#italianlore

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COGAS or BRUXAS

In the folklore of central-southern Sardinia, the witches were called Cogas or Bruxas. Those women sneaked into the houses where there were babies (mainly male) to kill them or use them in their rituals. To avoid this eventuality, the parents would place a blessed rosary in the baby's cradle. When these dark creatures arrived at the cradle, they would be mesmerized by the rosary and lose time to count all the pearls until dawn. Being the sun one of the greatest enemies of the Cogas, they would have to escape before sunrise without being able to kidnap the baby. It was known that the seventh daughter of a family with only female children would become a Coga, and she would be born with a little animal tail. Cogas were also shapeshifters, they could transforms themselves into animals, plants and other humans. The figure of the Cogas can be associated with Lilith, an ancient Sumerian deity, that for Jewish culture is a female demon who can harm male newborns in the period before circumcision. Traditionally, in fact, to protect them from the demon, an amulet was placed around the neck of babies. It is also said that in order to deceive Lilith, they do not cut a child's hair until a certain age to make the demon believe that it is a girl. It seems that for the same reason in Sardinia, but also in other regions, boys' hair was not cut off before they have completed their first year of life.

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LA GROTTA DELLA SIBILLA

The Sibyl's cave is a cavern carved into the rock, near the summit of Mount Sibilla (Monti Sibillini) in the municipal area of Montemonaco, reachable only on foot. The cave owes its name to the legend of the Apennine Sibyl, according to which it was nothing more than the access point to the underground kingdom of Queen Sibyl. The local legends and folklore about this cave and the High Priestess of the underground world are very ancient, going back to the medieval times and even more to the pagan era.

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STREGO

The Strego (Witcher) is a character of the folkloric tradition of Garfagnana, Lucchesia and Versilia. Unlike classic witches and sorcerers, that used to practice various witchcraft actions towards the local population, the Strego seems to have a more ambiguous attitude as it usually takes no interest in other human beings preferring to gather in groups to carry out unidentified ceremonies. However, also traditional witches often appear in stories about Stregos. It is supposed that the Strego is the last relic of a shamanic tradition of Eurasian origin dating back to the Paleolithic, and it's similar to the Benandanti tradition. In the tales, covens of Stregos often congregate on the walnut trees where they sometimes scream and dance. Generally invisible, they sometimes appear identifiable by the candles they sometimes carry. They don't bother humans except for the noise they occasionally produce or their sudden appearances.

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BEFANA

In Italian folklore, Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi Kings.A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphan. Epifania is a Latin word with Greek origins meaning "manifestation" (of the divinity). Some suggest that Befana is descended from the Sabine/Roman goddess named Strenia.In popular folklore, Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In many poorer parts of Italy and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed instead of coal. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.She is usually portrayed as a hag riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both. 

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NOCE DI BENEVENTO

«Unguento unguento portami al noce di Benevento sopra l'acqua e sopra il vento e sopra ogni altro maltempo.» The Noce of Benevento was an ancient walnut tree consecrated to the Germanic god Odin around the sixth century by a community of Lombards that settled in that area, which was originally inhabited by the Samnites. These tribes of Lombards used to gather around this tree and perform pagan and religious rituals, which often provided for a goatskin to be hung from the tree's branches. These rituals have given rise to various legends that have been perpetuated over the centuries, concerning ceremonies and magical rituals and Sabbaths officiated by covens of witches, that in this area of ​​Italy were called Janare. Since Roman times, the cult of the Egyptian Goddess of magick Isis had spread in Benevento, where a temple in her honor was also erected by the emperor Domitian. In this cult, Isis was part of a sort of Trimurti: she assumed a triple aspect. The same characteristic is typical of other goddesses, such as Hecate (Queen of the Underworld) and Diana (Goddess of the Hunt). In fact, the term Janara could be a derivation of the name Diana

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LENGHELO

The Lenghelo is a little elf or sprite present in the popular tradition of the Castelli Romani. According to the legend he has a tall and slender appearance, hence the name Lenghelo, which is "long" or "elongated". He is a mischievous but not evil Sprite, and according to folklore, he can be seen in various situations: walking on wooden stairs or hiding underneath them. Pranking whoever doesn't respect the family members of the house where he lives. He jumps on the stomach of the individuals he dislikes while they are asleep. In addition, the Lenghelo usually hides or breaks small objects in the house, but he can also find money or give winning numbers in the lottery. According to the popular tradition, the Lenghelo's hideout would be inside Palazzo Sforza-Cesarini in Genzano di Roma, but the most widespread belief, at least in the past, is that every family had one.

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ORCOLATThe Orcolat (that means "ogre" in the Friulan dialect) is a monstrous being that the folkloric tradition indicates as the cause of the earthquakes in Friuli.The ogre would live locked up in the mountains of Carnia and his every sudden movement would cause an earthquake.After 1976 it became synonymous with the earthquake that hit Friuli in that year.

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GIUBIANA

The Giubiana is a thin witch, with very long legs and red stockings, a common folkloric figure of North Italy (Piemonte, Lombardia). She lives in the woods and thanks to her long legs, she never sets foot on the ground, but moves from tree to tree. In this way she observes all those who enter the woods and scares them, especially the children. During the night of the last Thursday of January, she brusts into people's homes to kidnap and eat sleeping children.