Etruscan Roman Remains in Popular Tradition CONTENTS
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Etruscan Roman Remains in Popular Tradition by Charles Godfrey Leland New York, C. Scribner's sons, and London, T. F. Unwin [1892] Frontispiece: TURAN, OR VENUS (From Gerhard, who gives it as one of the Dämonen der Aphrodite, Probably an error--Charles G. Leland) p. iii CONTENTS PART FIRST GODS AND GOBLINS INTRODUCTION 1 CHAP. I. TINIA--TÉRAMÓ--BUSCHET--IMPUSA DELLA MORTE--SIERO--NORCIA, THE GODDESS 18 OF TRUFFLES--APLU--TURANNA--PANO II. MASO--MANIA DELLA NOTTE 49 III. FERONIA--SILVIANO--PALÓ--ESTA--CARMENTA--IL SENTIERO 54 IV. FAFLON--LO SPIRITO DELLA 65 CONTENTEZZA---CORREDOIO--ORCO--TESANA---SPULVIERO--URFIA V. LARES, LASA, AND LASSI--LOSNA-- 80 LARONDA--LEMURI--TAGO--FANIO--QUERCIOLA--SETHANO VI. CARRADORA--VIRA--BERGOIA--BUGHIN--GANZIO--ALPENA 107 file:///I|/mythology/witchcraft/5/5.html (1 of 218) [02/05/2004 8:37:11 AM] VII. TITUNO--ALBINA--VERBIO--DUSIO--REMLE--JANO, MEANA, MONTULGA, 122 TALENA--PICO VIII. FLORIA--RA--BOVO--ATTILIO--LA BELLA MARTA--DIANA AND HERODIAS--OFFERINGS 136 TO SPIRITS IX. IL SPIRITO DEL SCALDINO--ARTEMISIA--RED CAP--OF SORCERY IN ANCIENT 159 ART--THE GODDESS OF THE FOUR WINDS, L'ERBA ROSOLACCIO--MADONNA DEL FUOCO--LA CAVALLETTA X. CUPRA---WALNUT WITCHES--WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT--ZANCHI--HAIL AND 182 CLOUD MEN--STORIES OF WITCHES AND GOBLINS--WIZARD SAINTS p. vi PART SECOND INCANTATIONS, DIVINATION, MEDICINE, AND AMULETS CHAP. PAGE I. LA STALLA DI MAIALE--THE SPELL OF THE IVY AND THE STATUE--THE SPELL OF 251 THE HARE--THE SPELL OF THE SPIDER--THE SPELL OF THE GREEN LIZARD II. BIRDS AND TREASURES--THE SPELL OF THE FALLING STAR--THE SPELL OF THE 270 ACORNS--THE SPELL OF THE SWALLOW--MINOR CURES FROM MARCELLUS--THE THREE WISE MEN OF THE EAST AND THE WITCH--MEDALS III. THE EXORCISM OF DEATH--THE SPELL OF THE CRADLE--DIVINATION WITH 303 LEAD--DIVINATION BY OIL--PYROMANCY AND INCENSE--THE SPELL OF THE LAMP IV. EVIL INCANTATIONS--THE SPELL OF THE HOLY STONE AND THE SALAGRANA--THE 326 SPELL OF THE SHELL AND THE TONE OF THE STONE--THE SPELL OF THE SNAIL--IL CANTO DEL GALLO--DIVINATION WITH ASHES V. THE AMETHYST--THE SPELL OF THE BLACK HEN--THE SPELL OF THE BELL--THE 349 SPELL OF THE BOILING CLOTHES--RING SORCERY--AMULETS, OMENS, AND SMALL SORCERIES--LEAD AND ANTIMONY INDEX 377 p. vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TURAN, OR VENUS (From Gerhard, who gives it as one of the Dämonen der Aphrodite Probably an error Frontispiece -CHARLES G. LELAND) PAGE TURMS, OR MERCURY (Initial T) 1 TINIA, JUPITER (Initial I) 18 file:///I|/mythology/witchcraft/5/5.html (2 of 218) [02/05/2004 8:37:11 AM] APLU (APOLLO), TINIA, AND TÉRAMÓ (JUPITER AND MERCURY) 20 TÉRAMÓ (TURUS; MERCURY) 24 NORTIA (Initial T) 34 NORTIA (Full-page, restored) 35 APLU (APOLLO) AND ARTEMISIA 39 PAN, PANO (From Gori) 46 LASA (Headpiece) 49 MARS, MASO (Initial O) 49 MARS, WINGED (Gerhard) 50 MARS (Full-page, after a bronze) 52 EVIL SPIRIT (Etruscan ) (Tailpiece) 53 DIANA AND VIRBIUS (Headpiece) 54 FERONIA (Initial T) 54 SILVANUS AND NYMPH 59 HOUSE GOBLIN, OR ETRUSCAN BROWNIE (Tailpiece) 64 HEADPIECE (From rude Etruscan vase) 65 FUFLUNS (BACCHUS) (Initial T) 65 FUFLUNS, BACCHUS, APOLLO, AND SEMELE 66 ETRUSCAN ORNAMENT (From Dennis) (Tailpiece) 71 CORREDOIO (Initial I) 72 THESAN (TESANA), LALAE, LINTHUN, MEMRUN (MEMNON) 76 CUPIDS (Headpiece) 80 LASA (Initial B) 80 LASA, OR GUARDIAN SPIRIT 81 LASA OR FAIRY, AND FAUNUS 85 TINIA AND LASA 88 LOSNA (From a Mirror) 92 p. viii PAGE TAGO, TAGES 96, 97 file:///I|/mythology/witchcraft/5/5.html (3 of 218) [02/05/2004 8:37:11 AM] ETRUSCAN RURAL DEITIES (From Gerhard) 99 FAUN (From a Patera) 102 SETHLANS (VULCAN) AND THE TROJAN HORSE 105 ROMAN MASK (in British Museum) AND CUPIDS (Tailpiece) 106 CARRADORA (Initial C) 107 BEGOE BYGOE. (Gori) 115 ALPAN (Corssen) 120 ETRUSCAN VASE (Tailpiece) 121 HEADPIECE (C. G. L.) 122 MUNTHUCHA (Corssen) 133 BELLARIA 134 LEMURES (Headpiece) 136 FLORIA (Initial T) 136 HEADPIECE (C. G. L.) 159 IL SPIRITO DEL SCALDINO (Initial D) (C. G. L.) 159 RED-CAP ON A ROMAN LAMP 164 HEADPIECE 182 CUPRA (Initial O) 182 DUSIO (Vignette ) (C. G. L.) 248 HEADPIECE (C. G. L.) 251 INITIAL W 251 ATTITUDE FOR DREAMING 253 FAUN, OR FAFLON (BACCHUS) (Tailpiece) 269 HEADPIECE 270 WOODPECKER AND MONEY (Initial I) 270 LOSNA (From Bronze Votive Offerings) 285 HEADPIECE (From Vase, Museum of Florence) 303 INITIAL T (C. G. L.) 303 HEADPIECE AND INITIAL T (C. G. L.) 326 DANCING GIRL AND BOY (Tailpiece) 348 file:///I|/mythology/witchcraft/5/5.html (4 of 218) [02/05/2004 8:37:11 AM] INITIAL I (C. G. L.) 349 I. ETRUSCAN BRONZE BELL, FROM CHIUSI, WORN AS AN AMULET (In possession of the writer) 357 2, OLD ROMAN MAGIC BELL LETTERED CYLINDER 362 ROMAN SLING-STONE 373 BOY AND LANTERN (Vignette) 375 BRONZE ETRUSCAN AMULET AGAINST THE EVIL EYE (In possession of the Author) 376 p. 1 INTRODUCTION THERE is in Northern Italy a mountain district known as La Romagna Toscana, the inhabitants of which speak a rude form of the Bolognese dialect. These Romagnoli are manifestly a very ancient race, and appear to have preserved traditions p. 2 and observances little changed from an incredibly early time. It has been a question of late years whether the Bolognese are of Etrurian origin, and it seems to have been generally decided that they are not. With this I have nothing whatever to do. They were probably there before the Etruscans. But the latter at one time held all Italy, and it is very likely that they left in remote districts those traces of their culture to which this book refers. The name Romagna is applied to their district because it once formed part of the Papal or Roman dominion, and it is not to be confounded with La Romagna proper. Roughly speaking, the region to which I refer may be described as lying between Forli and Ravenna. Among these people, stregeria, or witchcraft--or, as I have heard it called, "la vecchia religione" (or "the old religion")--exists to a degree which would even astonish many Italians. This stregeria, or old religion, is something more than a sorcery, and something less than a faith. It consists in remains of a mythology of spirits, the principal of whom preserve the names and attributes of the old Etruscan gods, such as Tinia, or Jupiter, Faflon, or Bacchus, and Teramo (in Etruscan Turms), or Mercury. With these there still exist, in a few memories, the most ancient Roman rural deities, such as Silvanus, Palus, Pan, and the Fauns. To all of these invocations or prayers in rude metrical form are still addressed, or are at least preserved, and there are many stories current regarding them. All of these names, with their attributes, descriptions of spirits or gods, invocations and legends, will be found in this work. Closely allied to the belief in these old deities, is a vast mass of curious tradition, such as that there is a spirit of every element or thing file:///I|/mythology/witchcraft/5/5.html (5 of 218) [02/05/2004 8:37:11 AM] created, as for instance of every plant and mineral, and a guardian or leading spirit of all animals; or, as in the case of silkworms, two--one good and one evil. Also that sorcerers and witches are sometimes born again in their descendants; that all kinds of goblins, brownies, red-caps and three-inch mannikins, haunt forests, rocks, ruined towers, firesides and kitchens, or cellars, where they alternately madden or delight the maids--in short, all of that quaint company of familiar spirits which are boldly claimed as being of Northern birth by German archæologists, but which investigation indicates to have been thoroughly at home in Italy while Rome was as yet young, or, it may be, unbuilt. Whether this "lore" be Teutonic or Italian, or due to a common Aryan or Asian origin, or whether, as the new school teaches, it "growed" of itself, like Topsy, spontaneously and sporadically everywhere, I will not pretend to determine; suffice to say that I shall be satisfied should my collection prove to be of any value to those who take it on themselves to settle the higher question. Connected in turn with these beliefs in folletti, or minor spirits, and their p. 3 attendant observances and traditions, are vast numbers of magical cures with appropriate incantations, spells, and ceremonies, to attract love, to remove all evil influences or bring certain things to pass; to win in gaming, to evoke spirits, to insure good crops or a traveller's happy return, and to effect divination or deviltry in many curious ways--all being ancient, as shown by allusions in classical writers to whom these spells were known. And I believe that in some cases what I have gathered and given will possibly be found to supply much that is missing in earlier authors--sit verbo venia. Many peasants in the Romagna Toscana are familiar with scores of these spells, but the skilled repetition and execution of them is in the hands of certain cryptic witches, and a few obscure wizards who belong to mystic families, in which the occult art is preserved from generation to generation, under jealous fear of priests, cultured people, and all powers that be, just as gypsies and tramps deeply distrust everything that is not "on the road," or all "honest folk," so that it is no exaggeration to declare that "travellers" have no confidence or faith in the truth of any man, until they have caught him telling a few lies.