Day 26 – to Danta di Cadore (Tennis Club)

Ravascletto has made itself home to Friulian folklore. Friuli is this area of northeast Italy and has its own culture and history. While Italian is the official language of the region, several other regional languages and dialects are spoken in Friuli.

Friulian is spoken in the provinces of Udine, Gorizia, and Pordenone.

Just behind where I had camped was a forest trail with wooden sculptures and picture information on various legend.

L’Orcolat – (photo 4) is a monstrous being that popular tradition indicates as the cause of the earthquakes in Friuli. He lives locked inside the mountains of Carnia: his every sudden agitation would cause an earthquake.

Il Pavar – (photo 3) is one of the Sblifs, who are a type of gnome or goblin; eternally children and love music and dance. Something like a leprechaun. Il Pavar enjoys open spaces and lives in cultivated fields: the paladin knight of respect for nature, he punishes all those who do not protect it.

Il Bagan – (photo 5) is another Sblif, who lives in stables and enjoys spilling the bucket of freshly milked milk and hiding farmers’ tools from them.

Tradition has it that to avoid falling victim to his pranks, one would be well-advised to make him an offering of milk, cream and cjarsons (local Friulian dumplings) on Shrove Tuesday.

Il Maçarot – (photo 6) is a Sblif who is particularly mischievous. Prior to his prank the victim will hear a hiss, then afterwards, a shrill laugh.

Il Lof, La Bolp e Martin da Gnoca – (photo 8) The wolf, the fox and Martin da Gnoca randomly visit farm houses in Friuli. Each family has a different version of the story, usually told to very young children. These days it’s quite a popular childen’s book.

L’Agana – (photo 7) is the name of a fairy or witch who is said to live near rivers. She is traditionally drawn with strangely shaped large breasts. The stories are designed to communicate this complex relationship between characters and cultures.

Il Braulin – (photo 10) lives in the villages and hamlets and loves to play with lace and rope. His favourite trick is tangling both into skeins that are virtually impossible to unravel.

This is continued into a second page…