History and Myth In Sicily

History and Myth

In Sicily

Sicily is a fantastic land, in which dream and reality became one and everything seems possible.

Mito: from the Greek Myth, means a story with an hide philosophical truth. It's used to teach, like a parable.

Legend: it's a story derived from an historical event really happened. In the oral tradition the history absorbed imaginary particulars that transformed it.

Colapesce Legend

Colapesce is the most loved and known sicilian legends in the world. Many american and european poets had written story based on its. Colapesce is from Messina. He is son of a fishing man and he spent his days swimming in the sea. One day his mother tired for his behaviour throw him a spell. So Cola became half man and half fish and never came back to the land. One day Sicily King, listened his story, wanted to meet him. He went near Messina, where Colapesce lived, and throw in the waves a golden cup. Cola took it from the submarine abyss and told the king what marvellous things he had seen. The king throw in the sea his crown and Cola took it and told that he has seen Sicily surrepted from three columns. One was deleted, the other was in bad condition, just one was good. He also told that in the abyss there was a magical fire. The king didn't believe him and throw, for the third time, his golden ring in sea. Cola, altough exausted, dived again, but he told the king if he had seen legumis went back afloat, meant he had remained in bottom to the sea. After some hours the ring went back, but it was burnt. After a few time also the legumis went back, and they had burned too. Cola had remained in the bottom to the sea, maybe to support the last column. Its sacrifice saved Sicily, and that's why Sicilian people love him so much.