The tragedy of The Lovers of Teruel

Have you ever heard about the story of "The Lovers of Teruel"? And the saying of  "silly her, silly him"??

Do not?? It is very popular in Spain....we will tell you the story....

Isabel Segura and Diego Marcilla grew up in the Spanish city of Teruel (near Valencia) at the beginning of the 13th Century. They were both from noble families and they were in love. 

Isabel's family were very wealthy and didn't want her to marry Diego because his family although nobles were not rich. So the young Diego pledged that he within five years would return a rich man and marry his beloved Isabel.

Unfortunately Isabel's family did not wait and began to organise her marriage to a rich nobleman. After the five years Diego returned to Teruel. However, he heard about Isabel's wedding. So when he arrived in Teruel, he climbed to the balcony of the house where the two newly-weds were sleeping. Isabel awoke and told Diego what had happened. 

Diego said her: “kiss me or I will die” but she refused becasuse she was married now. Suddenly Diego died of a mixture of remorse and exhaustion. 

The young woman began to think about how much Diego had loved her and all he had done for her and that he had died because she would not kiss him. She decided to go to the funeral and kiss him before he was buried so she went to the San Pedro Church to find him. When Isabel bent down to kiss her dead sweetheart on the lips, she fell still and it was evident that she too had died of a broken heart. After that, the families decided to bury them together in the same grave. 

The history of the Teruel Lovers has been a source of inspiration for all the arts: 

• In literature: "Comedia de los Amantes" by Tirso de Molina, the play "Los Amantes de Teruel"  by Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch, which provided the basis for the libretto used by Tomás Bretón to compose his opera about the Lovers. 
• In terms of painting, Los Amantes de Teruel by the Valencian artist Muñoz Degraín (Picasso’s teacher) is especially important. 

Muñoz Degrain

"The new Love" of Jorge Gay

• In sculpture, the Mausoleum of the Lovers by Juan de Ávalos is of particular note. In 1555 Lovers mummies were discovered in a chapel within San Pedro Church and they were there for a long time where people could see them. After that, they were hidden in other side. In 1956 the mummies were rediscovered.

• There is a special festivity in Teruel that commemorates the tragic love of Isabel and Diego. Since 1997, people celebrate one of the most important festivities in Teruel, it is called "The marriages of Isabel de Segura". This has become in a tradiction in Teruel, where a lot of people relive the medieval atmosphere of the 13th Century. They participate in the acts celebrated on the streets, such as medieval market, theathers, music, dance...especially the story of "The lovers of teruel" that is played by all the citizens in the days in which  the celebration is.

• In addition to this, this legend is honored in other arts like music. There is a rock version of Dark Moor band.

In Spain there is a saying relationated with the lovers of Teruel, it is "her silly, silly him".

Why do we use this expression?

Nowadays it is used ironically because of excess of affection and love between two persons that had just met. In the legend, both characters behave in an illogical way due to their passionate love.

The tragic story of the lovers is similar to others stories like "Romeo and Juliet". So this kind of love had a lot of repercussion in the society and some writers. However in the 20th Century it was replaced by material love.