No hay que creer que existen, no se debe decir que no existen
Legado en los huesos“No hay que creer que existen, no se debe decir que no existen” is an old formula that holds belief and denial in uneasy balance. Amaia completes it during a tarot reading after Engrasi, alarmed, covers her mouth and urges her to stop; the phrase turns a private exchange into an encounter with a saying recited for centuries in the Baztán Valley.
The Formula
The saying’s two clauses impose a precise restraint: one should not believe that the beings exist, but one should not say that they do not exist either. It offers no resolution about whether they are real. Instead, it marks a boundary around what can safely be affirmed, leaving the question open.
Its Use in the Scene
Amaia has just dismissed the cards and the curse she associates with her dreams. Engrasi responds by covering her mouth with both hands and warning her not to continue. Amaia nevertheless completes the familiar words, which she identifies as an ancient formula recited by people in the Baztán Valley for hundreds of years. After a few seconds of silence, Engrasi looks at the scattered cards and insists that their reading is not over. The interruption thus does not close the encounter: the saying’s warning and the unfinished divination remain in tension.
