Myths and legends of Sicily

One of the island's most iconic tales, the legend of Colapesce symbolises the deep love of Sicilians for their land. In Messina, it is said that the extraordinarily talented young fisherman was put to the test by Frederick II and ended up sacrificing himself for the salvation of the island. Still today, it is said that Colapesce supports one of the three pillars on which Sicily rests, preventing it from sinking into the sea. Also in the Strait of Messina, legends abound about Scylla and Charybdis, sea monsters that prey on sailors and rip them apart, and the famous Fata Morgana, an optical mirage that even captivated the Normans and inspired legendary tales.

Majestic and active, Mount Etna is the subject of numerous myths. The Greeks imagined it as the home of Hephaestus, god of fire and blacksmith of the gods, who forged weapons in his underground forge. It was also believed that beneath the volcano lay the entrance to Tartarus, the realm of the dead. An Anglo-Norman legend relates that King Arthur, in Sicily on a spiritual mission, turned to the Archangel Michael, who reforged Excalibur with lava from Mount Etna. The volcano thus becomes a bridge between classical myth and chivalric legend.

Many scholars recognise Sicily as the location of several episodes in the Odyssey. The episode involving Ulysses and Polyphemus is said to have taken place on the slopes of Mount Etna, near Acitrezza, where the Faraglioni, the Cyclops' sea stacks, are identified as the boulders thrown by the blinded giant. A few kilometres away, the place names Acireale, Acicastello and Acitrezza tell the poignant myth of Aci and Galatea, a shepherd and a nymph separated by the jealousy of Polyphemus. Acis was transformed into a river and still flows to the sea today.

In the heart of Syracuse, Fonte Aretusa is dedicated to the nymph who was transformed into a spring by Diana so she could escape from Alpheus. The spring can still be seen on the island of Ortigia, a sacred mythological place. Legend has it that Ulysses and Aeneas sailed the waters at the southernmost tip of the island, between Capo Passero and Isola delle Correnti, thus making these places guardians of epic landings, where myth and geography converge.

In the heart of the hinterland, Lake Pergusa near Enna is linked to the myth of the abduction of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, who was kidnapped by Hades and became a symbol of seasonal change. Popular folklore also includes references to the Truvature, hidden treasures protected by spells and linked to the figure of Giufà, the subject of many Sicilian tales. Finally, according to Greek mythology, the Aeolian Islands were the home of Aeolus, god of the winds, while the Nebrodi Mountains were the site of the rites of the Bacchantes in honour of Dionysus, god of wine and nature.