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italoamericano-digital-3-4-2021

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THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano L a Bocca della Verità: sounds rather ominous, don't you think? If you look at it, all stone, stern eyes and wide, gaping mouth, the sense of dread is even stronger. The famous classical times' "lie detector" was probably, in ori- gin, a rather grandiose manhole, decorating the streets of imperial Rome or, perhaps, the mouth of a foun- tain. Others believe it was used to cover the holy well that once stood in front of a temple dedicated to Mercury, where Roman traders and bu- sinessmen would swear their honesty when selling and buying goods. In fact, this last theory seems to fit well with the reason the Mouth of Truth is so famous: it can bite your hand off, if you lie while hol- ding it inside its open lips. Apparently, the legend dates back to the Middle Ages, and it still goes strong today. The face is, probably, that of a pagan god, but there isn't agreement upon which one: maybe a faun, a god of the woods, maybe Oceanus, h i s m a r i n e c o u n t e r p a r t , maybe a local river god or even Jupiter Ammon, one of the many incarnations of the god of gods. However, as m o s t a r c h a e o l o g i s t s a n d historians seem to agree on t h e t i e s b e t w e e n i t a n d water, it is likely our not- that-friendly friend repre- sents, in the end, a divinity associated with it. Whatever its use, origin or nature, it's hard to shake the sense of unease when you look at it. This is becau- se the Mouth of Truth has entered our collective imagi- nation as a symbol of bad omens and betrayal, never mind what it was initially created for, courtesy of a series of literary and cultural references where it bites off l i a r s ' h a n d s . G r u e s o m e . D u t c h w r i t e r R i n d e r t K r o m h o u t , i n o n e o f h i s works, added an extra layer of gore by specifying that the fingers of lying children are chopped off with a scythe by a s k e l e t o n t h a t l i v e s i n a nearby crypt. L e g e n d a r y M o u t h o f Truth: no wonder it is so f a m o u s , b u t w h a t d o w e k n o w f o r r e a l a b o u t i t s history and how did it end up on the walls of Santa Maria in Cosmedin's por- tico? A s w e s a i d , t h e l a r g e stone mask dates back to Roman times, but it's been in it current location since 1631. However, there may be much earlier mentions of it, as many believe it is the very same mask presented in the 1 1 t h c e n t u r y ' s M i r a b i l i a U r b i s R o m a e — a s o r t o f tourist guide written for pil- grims visiting the holy city — that was thought to be able to foresee the future. The first mention of its hand- eating abilities is found in a 12th century text, where the Roman emperor Julian and the Devil take centre stage in a tale that may well be where the whole "Mouth of Truth" narrative comes from: appa- r e n t l y , E m p e r o r J u l i a n , known for having reinstated paganism for a brief while as the Empire's official reli- gion, was invited to do so by S a t a n i t s e l f w h o , h i d d e n inside the Mouth of Truth and pretending to be the god of deception, Mercury, pro- mised him wealth and power if he got rid of Christianity. A n o t h e r l e g e n d , s l i g h t l y o l d e r t h a n t h e p r e v i o u s , wants the mask to be the c r e a t i o n o f w i s e m a n a n d o c c u l t e x p e r t V i r g i l i u s Grammaticus, who made it with the explicit aim of d e t e c t i n g a l l p e o p l e w h o betrayed others and lied. T h e s e l e g e n d s w e r e known and widespread in t h e M i d d l e A g e s a n d t h e Renaissance, as attested by 1 5 t h c e n t u r y d o c u m e n t s w h e r e b o t h I t a l i a n a n d German travelers explain that the anthropomorphous carving was thought to reco- gnize women who cheated on their husbands. According to later written s o u r c e s , t h e " B o c c a d e l l a Verità" name appeared for the first time in 1485 and, f r o m t h e s a m e t e x t s , w e learn the mask was initially located in a different place. It was Pope Urbanus VIII in 1631 to have it moved where it still is today, on the exter- nal walls of Santa Maria in C o s m e d i n . T h e s q u a r e where the church — and the Mouth of Truth — is located, opens on the intersection between Via della Greca and Via Luigi Petroselli, in the Rione Ripa of the capital, in the same place where, centu- ries and centuries ago, the Forum Boarium stood. It is j u s t i n f r o n t o f t h e I s o l a Tiberina and takes its name from its most famous land- mark, as it is called Piazza B o c c a d e l l a V e r i t à . T h e square is quite interesting f r o m a n a r t i s t i c a n d archaeological point of view: b e s i d e S a n t a M a r i a i n Cosmedin, which was built i n t h e l a t e M i d d l e A g e s , you'll find the Arco degli A r g e n t a r i , t h e A r c o d i G i a n o , t h e T e m p l e o f Hercules and the Temple of Portunus, a river divi- nity, probably built to pro- t e c t t h e f l u v i a l p o r t t h a t , o n c e u p o n a t i m e , s t o o d nearby. In front of the tem- p l e s , y o u ' l l n o t i c e t h e Fontana dei Tritoni, crea- ted by Carlo Bizzaccheri for P o p e C l e m e n s X I a n d moved to the square at the beginning of the 18th cen- tury. Up to 1868, the foun- tain had a pretty dark fame, as executions were regularly carried out just beside it. LUCA SIGNORINI HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS What's the secret of Rome's Mouth of Truth? A girl places her hand inside the Mouth of Truth (Photo: Iznabar/Dreamstime)

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