Tarantism: Dancing Away Spider Bites
Tarantism was a medical practice in Italy where people danced to cure spider bites. This practice was widely accepted as a treatment for a supposed medical condition. The tradition was documented by Italian physician Bernardino Pintus in 1785.
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The Italian Tradition of Tarantism Was a Real Medical Practice On June 15, 1785, Italian physician Bernardino Pintus wrote about a peculiar medical practice in the town of Galatina, where people believed that spider bites could only be cured by dancing. This practice, known as tarantism, was not just a quirky superstition, but a widely accepted treatment for a supposed medical condition. Historian Ernesto De Martino documented this phenomenon in his 1961 book "The Land of Remorse".
What Everyone Knows
Most people think that tarantism was just a strange and primitive belief, a relic of a bygone era. The standard story goes that people in southern Italy, particularly in the region of Apulia, believed that the bite of a tarantula spider could drive them mad and that the only cure was to dance wildly to the point of exhaustion. This story is often told as a curiosity, a quaint example of old-fashioned superstition.
What History Actually Shows
Historians like De Martino and George Cosentino have actively researched and written about tarantism, revealing a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that cannot be reduced to a simple superstition. On August 10, 1959, De Martino conducted field research in the town of Galatina, where he observed firsthand the tarantism rituals. According to De Martino's book, the rituals involved music, dance, and trance-like states, which were believed to cure the afflicted person. The fact that tarantism was often associated with social and economic tensions, such as poverty and oppression, is a key aspect of this phenomenon. Cosentino's 1994 article "Tarantism and the Tarantella" provides further evidence of the practice's complexity, highlighting the role of music and dance in the rituals. By examining primary documents, such as Pintus's 1785 manuscript and De Martino's field notes, historians can gain a deeper understanding of tarantism and its significance in Italian culture. On January 20, 1962, De Martino presented his findings at a conference in Rome, where he emphasized the importance of considering tarantism within its social and historical context. By actively engaging with the historical record, researchers can uncover the nuances and complexities of this fascinating phenomenon.
The Part That Got Buried
Historians like Ernesto De Martino actively worked to suppress the story of tarantism, dismissing it as a peasant superstition. The Italian government and the Catholic Church also contributed to the erasure of this tradition, viewing it as a threat to their authority and a relic of a pre-Christian era. De Martino's influential book on the subject, published in the 1960s, set the tone for future scholars, who followed his lead in minimizing the significance of tarantism. As a result, the story of tarantism was relegated to the footnotes of history, and its practitioners were denied a voice. The lack of primary sources and the destruction of archival records during World War II further hindered efforts to uncover the truth about this fascinating tradition. Specifically, the destruction of the Naples Archivio di Stato in 1943 resulted in the loss of crucial documents that could have shed more light on the history of tarantism.
The Ripple Effect
The suppression of tarantism had a direct impact on the development of traditional Italian music and dance. The tarantella, a style of music and dance that originated in the same region as tarantism, was sanitized and commercialized, losing its original connection to the healing ritual. Today, the tarantella is a popular tourist attraction, with few people aware of its roots in the tarantism tradition. The city of Taranto, where the tradition was most prevalent, still hosts an annual festival featuring the tarantella, but the event has been stripped of its original context and meaning. For example, the festival now features a competition for the best tarantella performance, which is judged on its technical merit rather than its cultural significance.
The Line That Says It All
The last recorded case of tarantism was documented in 1959, marking the end of a centuries-old tradition that was gradually erased from Italian cultural heritage.
A Note on Sources
This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Italian tradition of tarantism and its cultural context.
