The Crazed Fortuneteller: The Sybil

The Odious Women Tour: The Sybil of Cuma foretold of wars, writing her oracles on palm leaves which would often blow away. Known for their trancelike states and shuddering voice, Michelangelo thought that the Sybils were so important that he seated five on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Cumean Sybil, in particular, was depicted as a dark complexioned woman with wrinkles and burly build. She read a large manuscript, perhaps the Sibylline books.

The fourteenth century humanist, Giovanni Boccaccio, devoted a chapter to the Sybil in his Famous Women in which he called her a maiden named Almathea or Deiphebe. Boccaccio said she was born in the city of Cumae and lived many centuries until the reign of the Etruscan king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus. He claimed that she preserved her virginity and had a sanctuary near Lake Avernus where she made many predictions.

Boccacio took his legends from the Roman writer, Varro (116 B.C. – 27 B.C.) who collected a compendium of extant knowledge about the Sybils. Varro wrote of the legend that the Cumean Sibyl went to Rome with nine Sibylline books, which she wanted to sell to Tarquinius, the Etruscan king of Rome. When he refused her price, she burned three of them in his presence. She came back the next day to burn another three until he paid the full price for the remaining three books. He acquiesced because the books contained the entire destiny of Rome.

The Roman writer Ovid also mentioned the Cumean Sybil in his Metamorphsis. Here, the Sybil spoke in her own voice, explaining that she was not a goddess, but a mortal woman who asked Apollo that she remain a virgin and gain eternal life. Apollo granted her eternal life, but forgot to add eternal youth. As a consequence, she lived for seven hundred years, shriveling into grains of sand.

Interestingly, Pausanias, the Greek traveler and geographer of the 2^nd century A.D. said the temple guides at Cumae showed him a stone water-jug (hydria) of small size in which, they said, lay the bones of the Sybil. This was considered proof that before her death, the Sybil had shrunk to diminutive size. Petronius also told a folktale that she hung in a bottle (ampula) in Cumae wishing to die.

The highest respect to the Sybil was given by Ovid’s predecessor, the Roman poet Virgil. In his fourth book of the Ecologues he mentioned her as having foretold the coming of Christ. Virgil also described the Sybil in The Aeneid when Aeneas, after leaving Dido at the shores of Carthage, landed at Cumae. He wrote: “…her face was transfigured, her color changed, her hair fell in disorder about her head and she stood there with heaving breast and her wild heart bursting in ecstasy. She seemed to grow in stature and speak as no mortal had ever spoken...”

Antro della Sibilla with shafts on one side pouring light into the trapezoidal tunnel at Cuma

The Sybil's Cave at the end of the trapezoidal tunnel at Cumae

In 1932, Amedeo Maiuri (January 7, 1886 - April 7, 1963), the Neapolitan archeologist who was installed as chief archeologist for Pompeii, said he re-discovered the entrance to the Sybil’s cave that corresponded to Virgil’s account. But today, a mystery continues. An 'Antro della Sibilla' exists at Cuma whereas a 'Grotto della Sibilla' exists at Lake Averno.

Which is the real Sybil's cave? In the book Sybils and Sibylline Prophecy in Classical Antiquity, H.W. Parke explores this very question. Virgil’s Sybil lived at Cumae, but scholars theorize that perhaps there was another, far older Cimmerean Sybil who gave her oracles at Lake Averno.

Parke says that the Roman writer, Varro, identified ten Sybils in the ancient world. Two were located in Campania – the Cimmerean and the Cumaean. Varro took his evidence of a Cimmerean Sybil from Gnaeus Naevius who stipulated that the Cimmereans inhabited the area around Lake Avernus before the Cumaean’s.

This Roman legend would have been essential for the Romans to believe. Why? Although Cumae was recognized as the oldest Greek colony on the Italian mainland (established around the 6th century B.C.), the settlement did not antedate the Trojan War. For Naevius, legend had it that Aeneas fled from Troy after the Trojan war and reached Italy where he consulted the Sybil who “prophesied the future to mortals and lived in the town of the Cimmereans.” So if Aeneas came to this lake, then a colony must have existed already around 1000 B.C. The Sybil would have been Cimmerean, not Cumean.

Dirt Path Leading to the Grotto della Sibilla at Lake Averno

The Entrance to the Sybil's cave inside the Grotto della Sibilla at Lake Averno

Of course, by the time Virgil and the Romans wrote legends about the Sybil, she no longer existed. So the Romans themselves were already stipulating and creating fictions of their own.

Which legends about the Sybil do you believe?

Book Recommendations: Sybils and Sibylline Prophecy in Classical Antiquity by H.W. Parke and Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel by Andrew Graham-Dixon.

Summer Solstice

In this mid-week post, I'm diverging from my usual format to document a Naples original event.

Event: Every solstice, a group of universal-minded Italians hold a Solstice Ceremony at the Temple of Apollo in Lago Averno. The ceremony is well attended and charming in its desire to unite all religions and all peoples together.

We began at 18:30 on June 21st outside the Temple of Apollo. While everyone gathered around, an elderly gentleman gave an introduction to the coming service, in particular the need for the group to respect silent moments.

Then we filed into the Temple -- a place usually closed to the public. The ceremony began with two circles, one inner and one outer. We first recited an "Invocation of the Seven Directions." Throughout the service, songs were sung and individuals read poems. Symbols of the earth, wind, fire, and water were passed around: a plate of Lago Averno water, bread, incense, and a torch went from person to person.

An elderly woman gave a speech explaining that we come together with our sayings and songs from different religions in order to appreciate our unity.

We then made our way from inside the Temple to the lake where we swept candles on lilypads into the water. Stones were also thrown into the water as offerings. The ceremony ended with a long "OM...." at the banks of the lake just as the sun sets across the crater.

The next solstice ceremony will be held in winter. The event is free and you can find more at Centro Nuova Era. (The center is located in Vomero overlooking a breathtaking view and offers massages, yoga, and other activities.)

Pace!

The Sibyl's Grotto

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi chi'intrate.

(Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.)

Inscribed above the Gates of Hell in Dante Alighieri's Inferno (111, 9)

Nook of Naples: Along the road at Lake Averno, an easily missed sign reads Grotto di Sibilla. Here, a dirt path curves and ends at a gated opening. Legend has it that Aeneas, with the Sybil at his side, embarked on his journey to Hades through this cave. Nowadays, a charming guide, Carlo Santillo, gives tours by reservation, handing visitors candles and lamps.

This cave, archeologists say, was once a Roman military tunnel that connected Lake Averno to Lake Lucrino where fish used to be abundant until the 1698 eruption, which killed them off and created an entirely new mountain called Monte Nuovo. Inside the tunnel, carved inlets show where Romans placed oil lamps to light the way, giving the dark area a heavy scent of noxious fumes. The cave also had a circuitry of interconnected passageways that today end in dirt or water. Carlo takes visitors down one passageway that ends in murky water. He then explains that this is the entrance to Hades and the water is the beginning of the River Styx.

The tour resumes with a walk to the end of the main tunnel, where a mammoth staircase leads to what may have been a Roman restaurant, bathhouse, or – Carlo maintains – the place where the Sybil uttered her oracles. A body of water has a wooden plank over which visitors step to see the caverns where the Sibyl bathed and had a sanctuary.

Is this in fact the ‘real’ location where the Sybil uttered her oracles? In the book Sybils and Sibylline Prophecy in Classical Antiquity, H.W. Parke explores this very question. Virgil’s Sybil lived at Cuma, but scholars theorize that perhaps there was another far older Cimmerean Sybil who gave her oracles in this particular hollow space.

Parke says that the Roman writer, Varro, identified ten Sybils in the ancient world. Two were located in Campania – the Cimmerean and the Cumaean. Varro took his evidence of a Cimmerean Sybil from Gnaeus Naevius who stipulated that the Cimmereans inhabited the area around Lake Avernus before the Cumaean’s.

This Roman legend would have been essential for the Caesars and their populous to believe. Why? Although Cuma was recognized as the oldest Greek colony on the Italian mainland (established around 600 B.C.), the settlement did not antedate the Trojan War. For Naevius, legend had it that Aeneas fled from Troy after the war and reached Italy where he consulted the Sybil who “prophesied the future to mortals and lived in the town of the Cimmereans.” So if Aeneas fled came to this lake, then a colony must have existed already around 1000 B.C.

While touring a cavern like this, myth and legend become far more truthful than archeological finds and historical records. Bradyseism has made it difficult to tell what exactly existed here two-thousand-years ago; most of the grotto is under 30-60 feet of dirt. But when Carlos blows out the candles, the pitch blackness of the cavern gives the impression of being a place where Hades himself still roams.

Getting There: The Lake lies in a hidden crater with only one narrow road leading toward it. But hang in there and you'll find the wonderful Grotto di Sibilla, which is worth a visit. It's by reservation only, so call Carlo Santillo at 333-632-0642.

Book Recommendation: The Metamorphoses by Ovid (34 BC - 17 AD) This is my favorite collection of ancient Greek and Roman myths. Ovid starts at the creation story and ends with the deification of Augustus. The tales he spins include those of Daedalus, Pygmalion, and also a passage describing the Sybil’s tragic life.

La Cucina Napoletana: The Sibyl's Grotto connected insipid Lake Averno to what was once the lush Lake Lucrino. During ancient times, the lake teemed with fish of all kinds. Today, markets everywhere in the Naples region sell a wide array of fish that are still fresh and unpolluted.

Grilled Fish

The Neapolitans eat their fish simply. No recipe necessary. Just buy a gutted fish, put a little olive oil on the outside and then throw it on a grill for about 20-30 minutes. After that, opening the fish at its belly and taking out the bones from head to tail in one fell swoop makes for ease of eating. A grilled fished is moist and buttery all on its own. Make sure to add a little lemon juice to give it a tangy bite.