Galatea and Aci
Reference page: Repertory of Cults and Myths
The myth of Galatea is linked to that of the river god Aci. Galatea is a sea nymph, and precisely a Nereid, that is, one of the daughters of the ancient god of the sea Nereus, a deity even older than Poseidon. Aci instead, before being considered a river divinity, is considered a Sicilian shepherd, albeit with divine descendants, being the son of the god Pan and the nymph Simeto, personification, this, of the Simeto river that flows near Catania. Galatea and Aci love each other but are opposed by the giant Polyphemus, in turn in love with Galatea. One day, while Galatea and Aci were resting together, Polyphemus, blinded by jealousy, takes a large rock and throws it against the two. But, before the rock hits Aci, Galatea transforms it into a river, and that's how Aci becomes the god of the river that flows at the foot of Etna.
Acis and Galatea. François Perrier, about 1645 – 1650, Paris, Louvre
A certain similarity with the legend of Galatea and Aci is found in the popular legend "Lu marinaru of Capu Fetu” where it is said that two lovers (a friend and a godmother) die crushed by a boulder dropped by them St. John. Anyone who happens to pass near the boulder will smell a strong stench as a reminder of the terrible punishment suffered by the lovers. Obviously, in the legend, St. John does not kill out of jealousy but to punish the two lovers who betrayed the sacred bond of comparatic. [S. Salomone Marino: Sicilian popular legends. N° XV, page. 74]
The Myth in the IWB Register of the Sicily Region
The places of the Myth of Aci and the Nymph Galatea have been included by the Sicily Region in the LIM Register (Places of Identity and Memory of Sicily), sector of the Places of metamorphoses
The places concerned are:
- Lachea Island, Archipelago of the Cyclops (Aci Trezza-prov. Catania)
- Cave of the Doves, S. Maria la Scala (Acireale-province of Catania)
- Spring of Capo Molini (Acireale-province of Catania)
- Mouth of the Aci River, Porto S. Maria La Scala (Acireale-province of Catania)
The Cave of the Doves was inserted when some versions of the legend of Acis and Galatea identify it as the place where the two lovers met.
The island of Lachea was born from the stones thrown by Polyphemus, as in the story in which Ulysses is the protagonist.
The spring of Capo Molini is the emerged part of the river Aci, called "Jaci's blood” (Jaci's blood) due to its reddish color.
Extract from the Book ” Cults of Ancient Sicily” by Ignazio Caloggero ISBN: 9788832060102 © 2022 Centro Studi Helios srl
