Indeed, in February, love lurks from every angle. Even the toughest people break down and manage to get more or less drawn into the magic of this feeling. While for some love represents hearts, roses, chocolates, for others it is an incredible story, which is filled with hard moments, difficulties, ups, and downs. A story that, once touched, remains a lasting imprint in your mind. We can certainly tell a lot about such people.
In our previous blog article, we told you about the love story of the poet Francesco Petrarch and his lifelong muse Laura. In it, we focused on the impossibility of feelings, which turns them into a timely emanation of the sublime. Why? Because in deprivation, higher thought is born. The second takes place in a magical natural place. It is not so much of a story, but a legend associated with mysticism and magic.
It is about La Montagna Spaccata and one of the legends associated with the appearance of this place.
Let’s start from the beginning, and it will take us to Gaeta. Gaeta is a small coastal town in central Italy. It is located south of Rome and its shores are washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea. Despite its small size, the city is a popular tourist destination. One of its main attractions is the hill of Monte Orlando, which is part of the Odyssey Riviera Nature Park. Another thing Gaeta is known for is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena, La Montagna Spaccata, also known as the “Split Mountain”. It will come as no surprise to anyone that such a place has spawned a variety of legends, some of which are more interesting. It impresses and leaves every visitor breathless.
One of these legends is about the love between the mystical creature Anguana Ethel and the common man Giordano.
Anguanеs are beautiful water maidens that are connected to water sources and water. They are nature spirits, similar to Greek or Roman nymphs. Auguanеs are usually described as young women, often quite attractive and seductive, with very long hair. They are guardians and mistresses of the water. In some stories, they are described as good spirits, and in others as evil. The men had to beware of these creatures and avoid passing by water bodies so as not to be lured by the anguanеs and their evil intentions. However, marriages between anguanеs and human beings were not ruled out, albeit doomed to misfortune due to their different nature.
The legend of La Montagna Spaccata tells the love story between the beautiful anguana Ethel, daughter of the Queen of the Woods, and the young Giordano. According to it, they loved each other so much that they found a way to get married secretly.
The fact that they were enemies by nature did not deter them, nor did the curse that hung over Ethel. Her life was reversibly tied to that of her mother. The moment the Queen of the Woods took her last breath, Ethel would suddenly disappear. This is exactly what happened. One night, while everyone was sleeping, Ethel’s mother died. Only the anguana withdrew from the embrace of sleep and fled to its inevitable fate. Unfortunately, her long hair caressed the face of her lover. He also woke up and ran after her. Ethel ran away, and Giordano tried unsuccessfully to catch up. The thing that stopped the anguana was the mountain that stood in her way. Suddenly, the mountain split in two, and Ethel was dragged into the crevice where she disappeared. This is how La Montagna Spaccata came to be, and the name means split mountain. In a last-ditch attempt to save his wife, Giordano resolutely rushed to the crevice. He was stopped by the sudden appearance of a magnificent waterfall that blocked the entrance. It is believed that this waterfall is the embodiment of the spirit of Ethel, who watches over the mountain.
