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Essential destination for those who visit Sicily, Etna is commonly called the “good volcano”, despite being one of the most active in Europe. Emblem of the island, it rises to a good 3,357m above the city of Catania, which over the centuries fell and was reborn several times on its slopes. Famous for its intense but “slow” activity, which gives time, in the most desperate cases, to escape, the volcano offers to those who visit it diversified landscapes, with different climates from season to season.
The “Mongibello” has been, for a long time, a destination for travelers and scholars, curious to discover its secrets. Just think of De Aetna, the famous treatise by Pietro Bembo, who in the 15th century was among the first to attempt to give an explanation of the functioning of the volcano to those who could not reach Sicily, an unattainable destination at the time.
Thanks to this sensation of greatness and danger that has always distinguished Etna, over the years many legends have been created, sometimes spread by those who came to visit the towns on the slopes of the majestic volcano. Many are related to Greek mythology, culturally closer to Sicily, but, incredibly, there are some legends in which the rulers of distant England are the protagonists.
Etna, prison of giants and forge of a Greek god
The first legends related to Etna come from Greek mythology: they tried to explain the reason for the violent eruptions of the volcano. The first and most famous is linked to the figure of Hephaestus, blacksmith of the Greek gods: his forge, in fact, would be found in the depths of the volcano. Even the cyclops would dwell in the “Mongibello”: like Hephaestus, they would be engaged in their work of forging powerful weapons such as Zeus’ lightning bolt, protagonist of epic battles.
But, according to other legends, Etna would not be a forge, but a prison: according to some sources, it would host Enceladus, a colossal monster who participated in the epic battle between gods and giants. Defeated by Athena, he was imprisoned under Sicily: the lava flows would be his breath, the tectonic movements of the Sicilian fault lines his spasms of anger and pain.
Similar are the stories for another enemy of the Greek gods: Typhon, who according to other testimonies would lie under the volcano, unleashing its violent eruptions. Empedocles, a Siceliot philosopher, would have died by diving into the “jaws” of the volcano, which would have regurgitated its “bronze fins” giving the world proof of his mortality. Last, but not least, is Tartarus, the world of the dead according to Greek mythology: legends tell that this dark, dead-end world is located right below the volcano.
The place of rest and damnation of the English rulers
Even England would be linked to the Sicilian volcano: many would be the rulers condemned to burn forever in the jaws of Etna for religious reasons. First of all, according to the legends told to travelers who, in the eighteenth century, passed through Nicolosi, Henry VIII: the soul of the “heretic” king who caused the great schism with the Catholic church would burn together with that of Anne Boleyn. Even the soul of their only daughter, Elizabeth I, would reside inside the volcano, due to a pact made with the devil, to save England from a moment of crisis.
But not all English rulers would be “damned”. Perhaps the most famous of all, King Arthur, would have chosen the place to spend his last days right on Etna. Furthermore, the legend of the Bishop’s horse would be linked to the famous king.
A cruel man, the Bishop was affectionate only towards his favorite animal, which one day he entrusted to a squire and two attendants. However, the horse ran wild and ran towards Etna: the attendants paid this accident with their life, but not the squire. He chose to run after the horse, only to see him throwing himself into the volcano.
Desperate, the squire feared for his life: it was then that King Arthur appeared to him, leading him to an almost magical place and announcing that the cruel reign of the Bishop would soon come to an end. King Arthur explained that the latter should have presented himself before the mythical king, claiming his horse; otherwise, within two weeks, he would have lost his life.
The cruel and arrogant Bishop, however, did not show up: having reached the end of the predicted time, he ordered the death of the squire: however, as soon as the order was given, he died instantly, and the English king’s prophecy came true.
These are just some of the legends about Etna, which are actually countless. Protagonist of the Sicilian collective imagination and beyond, the “good volcano” still continues today to surprise and make those who visit it fall in love: a place bearer of that magic that “seasons” all those famous legends which, even more, make Etna loved and feared, perpetually changing but eternal.
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