Tales

With affection and nostalgia, our grandparents tell us about the past, the great joys that come from small and simple gestures, the days spent working in the fields and beliefs that have accompanied their childhood. In winter they all gathered around the "allu cantune" (ancient fireplace), telling stories and anecdotes, "cunti" (tales) and "culacchi" (curiosity, often concerning Pope Galeazzo), sometimes just the result of their fantasies, all handed down to the present day. A figure of these stories is the Scazzamurrieddhu (known throughout the region under various names: Laurieddhri, Carcaluri, Mininceddhri, Sciacuddhri and Rumpicuperchi). It is a small, pot-bellied but agile mischievous elf who only appears at night, disturbing the sleep of his poor victims in various ways, for example by jumping on their chest and pressing it to take away their breath. Then tormenting the peasants by braiding in an inextricable way the tails and manes of horses. The only way to subdue the elf to their will was to steal his hat for which he was even ready to give some coins. To conquer it, you had to give him a pair of shoes (he was dressed in a tobacco-coloured suit and barefoot), or put pebbles in your own slippers. He repaid by revealing the places where treasures were hidden. Finally, he used to ask a question to his victims: "Do you want shards or money?" to those who answered "money" he gave shards, and to those who answered "shards" he gave money.