Calle del Yelmo
Bears the name of the piece of armor that covered a medieval warrior’s head, with no record of why it was chosen for this street.
A helm is the piece of armor that protected a warrior’s head and face. It began as a cavalry helmet, gained a nasal guard, then a hinged visor and a crest to deflect sword blows. Covered in iron from crown to nape, it served as both defense and badge of rank: the crowned helm set the noble apart from the common soldier.
The word carries one of the most memorable scenes in the language. In Don Quixote, the knight mistakes a barber’s brass basin for the legendary helm of Mambrino, an enchanted helmet that made its wearer invulnerable. He attacks, seizes the trophy and jams it on his head, searching in vain for the visor. The basin went down in history as the “basin-helm.”
The Calle del Yelmo is a short street in Ciudad Jardín, Chamartín. No record survives of why the street registry chose this name, beyond its literal meaning.