21 Most Famous Sardinia Myths And Legends

There are many interesting Sardinia myths, and a number of Sardinia legends that will tickle your curiosity. I grew up with them, my great-aunt often terrifying me with what were meant to be bedtime stories!

A lot of countries in the world have myths and legends regarding them – many of these countries are in Europe. Who has never heard about Loch Ness’ monster or the thousands of dragon tales sung in medieval literature?

Italy isn’t any different. Some of our most famous myths include Rome’s foundation, but there also are a lot of stories about famous people, especially involving magic and alchemy.

Moreover, Italy has a lot of regional myths and legends that only the locals know. There is a good amount of tales and myths about Sardinia nobody knows outside the island. I find them very fascinating and I thought it would be nice sharing them with you.

If you are curious about Sardinia myths and legends, keep reading this post!

The Most Famous Sardinia Myths And Legends

Nora’s Stele

Archeologists found Nora’s stele inside a wall nearby Sant’Efisio church in Nora, the ruins close to Pula – it was actually part of the wall. This is one of the most mysterious and debated objects in Sardinia’s history.

Nora was an important Phoenician city (and after, a Punic and Roman colony as well). The stele is one of the most ancient written relics of all Europe. It is also an essential tool for Sardinia-related studies’ scholars because it’s the first document ever where the name “Sardinia” (SRDN) appears.

Unfortunately, the fact that this precious stone tablet was part of a wall has caused a great amount of damage to it. A good chunk of the inscriptions aren’t readable and the others are so difficult to translate that, during the years, we have had completely different interpretations about the stele’s topic.

The most widely accepted ones are three:

• the tale of how some hero survived a storm and arrived on the island to build a new city;
• a prayer to the Gods to thank them and dedicate them to a new temple;
• the epigraph for some warrior or important figure of the time.

To further complicate the matter, some scholars think that the stone tablet is actually just a segment of a bigger inscription. Whatever the case, the mystery around Nora’s stele will likely never be solved and this will remain one of the most famous Sardinia myths.

My post A Short Guide To Nora will explain more about the hometown of the stele.

Domus de Janas

Janas are literally fairies and one of Sardinia’s typical mythologic creatures. They are small beings, usually about 25 centimeters tall, who live inside the Domus da Janas, ancient monuments excavated inside large rock formations during pre-nuragic times.

The Janas are often pretty, delicate beings – although some legends depict them as quite scary. However, their aspect doesn’t always match their personality. They are lunatics and help people or bring them disgrace solely depending on their mood. According to other legends, however, they usually help the honest and punish the greedy.

And what about their houses? Historically, Domus de Janas are tombs. Some population who lived in Sardinia before the Nuragic civilization excavated these small recesses in the rocks and used them to bury their loved ones.

Check out my post A Guide To Domus De Janas In Sardinia to find where they are located and how to visit them.

Giants’ Tombs

Giants’ Tombs have always caused people’s fantasy to run wild, and for a good reason.

We now know everything about these burial sites, but just imagine finding such a site without knowing anything about it: the Tombs’ main features are the tall, heavy stones – sometimes up to 4 meters (more than 13 fee) tall and several tons heavy! – put at their gate. And once you enter the tomb, the ceiling is 3 meters (almost 10 feet) high as well!

It comes as no surprise that the legend about some giants populating Sardinia before humankind has spread so well and still lives on! Moreover, there are some popular tales about big bones inside these tombs. But these are indeed only bedtime stories to scare kids a little.

The fact that the Giants’ Tombs are massive, anyway, remains: don’t miss the chance of visiting one if you can! They are an excellent demonstration of what the Nuragic people could do with their limited resources but amazing skills.

Head over to my post The Best Hidden Gems In Sardinia to discover more places that will take you away from the crowds.

Mont’e Prama Giants

The story of the Mont’e Prama Giants’ statues is closely intertwined with the Giants’ Tombs’ legends. Farmers came across these statues for the first time in the Sinis Peninsula. It was 1974 and the discovery happened by pure chance.

Their finding was a literal breakthrough in Sardinian art history. Before their finding, all we had from the Nuragic populations were small bronze figurines.

These statues, however, are about 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall. They certainly left many scholars speechless, and gave space to some more Sardinia legends about some gigantic population inhabiting the island before humankind.

After a more in depth research (and some reluctance from the international historians’ community!) archeologists now agree that these big statues represent warriors, especially archers. They had an important role in society at the time. So the statues are probably offers to celebrate their service for the community.

Check out my post Who Were The Mont’e Prama Giants? to learn more about these unique archeological remains.

Santa Cristina Well

Santa Cristina Well is located in Paulilatino, in the Oristano province, inside one of the most important Nuragic sites on the island.

There is a heated debate about its original function. However, many scholars agree on the fact that it was built to be an astronomy observatory. Other theories suppose that it was a site for the cult of fertility, which is also highly possible, or a sacrificial pit.

No matter its real function, there are several phenomena happening on specific days which convinced the archeologists to believe the observatory hypothesis. The most famous event is the one happening during the two equinoxes: on these two days, the sun descends perfectly on the stairs and projects the shadows upside down on the wall in front of them.

There also is a Christian legend about Santa Cristina Well, which has caused the construction of a village nearby the Nuragic site. The myth says that a maiden was saved thanks to her earnest praying and that the well formed as a consequence.

Apparently, she was being chased by an unknown man and begged God to help her. Suddenly, the ground opened and she managed to run away through a tunnel, leaving a trail with her skirt (the well’s stairs). Of course, it’s very easy to deem this legend as just another of the many Sardinia legends: the well was already there way before Christianity was born.

However, this didn’t stop the worshippers from suggesting the girl (Cristina) was a saint. They pressed for her recognition as a saint and build a church and even a village in her honor.

My post The Best Archeological Sites In Sardinia describes other sites you should consider visiting during your trip.

The myth of Atlantis

The myth of Atlantis is shared by many civilizations in the world. A version of similar myths appears in almost every ancient culture.

According to Plato, the first one who mentioned this legend, Atlantis was an advanced civilization on a continent beyond the Pillars of Hercules and whose people, because of their power and technologies, thought themselves to be superior to their gods. These gods, as a punishment for human arrogance, destroyed their continent in one day and one night.

According to the modern location of the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar), Atlantis was apparently in the Atlantic ocean, somewhere deep, deep on the bottom of the sea.

But many theories suggest that the landmark was somewhere else during more ancient times: apparently, the Pillars of Hercules were located in Sicily strait… which makes Sardinia an excellent candidate for the role of the lost island!

Further on, the cataclysm that according to the literature and popular culture destroyed Atlantis, made us think that it was a terrible tsunami that sank the island underwater. But in reality, nobody ever mentioned anything like that. It could have been anything, from a meteorite to a volcanic explosion which left the land floating, but wiped out any signs of civilization.

Sardus Pater and the foundation of Sardinia

When the Nuragic culture started to decay, their cults based on fertility and often feminine deities representing nature started to fade as well. It was during this delicate time that the legend of the Sardus Pater, a hero or a god who came to the Island to bring civilization, was born.

Historically, the switch from feminine deities to masculine ones can be justified by the fact that Sardinia was starting to be involved in wars with neighboring populations and was also being colonized by Phoenicians. These two factors both brought attention to male figures (warriors and sailors) who became essential in the newly forming society.

There are several legends about the Sardus Pater, from different civilizations. Both Greek and Latin historians wrote about a hero (male or female) called Sardus or Sardò, who came from another country to build a colony in Sardinia.

The Latin Sardus was a son of Hercules who was sent to build his personal city on the Island. On the other hand, the Greek Sardò was running away from a city (Sardis) in modern Turkey and arrived all the way to Sardinia.

A third hypothesis, which is the most historically correct, identifies the Sardus Pater with the Phoenician God Sid Addir, a warrior and hunter who was extremely benevolent.

Merchant and sailors took the cult to the island and incorporated into the Sardinian pantheon. Sid Addir was venerated as a warm-hearted divinity for having brought tons of benefits to the Island.

You can still visit a temple dedicated to this deity (which was renamed Sid Addir Babai and the Sardus Pater Babai during the centuries) near Fluminimaggiore, in the Sulcis area. If you have time, go and pay a visit to Antas temple.

Read my posts A Brief History Of Sardinia and How Sardinia Got Its Name to learn more about what makes Sardinia so unique.

Golgo’s Scultone

The Scultone’s myth is a popular tale in Baunei. Apparently, centuries ago, an enormous snake, or dragon liked in the Golgo Plateau (part of Baunei municipality). He could kill people by petrifying them if they looked into its eyes. The only thing that could pacify this basilisk was sacrificing young maidens to him every year.

The legend says that St. Peter, during his travels to evangelize the world, one day came to Baunei. He found a girl who was crying, desperate, because she was as the next sacrifice to the monster. St. Peter then promised the villagers that, in exchange for a church in its name, he would have freed the land from the monster, forever.

After the locals happily agreed and promised to honor the vote, the Saint went to the plateau and, grabbing the basilisk by its tail, shook him so violently that the ground above them opened: he then threw the monster in the newly formed cave, all the way down to Hell.

You can still see the cave nowadays. We call it Su Sterru. Nearby, there’s the Church of St. Peter. It hosts Mass every year to thank the Saint.

The myth of Sella del Diavolo

One of the most fascinating Sardinia myths is the one surrounding the Sella del Diavolo (the Devil’s Saddle) and Golfo degli Angeli (Angels’ Gulf), right at the outskirts of Cagliari. The peculiar rock formation has always caused the locals’ fantasies to run wild.

The legend says that Lucifer, enchanted by the beauty of Cagliari’s sea, tried to conquer the area and claim it as his own but God sent a legion of angels to fight him back. After a long and strenuous battle, Lucifer was defeated.

The rock formation was either his saddle that, falling from the sky, was petrified with time, or the print of Lucifer’s body thrown from above. The sea was called Angels’ Gulf to honor the holy beings who, supposedly, are still protecting the area nowadays.

Sardinia’s mythological Ziqqurat

The presence of a Ziqqurat in the Mediterranean, and in fact, in Sardinia, is in and of itself quite legendary. And indeed, the fact that Monte d’Accoddi, Sardinia’s thought-to-be Ziqqurat – is indeed a legend.

You will find Monte d’Accoddi between Sassari and Porto Torres, in Northwestern Sardinia. It certainly resembles a Ziqqurat. However, it is a a multilayered site whose most recent parts date from 3500 BC.

The most recent excavations show an inner temple that dates from 4500 BC (so older than Ziqqurats), referred to as the Red Temple, on top of which the newer one was built.

This Sardinian myth shows a connection between the inhabitants of Sardinia and those of the region of Mesopotamia. In reality, while an exchange was probable, this temple dates from the Ozieri culture.

Today, Monte d’Accodi is one of the most unique archeological sites in Sardinia. Once there, you will find a small altar and a larger one, of more recent origins. The exterior was built in stone, and surrounded by typical remains of the nuragic civilizations such as the rock spheres.

The myth of Ichnusa

Not many Sardinians know, but the name of their favorite beer – Ichnusa – has Greek origins and it means “footprint”. This is the ancient name of Sardinia, and Greeks used it because they believed the shape of the island looked indeed like a footprint.

So what’s the legend here? This Sardinian myth says that once there used to be one continent only – green, with beautiful meadows, where men lived in peace. But a sudden storm (a sign of God’s anger) resulted in the submersion of much of the land.

However, God decided to save a small portion of the land by placing his foot on it. He gave it the shape of his foot and saved what was left of the beautiful continent. This is just one of the many reasons Sardinians will tell you that when God invented Paradise, he was thinking of Sardinia!

Is Animeddas

Whenever my cousins dress up their kids for Halloween, I remind them of the Sardinian myth of Is Animeddas. It is well rooted in our traditions and it’s our way of celebrating the dead.

Traditionally, to celebrate the memory of the dead, children in Sardinia go around asking for “is animeddas”, a small present for the “small souls”. It’s not too different from Halloween, indeed.

Part of the tradition also sees adults paying respect to the dead with a meal and by recollecting some popular Sardinia legends too. In Seui (a lovely Sardinian village) they even leave the table set for the night, so that the dead can go have dinner while everyone else is asleep.

If you want to learn more about Is Animeddas, you should plan to visit Seui for Su Prugadoriu celebrations on 31 October and 1 November each year. Many historical homes open their doors, you can visit the old prisons and the museums, try local food (culurgiones from this village are my favorite) in a fun local atmosphere.

S’Accabadora

Late Sardinian writer Michela Murgia brought back to life one of the most legendary figures of Sardinia, that of S’Accabadora, in her best seller book.

The name “accabadora” comes from the verb “accabbai” which in Sardinian means “to end” – hence the accabadora is literally “the one who puts an end”.

By tradition, s’accabadora is a woman who has the unique task of putting an end to the suffering of dying men – as per the wishes of their family, or of the men himself – by placing a pillow on their face and thus suffocating them. She wears black and covers her face.

Research suggests that the accabadora played a key role in Sardinian society. She would not put an actual end to the suffering of dying persons. Her task was indeed to give comfort to the family and the dying person.

Mommotti

Mommotti is every Sardinian kid’s wildest fear. I still remember my grandma suggesting she’d call Mommotti every time I was either being naughty or cranky – and the thought of Mommotti coming didn’t help my mood.

Mommotti is completely dressed in black, his face covered. He is a scary figure that goes around town to kidnap misbehaving children. In some parts of Sardinia, they also say that Mommotti kidnaps kids that are still out after sunset.

Maria Ortighedda

Maria Ortighedda is an old woman, wearing an apron that has a big pocket in the front where she carries stinging nettles. She uses them to threaten or punish disobedient children.

Maria Farranca

Maria Farranca is the witch who controls wells. She’s the obscure, scary guardian of water sources. Her name was once invoked to keep children safe from the many dangers of water. This legend was basically meant to teach children how to be cautious in front of rivers, the sea, lakes and even wells.

Tziu Masedu

Tziu Masedu (uncle Masedu in English) is yet another old, grumpy man of Sardinian legends. He is meant to inspire fear and discipline: he punishes whoever breaks the night silence, much needed for a proper rest.

Filonzana

This is one of my absolute favorite Sardinia myths. Filonzana is Sardinia’s only female Carnival mask. Originally from Ottana, a small town in the mountainous Barbagia Region at the very heart of the island, Filonzana is a widow, completely dressed in black, wearing a wooden mask and with a hunchback.

She goes around with a spin and a thread, which is quite literally the thread of life – a life that she can cut at any time. She begs for money and help, and threatens to end the life (or simply cut the face with her spin) of anyone who shows no respect for her.

S’Ammutadori

S’ammuttadori (or Ammuntadore) is the Sardinian way of explaining sleep paralysis, an actual common and scientifically recognized phenomenon that consists of a literal paralysis that can happen right before falling asleep or after waking up and that can last from a couple of seconds to one or two minutes.

In the Sardinian legends, s’ammutadori is a sleep demon, a mythological figure whose name comes from the Sardinian “ammuntare” (to have nightmares). Through nightmares, s’ammuntadori attacks people in their sleep. He places himself on their chest, causing a sense of oppression and anguish.

Because he comes while asleep, it is impossible to shut out s’ammudatori – the only solution is a series of rituals to keep him away, consisting of “su brebu” (the verb, or the word in Sardinian).

Sa Brebadora

I have just mentioned the words “su brebu” to refer to the rituals and words used to keep away the demons, and this is just what sa brebadora does. This is typically a woman. People who believe to have been the object of a curse look for her.

The knowledge of sa brebadora is traditionally transmitted from mother to daughter. Legend says that once the mother would give away her secret rituals and teachings to her daughter, she’d lose her therapeutic powers.

Su Carru de Nannai

According to this legend, the noise of a cart pulled by horses would remind children it was best to stay at home during thunderstorms. It’s a legend that puts together fear and the need for protection, like many others in Sardinia.

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