Galego Donalbai*PT

Date of birth: 25/06/2025

Sex: Male

Colour: Black Smoke with White

EMS: NFO ns 09 

Before the arrival of the Romans, the region of Galicia was inhabited by various Celtic tribes. The pre-Roman languages mixed with Vulgar Latin to give rise to Galician.

From the Middle Ages onwards, Galician became the language of troubadour poetry on the Iberian Peninsula. Medieval poets such as Martín Códax wrote in Galician, creating works that are now considered to be among the pillars of European literature.

However, at the end of the medieval period (14th–15th centuries), the most glorious era of Galician literature, the language and literature entered a period of decline. This was due to the settlement of a foreign nobility in our country who were intransigent with the culture and language of Galicia. This seriously consolidated the process of de-Galicianisation in the upper classes of society and prevented Galician from consolidating as a literary language.

To make matters worse, Castilian writers (mostly from Madrid) were the first to mock, disparage and ridicule not only Galicians, but also the Galician language and Galicia itself.

During the long period of three centuries — the 16th, 17th and 18th — known as the Dark Ages, the Galician language was absent from written usage. However, it remained the primary means of communication for nearly the entire population and the vein of popular lyricism survived in the form of lullabies, blind men's songs, riddles, legends, romances, stories, farces, etc. Thus, in the 18th century, the voices of the so-called ‘enlightened ones’ arose, defending the use of Galician and its standardisation as the language of the Galician people, as well as defending Galicia as a separate and distinct entity , with major projects to defend the Galician people. This led to the emergence of the Rexurdimento in the 19th century: a cultural movement that promoted the recovery and promotion of Galician as a literary language and identity.

Towards the end of the 20th century, the revival of Galician as a historical, cultural and literary language was confirmed when it achieved official status alongside Castilian Spanish. It remains a living language, spoken not only in Galicia, but also in neighbouring regions such as Asturias, León, Zamora, and some parts of Extremadura. Furthermore, due to Galician emigration, particularly in the last century, there are communities of Galician speakers in several places outside Spain: Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico and Germany, to name a few. It can also be studied at various universities around the world.