their guts.

My grandfather said that he killed his wife.

He's scary.

Well, he doesn't scare me. He looks like a beggar.

Not so loud.

- I bet I can hit him. - Benito, Benito, no.

The cock crowing at this time is a bad omen.

Benito! Come here.

What happened to your nose?

We were playing near the smithy and Us...

and I slipped.

Lord knows what you were doing.

Why were you there, anyway?

I've told you to stay away from that place.

- I went looking for Usue. - And where is she?

I don't know. She stayed there.

- What'll I do with that girl? - Did you lose her?

Why do I have to look after that runt?

Watch your mouth.

There she is.

Usue. Come here.

Do you think this is normal? To disappear and not come to Mass?

Is that blood?

The Mass wine... Did you take it?

You shameless pup. I'll show you--

Don Mateo. Leave her to me.

Child, you'll end up in Hell.

I don't care! Hell is a lie!

Usue, that's enough.

Leave me alone! You're not my mother! My mother is dead!

You should be harder on her.

Remember she's your responsibility, not mine.

- Santi. - What?

- Why aren't you behind the bar? - Just a minute, dear.

Just a minute?

It's a letter from the war... "Carlist load, a chest full of gold."

Gold?

Could that be what the dandy's looking for?

The treasure of Zumalacárregui.

A treasure? Here in the town?

Excuse me, but I think that's mine.

Look, my son is a blockhead. He took it out of curiosity.

I should report this.

Don't do that. What about...

if I let you have the room at half price?

No charge. You're our guest. What do you say?

What about if you help me get into the smithy today

and we'll forget everything?

Today? I don't know. Maybe later.