Curiosities about Naples
Naples, one of the oldest cities in the West, has always been able to amaze and enchant, just like the mermaid that, according to legend, gave it life, was founded by the Greeks in the eighth century BC, who decided to stay in that land both for its mineral wealth and for its fertility.
There are many different myths about the birth of this extraordinary city, but the thing that unites them all is that Naples was born out of love for a woman, whether she was a mermaid, a princess or a young woman in love. So, the passion and sensitivity, altruism, patience, welcome and strength typical of women is what characterizes it deeply.
There are several legends that explain why Neapolitans are called Parthenopeans, and the protagonist of them is always Parthenope.
Parthenope (in ancient Greek: Παρθενόπη, in Latin Parthenŏpe) was, in ancient Greek mythology, a mermaid.
According to what is written in the Orphic Argonauts (5th century A.D.), the three mermaids Parthenope, Ligeia and Leucosia were beaten in song by Orpheus and very deeply disappointment they threw themselves into the sea, where they were transformed into rocks. Instead in the more famous Argonauts of Apollonius Rhodius (3rd century B.C.), their death is attributed to the indifference of Ulysses to the charm of their singing. Their bodies were transported from the sea: Ligea ran aground in Terina, Leucosia in Posidonia and Partenope right in the place where the Cumanians would have founded Neapolis (new city), as it was called later, about 475 B.C., when for defence reasons the territory was extended up to the area that today is the historical centre, to differentiate it from the original nucleus, called Partenope (later called palepolis, that is old city).
The mermaids are famous for their singing and the fact that Naples is the city par excellence of song that has its roots in the harmonious and bewitching singing of its founder. This also explains all the typical Neapolitan elements: love, cheerfulness, generosity, fertility, welcoming and sharing, but also melancholy.