
So strong is this need that to find an answer to these deep questions, that they gather all their knowledge, at times combining very diverse traditions and legends. This is one of the ways we have to make the world more familiar and understandable. A perfect example of this is the Sardinian legend of Sant'Antoni ‘e
But this sounds weird
The fire of hell which torments and burns sinners is thus purified from its negative association with punishment and the devil by the mediation of the Saint, who converted it into a help and a resource. At the same time, however, the legend also wishes to remind us just exactly where fire comes from to warn us of its danger and to place sinners on guard as to what awaits them in the afterlife. More in general, this tale teaches us that things can be good or evil according to whether we use them wisely and carefully.
But it is also worth noting that here Sant’Antonio Abate replaces Prometheus: popular culture, by now completely Christianized, no longer remembers well the Greek myth or no longer understands it and is forced to revisit it with Christian figures and categories. And yet, something pagan has remained in this tale, and even more so, in the rites associated with it. Just a few days ago, on the night between 16 and 17 January, Sardinia from north to south witnessed the lighting of great bonfires in front of the local churches dedicated to Sant’Antonio Abate (and not only those dedicated to him). These are fires celebrating the gift of fire received from the Saint, but they are also propitiatory and divining. In the spirals of smoke, we are indeed able to see the future, in the same way as the ashes of the sacred fire are used to cure sickness and foster the fertility of the fields. Thus, we are led to understand that Sant’Antonio Abate did not draw fire from Hell, but from much lower down: he drew it directly from the very beginning of