Ancient Rome and Modern Italy 37 



about them current among the Italian people which I cannot deal 

 with here. 192 



Fata, the Roman Fates, now appear as Fate, of which the sin- 

 gular in Italian is Fata. They are often thought of as beautiful 

 spirits in contrast with the aged crones who figured as the three 

 Fates in classic times. They can be generous and full of fun. 

 They will rejuvenate the old, beautify the ugly, and enrich the 

 poor, but their vengeance for any slight is much to be feared. 193 

 The other conception of them as little wrinkled vecchiettine who 

 deal out to us good and bad does, however, still exist. 194 In 

 Abruzzese folklore we even hear of Sibilla as the chief of the Fate, 

 a seducer of young men and a bugbear whose name is used in 

 parental discipline of the very young: Zitto zitto eke la Sibilla ti 

 porta via, "Hush, hush, or Sibilla will carry you off." 195 Pre- 

 sumably to be associated with the Italian Fate are the spirits that 

 are called Fatuzzi. In order to protect her baby against them 

 a mother of Trapani in Sicily will put around the left arm a circlet 

 of amber or glass. This carries as amulets a bunch of coral horns 

 with fastening of gold or silver, along with seashells, little keys 

 of silver, and other baubles which have been blessed in her church 

 in spite of their patently pagan background. It seems that God 

 punished the Fatuzzi for boasting equality with Him at the time 

 He came on earth. 196 San Michele Archangelo evicted them from 

 Paradise, and, in these days, they make midair their place of hab- 

 itation. 197 Their attitude towards man is now kindly, now mal- 

 eficent. They are thought of as tiny gnome-like creatures who 

 lie with women. They seem indeed, to be as incontinent as a 

 Roman Fire Spirit (the Lar Familiaris?) might be, or as certain 

 Italian folletti. 198 



The utter helplessness of an infant and the constant exposure 

 of growing children to injury when they have little foresight of 

 their own to prevent it have led parents in every period of Italian 

 history to safeguard them not only by human watchfulness and 

 care, but also by the protection of spiritual powers to whom appeal 

 could be made in prayer and, when success had attended the peti- 

 tion, some return of gratitude could be made in the form of a 

 votive offering or religious sacrifice. 



Everybody possessed of any cultural education is familiar with 

 the names and fields of interest of the major gods and goddesses 



