Sicily is a land rich in myths and legends which have inspired important mythological events. They already belong to our traditions and have always fascinated both children and adults. Some of them tell of princes, princesses, kings, queens, fantastic heroes, terrible monsters and tragic prophecies.
One of them tells the story of a beautiful, but unfortunate girl who was the princess of Lebanon and was called Sicily. She belonged to a noble family. At the birth of the little girl a curse marked a terrible fate: she would die within her 15th year of age at the hands of the terrible Greek monster Levante.The oracle told the little girl’s parents that the only way for Sicily could escape her sad fate, was that she left her land alone and on a boat. Despite the great and profound desperation of her parents, Sicily was put on a boat and, in tears, she was pushed offshore and accompanied to her terrible fate. The boat sailed under the wind for three long months. The girl was desperate and totally at the mercy of storms. Just when she had lost all her hopes, the winds pushed her towards a warm and sunny beach. It was a beautiful place full of wonderful trees and flowers. While she was fashinated by so much beauty, a young boy approached her. The boy was really sad of her story and decided to take care of the princess .They fell in love and he told her that that land would have taken the name Sicily, in honor of the princess and their union from which the Sicilian people would be born.
The history of Colapesce
The legend of Colapesce is surely one of the most popular Sicilian legends. It is the story of a young man called Cola (Nicola), the son of a fisherman who loved swimming so much that he spent whole days at sea. He loved the blu color of the sea and was greatly fascinated by all the fish into the sea. One day his mother told him: “Cola! May you become a fish! At that moment, Cola became half man and half fish. The news of this tragic event reached King Federico, who wanted to meet him. To challenge the boy, the king threw a precious gold cup encrusted with diamonds into the sea. Cola threw himself into the water to retrieve the cup and when he was on the surface, Cola told the king that he had seen caves, mountains and valleys and that the city was built on a rock which rested on 3 columns. But unfortunately one column was broken. Taken by enthusiasm, the king wanted to test Cola Pesce once again and threw a bag full of gold coins into the sea, promising him that if he resurfaced, he could marry his daughter. Cola Pesce threw himself into the sea, but never resurfaced from the waters. It is said that he preferred to sacrifice himself for Sicily. Today, when the sea is calm is possible to see him while supporting the Island of Sicily.
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