In Sicilian folklore the donni di fora are women with supernatural powers. The name comes from the Spanish donas de fuera (from the time when Sicily was a Spanish territory) and means “Ladies from the Outside”. Other names used to call them are belli signuri (beautiful ladies), donni di notti (women of the night), donnuzze di locu (local little women), or patruni di casa (ladies of the house).
Tradition says, these women are incredibly beautiful, tidy, dedicated to the care of their family, and with a strong sense of justice. Three days per week (on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), at night, they would detach themselves from their physical body. In the form of spirits, they would gather in councils in the island of Ventotene to deliberate about hexes, spells, and even household management, or they would visit the spirits from the afterlife to get advices and answers. Before falling asleep they’d warn their husbands to not waken them or touch their (momentary) soulless body. If sunrise came before these women went back to their houses, they would be punished and spend the next day in the body of a toad until night. Hence, the tradition to avoid harming toads, in the fear of being punished if the animals were in fact disguised women.
In Palermo, in the little plaza called Piazzetta Sette Fate (Courtyard of the Seven Fairies), in the district of Ballarò, stands a tower that popular traditions regard as the place where the donni di fora would take those women and men they’d kidnap during the night. There they all would dance, feast, and enjoy themselves until dawn, when the magical women would bring them back to their houses. When waking up, these people would feel at peace, like they just had a beautiful dream.
Also according to the folklore, the Sicilian donni di fora were in all 33, and 7 of them lived in Palermo. Their leader and queen was called Grande Madre (Great Mother), but also Mamma Maggiore (Great Mum), Fata Maggiore (Great Fairy), Savia Sibilla (Wise Sibyl) and lived in Messina. About the identity of this queen, there are many versions, according to some she was nothing less than Morgan le Fay (who, according to some tradition, lived in Messina), for others the Queen of Sheba or the Sibyl. Last but not least, for some the true leader of the donni di fora would be the Devil. But the evil connotation of the donni di fora isn’t really common.
To become one of them, the selected woman would be stripped, put to lie on her bed and thanks to certain potions, would sleep for 24 hours. While sleeping the other donni would appear in her dreams and give her directions as of how complete the transformation. The candidate had to give to the Grande Madre a lock of her hair, which would be stored in a magical book. Upon waking, she would ascertain her new powers.
On the other hand, to attract one of these magical women and receive her blessing, one should thoroughly tidy up their house, and burn incense, laurel and rosemary before midnight, while pronouncing this magic formula “Ti salutu re di lu Suli. Ti salutu re di la Luna. Ti salutu stidda ‘ndiana. Beni aspettu ‘ntra sìmana” (“I salute you king of the Sun. I salute you king of the Moon. I salute you Indian star. I expect good things within the week”). Attracted to the smell coming from the house, the donna would get in there, passing through the keyhole or the peephole. They won’t let anybody see them, but their presence would be felt thanks to creackings and a certain scent. If pleased by the tidiness of the residence and the gifts left for her, she would bestow her blessing on the house and its inhabitants, granting them health and luck. It seems plausible that the donni di fora, similar to the spirits of the house, derive from the mythological figures of the Roman Lares or Penates.
theartofmadeline
gummygunk
jimmyeatworldofficial
