Legend of the Zisa Devils
Miceli vincenzo - CC4.0
The Devils of the Zisa of Palermo are one of the most ancient and well-known legends of the city of Sicilian capital.
Zisa Castle is known for its ventilation system which provides for the continuous circulation of air through the holes on the floor of each floor.
A legend of the Zisa is linked to this natural freshness, which he considers responsible for these flows of air, of the little devils, who, exiting the castle, bring out the fresh air that is inside. In fact, in Palermo it was used to say, when a strong wind blew in the city: “Today the devils of the Zisa are freed”.
This legend was influenced by the frescoes on the vault leading to the "Fountain". The frescoes depict figures of divinities with Jupiter in the center and Neptune with his trident, Pluto, Juno, Mercury, Vulcan, Venus, Mars and other places in a circle around them, which popular culture has nicknamed "devils" guardians of a treasure which would be hidden inside the palace.
Legend has it that it is impossible to count these figures: their spiral arrangement is such that they induce the one who wants to count them to turn on himself and therefore to lose count. In this way the little devils continue to guard the treasure.
