Etna, with its rumblings and fire, has always terrified and fascinated ancients. For the Greeks it was not just a mountain, but the home of Gods and monsters. Every eruption was a divine message or the result of a titanic struggle.
Polyphemus and the Faraglioni of Acitrezza
The most famous legend is that of Ulysses and Polyphemus, told in the Odyssey. Polyphemus was a Cyclops potter who lived in the caves of Etna. After being blinded by Ulysses ('Nobody'), the giant, furious, hurled huge boulders against the hero's fleeing ship.
Those boulders missed the target and fell into the sea: they are the **Cyclops Stacks (Faraglioni dei Ciclopi)** that you can admire today in Acitrezza. Science says they are basaltic columns emerged from the seabed, but the legend definitely has more charm.
Hephaestus and the Forge of the Gods
According to mythology, under Etna was the forge of Hephaestus (Vulcan for the Romans), the god of fire and blacksmith of the gods. Here, helped by the Cyclops, he forged lightning bolts for Zeus and weapons for heroes like Achilles.
The smoke coming out of the crater? It was the breath of the forge's bellows. The roars? The hammer blows on the anvil. The lava flows? The molten metal or the waste of processing. It was a perfect way to scientifically explain the inexplicable volcanic activity.
Queen Elizabeth's Slipper
A more recent, Christian legend tells that when Queen Elizabeth I of England died, devils took her straight to hell passing through the crater of Etna. In the hurry, she dropped a jeweled slipper.
It is said that the slipper was found years later near Bronte (or at the Rocca di Calanna), but no one dared to touch it because it burned with hellfire. It is pure folklore that mixes history and local superstition.
Acis and Galatea: Tragic Love
Another famous legend of the area is that of the shepherd Acis and the nymph Galatea. Polyphemus, in love with Galatea but unrequited, killed his rival Acis by throwing an Etna boulder at him.
The Gods, pitying him, transformed Acis' blood into an underground river that flows right into the Acireale area. This is why many towns here have the prefix 'Aci' (Aci Trezza, Aci Castello, Acireale): they were all born from the shepherd's blood.
Lachea Island
In front of the Faraglioni is Lachea Island. Homer cites it as the island where Ulysses moored his ships and hunted wild goats before entering Polyphemus' cave.
Today it hosts a marine biology station of the University of Catania. It can be visited with small fishing boats that shuttle from the port of Aci Trezza. A dip here, between myth and nature, is mandatory.
The House of the Medlar Tree
Aci Trezza is also the place where Verga set 'The House by the Medlar Tree' (I Malavoglia). Literary legend mixes with mythological one. Visiting the 'Casa del Nespolo' (the novel's museum) will make you understand the hard life of fishermen who have always lived looking at the volcano and the sea.
Why Choose It
- Polyphemus lived in the Etna caves
- The Faraglioni are the stones thrown against Ulysses
- Hephaestus forged Zeus' lightning bolts here
- Typhon is the giant imprisoned under the volcano
- King Arthur (according to some) sleeps in Etna
Practical Info
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Protagonist | Polyphemus (Cyclops) |
| Myth Place | Cyclops Riviera |
| God of Fire | Hephaestus / Vulcan |
| Symbolism | Force of nature |
| Origin | Greek Mythology |
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