Nuorese Cultural DistrictThe Barbagia region is rich in myths and legends that have been passed down over the centuries. These stories are an integral part of the area’s culture and popular tradition.
Myths and legends
Description
One of them, Sa Mama 'e Su Sole, tells of a woman who appears during the summer, after twelve o’clock noon. According to the legend, if the Mama 'e su Sole meets a child on the street, during the hottest part of the day, she will chase after him and touch his forehead, giving him a fever than will last several days.
Another, Maria Pettenedda, is a mythical creature probably invented by mothers to scare their children and keep them away from wells. She is described as an old woman with long fingernails and unkempt hair that she cannot comb, which is why she is always angry. According to the Sardinian tradition, mothers invented this character so that they could tell their children to never go close to a well and especially to never lean over it, since Maria Pettenedda would grab them with her claws and pull them to the bottom of the well, where they would spend their lives as her slaves.
The stories vary from town to town and often reflect the profound link between the local community and the surrounding environment, through references to nature, animals and agricultural and pastoral traditions. The legends were passed down orally from generation to generation, keeping the cultural roots of the region alive.