Fish-man of Liérganes Sightings

Fishermen working the Bay of Cádiz hauled up a pale humanoid creature entangled in their nets, fighting to escape. It was described as white-skinned with reddish hair, a ridge of rough scales running from throat to spine, and near-silent except for occasional monosyllables. After days aboard the vessel the creature eventually spoke the word 'Liérganes,' which a northern Spanish sailor recognised as a village in Cantabria. The creature was transported overland and identified by residents of Liérganes as Francisco de la Vega Casar, missing since 1674.

Source: Benito Jerónimo Feijoo, 'Teatro Crítico Universal' (1742); https://www.amusingplanet.com/2023/03/the-fishman-of-lierganes.html

Francisco de la Vega Casar, a young carpenter from Liérganes, disappeared on Saint John's Day Eve 1674 while swimming in Bilbao's estuary with friends. He was carried away by currents and presumed drowned. Five years later in 1679, fishermen in the Bay of Cádiz hauled up a strange humanoid creature in their nets — pale, red-haired, with scaly skin and near-mute. The creature eventually spoke the word 'Liérganes,' was returned to Cantabria, and recognised by his mother. He lived quietly for years before vanishing again into the sea.

Source: Benito Jerónimo Feijoo, 'Teatro Crítico Universal' (1742); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish-man