Italian Folklore: The Tale of “La Fata Bema”
In the area of Montechiarugolo, just slightly southeast of Parma there is a folktale told today with full conviction of its truth. This is the tale of la Fata Bema, or the Faery Bema—the tragic story of a local witch.
It began at the Castle of Montechiarugolo, the likes of which changed hands a few times between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It eventually ended up in the possession of the Torelli family, the most notable exponent being a man named Pomponio—a prolific writer and poet. Thanks to him, the castle attracted many famous personalities over the years, particularly Pope Paul III and King Francis.
Pomponio was well loved by the people, especially for his parties. He loved to fill the villages with music and light. One fateful night in 1593 during such an event he attracted a group of strangers not entirely of the world; the lovely Fata Bema and her hulking companion Max.
They told fortunes throughout the village. During this time, Bema managed to make a pleasing impression. It was with reluctance that Pomponio watched them make their goodbyes. Max and Bema went on to travel the length of Italy—he as an acrobat (and presumably, a thief) and she as an infallible fortune teller; a woman with the power to see what others could not.
One day during the month May, Bema and Max returned to the area and set up a stage in the woods preferred by Ranuccio Farnese, Duke of Parma, who would often travel there to hunt boar. The young Pio Torelli, son of Pomponio was among the crowds that gathered. He approached to ask about his future. After some prompting, Bema reluctantly augured his death. “I see a lake of blood,” she said, “on which noble heads float and I also see the head of this child.” But none took her seriously. None, save the Duke himself; an irascible, sickly old man who had taken a vow to rid the country of witches and fortune tellers, in order to better his own health.
Immediately, Farnese had Bema seized to be taken to Rocchetta prison where she was to face a miserable sentence. Bema was saved only at the last moment at the border of Montecchio. She turned to ask for the aid of Pomponio and he agreed to intercede on her behalf, but only if she agreed to remain as a fixture of the castle. Thus, together they returned to Montechiarugolo where Bema was ordered to remain.
Eventually, Pomponio’s son Pio grew into a man who became quite smitten with the mysterious, elfin woman. Bema was a witch at court, ordered to help manage the household with her otherworldly knowledge. Bema shared his feelings but while together they often met, she still refused the offer of marriage—not for her sake, but his own. Bema explained that she was too lowly of status to marry him. Disappointed, Pio left to serve the Duke at Parma, if only to soothe his mind.
Bema feared she would not see him again—and unfortunately, she was right. Ranuccio Farnese, seeing an opportunity to seize some of the assets of the nobility had Pio arrested in a plot, along with several others. In a panic, she sent Max to free him from Rochetta prison and together the two escaped, but just one step from freedom they were confronted by Farnese’s men. The soldiers cut Max down and took Pio back to prison, where he waited to face his execution.
On May 19, 1612, Pio Torelli was beheaded in Piazza Grande (known now as Piazza Garibaldi) along with the others arrested in the Farnese plot, realizing the prophecy Bema once had given. Alone and distraught, the Fae remained in the fiefdom of Montechiarugolo, offering all she had to the villagers that lived there, caring especially for the elderly and infirm. Bema was universally admired for her strength and well-loved by the people. It was only some years later life that Duke Farnese forced her to move from the court to the country. There, she simply disappeared—and it was then that her legend began.
After Bema’s disappearance, a mummy was found in the dungeons of Montechiarugolo castle. With it, was a message: “This is the body of Bema,” it said, “who lives happily here and desires not to be taken from her bed.”
Surprisingly Bema remains there today—and not for a lack of people trying to move her! Every attempt to move the body of La Fata Bema from Montechiarugolo has been met with an array of natural disasters to the area, such as pestilence and flooding.
La Fata Bema is adored by the people and it is said she is a kind and gentle spirit. Certain legends report that she can be sometimes seen by lovers. Bema comforts the broken-hearted and those that suffer for love. She’s even said to visit young women on the eve of their wedding to offer gentle instruction and advice. But the most prolific legend of all is one in which the people still gather to witness.
They say every year the night between 18th and 19th of May, on the anniversary Pio’s death, Bema ascends the keep of the castle and turns her mournful gaze to the city of Parma—the city she could not reach to save the one she loved.
If you’re interested in reading this story in its entirety, check out the novel “La Fata Bema” by Alfonso Cavagnari!
What is written above was translated and compiled from several sources. Ordinarily, I would share them here but tumblr no longer tags posts that contain links of any kind. If you’re interested, simply send me an ask. I’d be happy to send you what I have.
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