Mount Etna is a magical mountain, and during the Christmas and New Year holidays, this magic is reflected in ancient legends about our volcano, intertwined with the history of Sicily. It was, in fact, the Normans who brought the thrilling tales of the Knights of the Round Table to this place. And the mythical King Arthur ultimately had his adventure on Etna, recounted over the centuries by the voices and exploits of the Puppet Theaters.
The legend of Arthur
The legend of King Arthur linked to Etna dates back to the 12th century. According to this version—inspired by the Anglo-Saxon one—the king, after his final battle, decides to have his famous sword Excalibur repaired. And to do so, he travels to the place where the gods of fire and iron live and work.
Thus Arthur reaches Etna, along with his sister Morgan, and waits that night for the divine blacksmiths to use the hot magma to repair the sword’s blade. While waiting, he falls asleep. When he awakens the next day, his sword is repaired, but the landscape surrounding the volcano is so beautiful and heavenly that the king decides to stay forever. He therefore has a palace built at the bottom of the crater, where he will spend his old age. His sister Morgana, on the other hand, finds refuge in the center of Sicily.
According to legend, Arthur occasionally leaves to visit his native England, and it is on those occasions that Etna takes advantage of the situation to unleash its full destructive power.
The narration of the “Opera dei Pupi”
Like the exploits of the French Paladins, the Sicilian version of the legend of King Arthur has been passed down for centuries by the Sicilian puppets theatre, Opera dei Pupi.
In the Catania area, the most important puppet theaters are those of Catania and Acireale.
In Catania city, the puppets are large and are operated with short irons, being much heavier and almost man-sized. In the Acireale tradition, however, the puppets are standard-sized but lighter and more articulated than those from Catania, which also allows for greater freedom of movement. In Catania, the puppet tradition is historically that of the Napoli Brothers, while in Acireale, the theaters are entrusted to the Macrì and Grasso families.
Meeting Arthur on the Volcano
The legend of King Arthur on Etna is still told today through the mystery of a ghost. It seems that the king occasionally enjoys riding through the woods and lava fields of the volcano, and that you can hear the clatter of his horse—at night, of course!—through the lands.
To meet him, you should treat yourself to an evening in a shelter in the woods or hike the trails through the ancient lava flows in the dark, with flashlights. This is not advisable in winter, unless you go with a good local guide. But if you don’t happen to encounter the king’s spirit, don’t be sad… if Arthur isn’t on Etna, it means the volcano will soon erupt. And the spectacle of lava, at night, is certainly more captivating than a faded ghost scurrying in the shadow!