An imaginary animal, the Musca macedda, occurs in the oral traditions of many Sardinian towns. The famous glottologist Gino Bottiglioni (1887 - 1963) collected the more complete set of in formation about this insect (GB, 1922 Leggende e tradizioni di Sardegna. Leo S. Olschki Éditeur, Genève), he provided also the etymological interpretation of its name. It is unknown whether the imaginary Musca macedda originates from some real insect pest or it is only one of the many representations of the fly as a satanic manifestation (Baalzebub was the god of flies). Among the various hypoteses, the most credible is the link between Musca macedda and plague, which actually hit Sardinia several times. Actually, it was sufficiently widespread belief that the flies could be the vectors of the plague.
On the Sardinian "Musca macedda" (killer fly) / Pantaleoni, R.A., Bagella, S.. - Entomologia storica(2021). (XXVI Congresso Nazionale Italiano di Entomologia (CNIE) online 7 - 11 giugno 2021).
On the Sardinian "Musca macedda" (killer fly).
Pantaleoni, R. A.
;Bagella, S.
2021-01-01
Abstract
An imaginary animal, the Musca macedda, occurs in the oral traditions of many Sardinian towns. The famous glottologist Gino Bottiglioni (1887 - 1963) collected the more complete set of in formation about this insect (GB, 1922 Leggende e tradizioni di Sardegna. Leo S. Olschki Éditeur, Genève), he provided also the etymological interpretation of its name. It is unknown whether the imaginary Musca macedda originates from some real insect pest or it is only one of the many representations of the fly as a satanic manifestation (Baalzebub was the god of flies). Among the various hypoteses, the most credible is the link between Musca macedda and plague, which actually hit Sardinia several times. Actually, it was sufficiently widespread belief that the flies could be the vectors of the plague.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
