| SORCERERS
AND EXORCISTS |
| Besides sorceresses there were also many sorcerers and exorcists,
people who normally carried on normal daily occupations. |
| In Calitri there was a certain Vito Casparrino,
a sort of exorcist, who was said to have the power to draw
out evil spirits (on payment of a fee, of course). |
| People claimed he was able to cast the evil eye, and that
he had learned his craft from his mother. |
|
It seems that mother and son took advantage of the naiveté
of common folks: the mother held her books upside down, being
in reality illiterate; her son, on the other hand, told young
girls he would rid them of evil spirits if they went upstairs
with him, a precaution he took so as not to be discovered
by unexpected visitors. |
There was always the chance that the spirits,
once driven out, could enter another person. |
At
one time the evil spirits seized Casparrino’s daughter,
and he had difficulty getting rid of them; he finally resorted
to this magic formula: “Away from here, don’t
touch anyone, go beyond the Ofanto River, all the way into
Monticchio!”. |
In the more remote past, there was a
sorcerer known as Uncle Canio Shithead. It is said that
he posted a sign on his door which read: tomorrow you will
find me dead. And his prediction came true. |
| calitri
tradizioni |
| TALES
ABOUT DEVILS |
| In
the Monticchio woods cowherds had a big stall where they and
the cows assembled after a day’s work. All these men
would get together for their meals, make cheese, pray and
rest. |
|
One day a certain Michelangelo arrived at this cheese farm
and befriended the herdsmen. He entertained them until late
at night with dancing, songs, drinks and noisemaking. |
| The
cowherds, who were known to be calm and untiring workers,
soon gained the reputation of being debauched. Saint Anthony,
upon hearing about this, decided to look into the matter. |
| One
day he showed up at the farm wearing a disguise. In their
conversation with the Saint, the men described in glowing
terms their great friend Michelangelo and said he had shown
them how to have fun. |
| But
when Michelangelo saw the new arrival, he withdrew to the
farm gate and kept apart from the herdsmen. Seeing this, Saint
Anthony told him to draw near and to remove his shoes. |
| Those
present were dumbfounded when they beheld Michelangelo’s
round, goat like feet, which are typical features of the devil. |
|
A
photo of Castello dell’Abbazia (taken from “Corriere
del Connecticut”), photo representing the capture
of the devil |
| calitri
tradizioni |
| Then
Saint Anthony chased him out and Michelangelo left spewing
fire and flames, cursing, and making a thunderous noises. |
| Old folks used to say that the
bridge near the Monteverde railroad station had been the work
of devils. |
| According to legend, a muleteer, who was having difficulty
crossing the swollen Ofanto River, asked the devils to build
a bridge for him, promising in exchange the soul of the first
person who crossed it. |
| The bridge was built in a flash. Then the muleteer took
a chunk of bread and tossed it beyond the bridge and ordered
his dog to go after it, and then followed him. |
| When the devils demanded his soul, the muleteer pointed
out that it was the dog’s soul they were entitled to
since he was the first to cross the bridge. |
| The devils, realizing they had been outsmarted, took to
kicking on a corner of the bridge, thus knocking off some
stones. In future years, that spot repeatedly required repairs,
but, as soon as repairs were made, it fell again into disrepair. |
|
