The Mermaid Mitì

Near Ancona, in a place near the sea, lived the most beautiful girl in the country. Daughter of a fisherman, one night she dreamed of seeing a boat conducted by a beautiful young man who, down to shore, invited her to follow him by sea, calling her “my bride”.

Mitì, this the name of the girl, was very upset by the dream and ever since, took the habit of contemplating the sea at sunset, every night, singing a sweet melody dedicated to that mysterious boy. Although many young people in the country tried to ask for his wife, she remained faithful to the expected groom who was hoping to come.

One day, finally, a boat appeared on that horizon and there it was, proud and charming, the long-awaited man. When he came to the ground, she ran into him enthusiastic but he ignored her, telling he was there for his beloved Azzurrina. In fact, here’s a beautiful girl to hug him.

The two boyfriends boarded the boat taking off. Mitì, devastated by pain and disappointment, did not give up and threw himself in the water trying to reach the boat. He swam and sang his song, desperate, in an attempt to attract the attention of him.She disappeared in the sea, but from that moment, the fishermen began to talk about a beautiful girl covered in scales and the sweetest singing that human ear could ever listen to.

The Mazzamurello

We have extraordinary stories from everywhere, in Italy. Legends, Myths, popular tales, they deliver us a “natural” fantasy legacy. We deliver to you some of them, region by region. For this second episode, we are staying again in Abruzzo.


THE MAZZAMURELLO [or “mazzamarelle”]
It’s a creature that lives withing Abruzzo’s and Marche’s woods. That rustling, those little and sudden noises, that feeling of not being alone… it’s him making you feeling that way. It seems that his presence is beneficial and has a specific task: he’s an intermediary between the living and the dead.

It seems that he delivers messages from long departed loved ones. He might also have to convey a warning for an imminent danger, or the presences of a treasure nearby.When he looks for the recipient of the message, he infests his house. He tries to communicate by knocking on walls, making strong or weak creaking.

His very name describes his activity: “mazza” (blow) and “murello” (wall). When we hear those rumours it happens though that we try to ignore them because we can’t explain them , so we feel creeped out. But it seems that by keeping to ignore him, the imp gets irritated and finally, upset and tired, inexplicably breaks and hides various items.

So, friends from Abruzzo and fellow countrymen who heard about these creatures before, remember them when you are are at home, next time you can’t find your keys that “were there a moment ago”

The Pantafica

The Pantafica’s Legend.
Her names is still being whispered with fear in old houses inhabited by our elders.The “Pantafica” ( or Pantafrica and Pandafeche ) is a scary looking witch that messes with our dreams.

She gets on top of the poor sleeping person’s chest and covers his mouth with her hands.It’s useless for doctors to talk about sleep apnea: there’s no abruzzese ( person from Abruzzo ) , even among the new generations, that won’t happen to tell about these episodes even once in his lifetime. It seems that the Pantafica, when tired of bothering humans, has fun by making curious braids to horses’ mane.

In some parts of the region, we tell that to keep her quiet, one must sleep with a bottle of spirits near the bed. The witch will enjoy the good wine, keeping her from enjoying tormenting humans.


I wonder if Ubiquitas will bring us one, in its adventures?