Folklore of Italy refers to the folklore and urban legends of Italy. Within the Italian territory, various people have followed each other over time, each of which has left its mark on current culture. Some tales also come from Christianization, especially those concerning demons, which are sometimes recognized by Christian demonology. Italian folklore also includes the genre of the fairy tale (where the term itself was born), folk music, folk dance and folk heroes.
Figures and Heroes of Italian folklore Below is a list of the folklore figures who have animated Italian folk tales since ancient Rome.
Traditional characters In Italian folklore, the Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi Kings. A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany ()."Viva La Befana". Transparent Language 6 Jan, 2009. 12 Dec, 2009. Santa Lucia is a holy woman who delivers gifts to children of Bergamo and province on 13 December, again like Santa Claus.
Alberto da Giussano is a legendary character of the 12th century who would have participated, as a protagonist, in the battle of Legnano on 29 May 1176. In reality, according to historians, the actual military leader of the Lombard League in the famous military battle with Frederick Barbarossa was Guido da Landriano. The Mommotti in the Sardinian tradition they represent an imaginary figure used to frighten children. Sometimes they are associated with the boogeyman or with an evil ogre and their job is to take away children who do not behave well. The Benandanti were linked to a pagan-shamanic peasant cult based on the fertility of the land widespread in Friuli around the 16th-17th century. These were small congregations that worked to protect villages and the crops from the evil intervention of witches. Segnature is a traditional Italian folk‑healing practice involving ritual gestures (literally “signs”) and sacred words to heal illness, remove curses such as the evil eye, protect individuals, and even influence natural forces like weather. Practitioners—known as Segnatori or Segnatrici—trace crosses or other symbolic marks on the body or objects while reciting secret prayers passed down through family or community lineages. Recent ethnographic research classifies Segnature as a localized form of Italian shamanism, blending pre‑Christian folk beliefs with Catholic ritual elements.Puca, Angela (2024). Italian Witchcraft and Shamanism: The Tradition of Segnature, Indigenous and Trans‑cultural Shamanic Traditions in Italy. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV. ISBN 978‑90‑04‑69417‑0. Bombasìn is a monstrous character of the tradition of the Polesine and the Venetian Lagoon. Traditionally linked to the customs of Brusavecia and Carnival, the character has the appearance of an angry bull, and represents the most ferocious and wild side of human nature. Sometimes he is accompanied on parades by peasants who hold him in check with a chain, while the Bombasìn scares young and old in its path. Its name derives from cotton wool, a word that in turn derives from the Greek word for cotton, a material used to build the large black matel that wraps the Bombasìn. More recent tales connect him to the mythical character of King Hadrian and to the Gnomes of Polesine. The Strego is a character of the popular tradition of Garfagnana. Unlike classic witches and sorcerers, dedicated to various exercises of witchcraft and aimed exclusively at procuring evil for people, the witch seems to have a more ambiguous attitude as it is usually disinterested in other human beings preferring to gather in groups to perform non-religious ceremonies. well identified. The Orcolat is a monstrous being that popular tradition indicates as the cause of the earthquakes in Friuli. The Orcolat is a recurring figure especially in the tales of the popular tradition. The Maskinganna, literally "master of deceptions", was a legendary character of Sardinian folklore who enjoyed making fun of sleeping people making them awaken in terror. The Pettenedda is a mythical creature that belongs to the Sardinian tradition and that would live in wells. The legend was probably invented by mothers to scare children and keep them away from wells. The Giufà is referred to in some areas of the country. He is a "village fool", whose actions and words usually serve to provide a moral message. The Marranghino is a fictional character of Lucanian folklore. Its myth shares common traits with that of Monachicchio, and is particularly widespread in the province of Matera. The Sa Mama 'e su Sole ("the Mother of the Sun"), is a fantastic creature of the Sardinian tradition used to scare children who did not want to go to sleep on summer afternoons, when the sun was too strong. The Babau (more rarely Babao, Barabao or Bobo) is in Italian folklore and other European regions, an imaginary monster with undefined characteristics that is traditionally invoked to scare children. The Orco (Ogre in Italian) is a fairy-tale character probably derived from Orcus of Roman mythology, an evil imaginary humanoid monster of enormous tonnage and with an irascible temperament, devouring human flesh, especially children.
Witches
The Cogas or Bruxas, in Sardinian traditions, are witches with the appearance of an old woman, having the ability to assume any shape and size, both animal and vegetable or even of people; that's why they are dangerous. The Janare, in Benevento popular belief, especially in the peasant one, are the witches of Benevento whose terrible misdeeds are told. The Majare are the witches of the popular culture of Sicily. The Pantàsema is an ancient female figure linked to the agricultural rites of the pagan culture of Central Italy, particularly present in the Molise, Lazio, Abruzzo, Umbria e Marche territories. The witches of Valcamonica were persecuted between the 16th century in the Valcamonica. The Borda belong to the culture of the Emilia-Romagna and other areas of the Po Valley in Italy. It is a sort of witch that appears, blindfolded and horrible, both at night and on foggy days and kills anyone who has the misfortune to meet her. It is a personification of the fear related to swamps and marshlands, and to ponds and canals, invoked by adults to scare children and keep them away from such potentially dangerous places. The Masca is an important figure in Piedmontese folklore and popular belief, which attributes to her supernatural faculties handed down from mother to daughter or from grandmother to granddaughter. The Bàsura, a witch of Ligurian folklore whose tradition is widespread above all in the West, is bad, according to folklores. According to the legend, she is the witch who lives in the Toirano Caves (otherwise known as the Grotte della Strega, "caves of witch"); the legend developed when, after the discovery of the caves, all the labyrinths were closed, and the wind made strange noises. Legend has it that the Bàsura does not want anyone to enter its caves. The Giubiana is a witch of Lombard and Piedmontese folklore, often thin, with very long legs and red stockings. It lives in the woods and thanks to its long legs, it never sets foot on the ground, but moves from tree to tree. So he observes all those who enter the woods and frightens them, especially the children. The Maciara is a person to whom magical powers are attributed by the popular culture of Southern Italy.
Fairies The Janas were the fairies of Sardinian folklore. They lived in the so-called Domus de Janas, which were actually rock-cut tombs. According to other legends, they lived on top of the nurhags and spent their time weaving with a gold loom. Some Domus de Janas can be visited in the coastal area of Villasimius near Riso Beach, not far from the marina. The Anguana or Agana or Longana is an aquatic nymph belonging to Alpine mythology, also widespread in Umbria, and which is also spoken of in the area of the Marmore Falls, in which it would live and/or refresh itself daily. There is also talk of this fairy in Abruzzo, Tuscany (in the area of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines), in Veneto and in Emilia-Romagna. As an aquatic nymph it lives only in fresh waters, such as lakes, rivers, streams, waterfalls or streams. The Bella 'mbriana, in the popular belief of the Neapolitan people, is the spirit of the house.
Sprites
The Buffardello, a sprite present in the popular tradition of the province of Lucca and in particular of the Garfagnana but also of the Lunigiana in the province of Massa-Carrara. The Gnefro is a sprite of the popular culture of the city of Terni and the Valnerina. The Muddittu is a sprite of the popular culture of Sicily. The Mazzamurello or Mazzamaurello is a sprite of the folkloric-fairytale tradition of the Marche, Lazio and Abruzzo. The Laurieddu is a malignant sprite of the folkloric imaginary of Salento. The Lenghelo is a goblin or sprite present in the popular tradition of the Castelli Romani which has its roots in ancient Rome. The Linchetto is a sprite present in the popular tradition of the province of Lucca. The Mazapégul is a mischievous nocturnal elf in the folklore of Romagna, known for disrupting sleep and tormenting beautiful young girls. The Mazaròl is a sprite of the folkloric-fairytale tradition of Dolomiti. The Monachicchio is a sprite present in the popular tradition of Basilicata. The Monaciello is a legendary sprite from the ancient folklore of Naples. Monaciello, which means "little Monk" in Neapolitan, is typically a benevolent man, short and stocky, dressed in a long monk's robe with a broad hood. The Squasc is a mythological being from the folklore of eastern Lombardy. The Tummà is a sprite present in the popular tradition of Apulia.
Ghosts
The Confinati or the Anime Confinate are mythical figures widespread in the popular traditions of north-eastern Lombardy, especially in the Bergamo valleys, Val Camonica and Valtellina. The Pandafeca is a dreamlike manifestation, commonly widespread in the imaginary of the Abruzzo culture. According to legend, Azzurrina was the daughter of a certain Ugolinuccio di Montebello, lord of Montebello, in the modern province of Rimini, in the mid-14th century. According to the folktale, she would have mysteriously disappeared. The Bianca di Collalto tells of a young maid who was walled up alive due to the jealousy of her mistress. His ghost appears to the members of the Collalto family to announce joys or misfortunes. The Guria, is a spirit of the popular tradition of Barletta that inhabits the houses, often identified as the "spirit of the house".
Demons
Aamon is a Grand Marquis of Hell who governs 40 infernal legions, and the 7th spirit of the Goetia. He is the demon of life and reproduction. According to the Dictionnaire Infernal by Collin de Plancy, he commands 40 legions of demons and carries the title of Prince. Su Ammuntadore or Ammuntadori is a creature of Sardinian mythology that would attack people in their sleep through nightmares. Maimone or Mamuthone is a divinity of nature current in the mythology and culture of Sardinia. He was transformed, with the advent of Christianity, into a demon. Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in Central and Eastern Alpine folklore who, during the Christmas season, scares children who have misbehaved. Krampus acts as an anti–Saint Nicholas, who, instead of giving gifts to good children, gives warnings and punishments to the bad children. Krampus belongs to the Pre-Christian Alpine traditions.