Tales of Sicily – Mascali and the jealousy of the Volcano
Mount Etna, the majestic volcano known everywhere around the world as a symbol of Sicily, is home to several enchanting places on its slopes, such as Adrano, Bronte (famous for its Pistachios), Paternò, Belpasso, Randazzo, Giarre and Acireale. Among all of them, however, to feel more the pressure of the Mongibello, is Mascali.
Mythology tells how Etna was once the workshop of the god Hephaestus, otherwise known as Vulcano. Here the god, helped by the manual strength of the cyclops, manufactured powerful and robust weapons for the gods and, at that time, the power of magma was so disruptive that it caused earthquakes and eruptions, which frightened the locals. But that wasn’t the only reason to worry the locals. Vulcano had, in fact, fallen madly in love with a nymph, who lived right on the slopes of Mount Etna. But the nymph named Rosemarine did not reciprocate the love of the dangerous divinity, but was instead in love with a handsome shepherd named Mascali, who used to graze his flocks in the valley where the nymph lived.
Upon learning of this relationship, Vulcan became angry and threw a violent eruption on Mascali and the whole town, which killed the young man and surrounded everything but spared the valley where the nymph lived. It was of no use, however, since the nymph, desperate for the death of the beloved shepherd, threw herself into the lava, and thus died.
Among the various eruptions over the decades, it happened that one was particularly violent, that of 1928, and covered all of Mascali in flames. Everything except a palm tree. The inhabitants believed that the palm tree was the reincarnation of the beautiful nymph Rosemarine, who remained forever beside her beautiful shepherd Mascali, and that, even then, Vulcano did not have the courage to hurt his beloved nymph.