The Legend of the Anguane...(Part A) and other Calalzo, Italy Local Custom Tips

It is said, that the Anguane were beautiful young girls, with long flowing hair, tubular breasts, with feet in the form of sheep hoofs. The following is a legend pertaining particularly to Primiero, another mountain town, but the legend lives on in the region, regardless of the specific town.

Three lovely girls used to come to Primiero every summer to sell flowers; flowers no one had ever seen before. All the girls were very beautiful, but so shy they fled at the slightest noise and they were so quiet, they only made themselves understood with tiny nods of the head.

The people had invented strange stories about them. Some said they weren't human; others thought they were probably Anguane; others again that they lived in the rivers...

None of this mattered to a young local shepherd called Siror. He was madly in love with the girl who had long golden hair. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He neglected his sheep and friends and followed her everywhere, from village to village, intervening when anyone pestered her and running to silence the noise of a sawmill or the bark of a dog.

One day Siror decided to find out where the three maidens lived. When evening fell he did not return home as usual, but followed them at a distance without being seen. He was amazed when he saw the girls stop on the banks of the river Cismon, dive into the water and swim about until they turned into three lovely... otters! Poor Siror was so frightened he fell down with a cry and fainted.

(continued Part B)

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continued from Part A...

The Anguane, or rather, the three otters swam to the bank, got out of the water, turned into women again and ran to the shepherd's side. The girl with the golden hair caressed the unconscious boy and kissed his brow, cheeks and lips.

- Why did you follow me here? - whispered the Anguana weeping. - Now our secret has been discovered we won't be able to show our faces around here any more. We'll have to live like otters forever and I wont be able to see you again. Will you remember me?

The other two slowly pulled the maiden away from the shepherd's body and dragged her back to the water. Then once again they turned into otters and disappeared among the waves.

When Siror woke up in the morning, at first he thought it had all been a dream: the Anguane, the otters, the girl with the golden hair... He stood up with a sad sigh and was about to turn round and go home when he realised the whole field, where he had slept, was covered with lots and lots of tiny pale blue flowers, the same kind the Anguane used to sell in the valley every summer. At the same time his attention was attracted by a sudden splash of water. He turned and there, in the middle of the torrent, he saw a vein of golden froth and he heard a tiny voice saying:

- Forget me not... forget me... not!

For more legends of the area...http://www.infodolomiti.it/dolomiti.run?3B023BB1,L=1

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Calalzo di Cadore

They tell a story about...:
The little Lake of Lagole has been well-known since ancient times because of its beneficial properties. In fact, women used to gather there to stay young and beautiful. Thanks to this tradition, it was also called Lago delle tose (Maidens' Lake). This area was near the Anguane kingdom, located in Sabassa. The "Anguane" were strange wicked women with goat's hooves. They were envious of the local women's beauty. One night, under a full-moon, while all the men were out hunting, the women gathered at the lake to carry out their customary bathing ritual. Bianca, the chief's daughter was among them. She was the most beautiful of all. When the ladies were underwater, the Anguane attacked them with their horrid hooves, and killed them all. Still not satisfied, the Anguane set the village on fire. When the men saw the flames they ran towards the village, but it was already too late. They built a sort of stretcher where they lay young Bianca and carried her towards the Marmarole mountains. The God of Lagole, moved to pity by such savagery, worked his first miracle: He made pink sweet-smelling flowers grow where drops of her blood, fell to the earth. Once they had arrived at the peak of Croda Bianca (White Crag), the god worked a second miracle. He turned all of the men standing near Bianca's tomb into stone. That way, no one would be able to disturb Bianca's rest ever again. The Anguane returned to their grotto, but they did not escape the punishment of the god of Lagole. He transformed his beneficial waters into poisonous ones, thus, killing the wicked women.

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