the munaciello

The munaciello or monaciello ("little monk" in Neapolitan) is a legendary Neapolitan spirit, both benevolent and mischievous in nature, usually depicted as a deformed boy or a short person wearing a robe. The legend dates back centuries. According to Matilde Serao, the munaciello is a real character. Its origins date back to 1445, during the reign of Alfonso V of Aragon, when one of the many impossible love stories described in Neapolitan poetic and musical tradition took place between Caterinella Frezza, daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant, and the apprentice Stefano Mariconda. Strongly opposed, especially by her family, the couple resorted to clandestine meetings at night, to which the young apprentice would travel by walking a dangerous path across the rooftops of Naples. It was during one of these walks that Stefano was attacked and thrown into the void, before his fiancée's eyes. Catherine asked and was granted permission to confine herself in a local convent, where she gave birth to a small, deformed child. Although his mother had asked the Madonna for a grace to restore the child's health, the infant's condition did not improve as he grew. His mother began dressing him in a black and white monk's habit, and this gave rise to the nickname "munaciello" (little monk) given to him by the people. His figure, with its oversized head and small body, wandered the streets of the port district, arousing disgust and suspicion, which soon escalated into constant insults and insults. The munaciello mysteriously disappeared, and popular rumor held that he had been taken away by the devil. After his death, the Neapolitan people continued to see him in the most disparate places in the slums, and all the unfavorable events of daily life began to be attributed to his thirst for vengeance. If you want to hear stories, you will; if you want authentic documents, you will. The munaciello is capable of anything…