The mistery fourth Wise man

Est.reading time: 3 min

A tale of oceanic and city exploration 

(January 6th, Three King's day)

​Initially, the number of Wise Men in the tale was not very accurate. The Bible's Gospel of Matthew doesn't actually specify a number. Still, by the time the legend of the Wise Men became consistent, around the 6th century, the world known to Christians was tidy and conveniently divided into three parts: Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

The narrative had gradually evolved to include one Wise Man from each continent. This wasn't about prejudice; it was about geography. Each Wise Man, or "King," had been punctual enough to reach Bethlehem on time, each bearing his own gift: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, arriving on camels.

3 Kings. Balanced. Symbolic. Done.

Everyone agreed the world had been thoroughly covered. After all, what else could possibly exist beyond the edges of maps, where they politely warned 'Here be Dragons'!!?

Who is the 4th mystery character and where in Porto can we find clues about his origin?

Centuries later, explorers ignored the dragons and kept sailing.

When Columbus (1492) and Pedro Álvares Cabral (1500) reached the American continent, it caused several administrative problems. New animals. New plants. New people. And, awkwardly, a new continent meant a "missing king" in the aforementioned tale...

Much like in Alexandre Dumas' classic The Three Musketeers—where Athos, Porthos, and Aramis dominated the scene until d’Artagnan appeared— here too, a fourth character showed up to disrupt the count. 

Somewhere in the New World, one can imagine a fourth Wise Man had been waiting patiently—star overhead, gift in hand—wondering why no one had sent him directions.

Also, this Fourth King clearly couldn't possibly look like any of the others. No velvet, no camel - a horse, perhaps! He would need to have the face of an indigenous South American.

The 'truth' is he made it to Europe. Or at least to modern-day Porto.

A real photo in black and white of our very own horse-riding fourth king, taken right here in Porto.

Where, in Porto, can you meet the wise American man?

Today, if you set off to explore Porto and enter the right church in the city, you may find him there, standing in a presépio (nativity scene). He is surrounded by baroque woodwork dripping in gold—gold that arrived from Brazil aboard Portuguese ships, turned into altars, angels, and Baroque excess. 

The irony: the wealth of the New World framing the silent presence of the man who represents the continent...

(The full nativity scene inside the Baroque church 'igreja das Taipas', in Porto - located here)

Now for another question: what was the gift brought by the 4th King?

Gold was taken. Frankincense and myrrh were already accounted for. Perhaps he brought cacao, maize (corn), or potatoes—the true gifts that would later save Europe from starvation and culinary boredom. 

 Perhaps he even brought the crown-shaped cake that the Portuguese love so much and use to celebrate Three Kings' Day (Dia de Reis). After all, what better gift could we ask for? ( And what’s the point of running if not to be able to eat more cake?)

The Portuguese 'Bolo Rei'. Photo credits: comoemcasa

Those are all valid questions, but none bring us closer to what actually happened (regarding the cake). 

Our beloved Bolo Rei (King Cake) is actually a fancy French immigrant, inspired by a recipe for Gâteau des Rois and brought to Lisbon in the 1860s. That colorful dough is a literal edible metaphor: the dough represents gold, the fruit stands for myrrh, and the aroma symbolizes frankincense—all wrapped in a crown shape, sometimes with a hint of Port wine.

A side note: a fun plot twist happened in 1910 when the newly established Republic regime almost "exiled" the cake for being "too royalist." To save their businesses, bakers scrambled to rename it "National Cake" or "Christmas Cake," proving that in Portugal, politics may change the government, but they will never defeat a sugar-loaded classic.

The symbolism

If you ask us Portuguese, the fourth Wise Man may well have come empty-handed, but he brought the idea that the world is bigger than we imagine. He represents the human ability to keep going even when the route is unclear, the map incomplete, and everyone else insists the earth is flat or that fierce sea monsters lurk beyond every cape.

Next time you’re running through Porto, past churches layered in gold and history, remember: some rulers arrive late, and some continents took time to be revealed... but the best stories are the ones you only discover once you’re already in motion.

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