In a passage from Dolores Turchi’s book “Masks, Myths, and Festivals of Sardinia,” regarding the nuraghe Talasai in Sedilo, it states that “According to tradition, there is a treasure there, guarded by the fairy who weaves on a golden loom.
To this ancient tradition, a later legend was added about Eurania of Talasai, where it is said that Eurania, the daughter of the marquis of Talasai, took her own life to avoid marrying the marquis of the nearby nuraghe of Iloi.
But the names Eurania and Talasai are a clue to the ancient place of worship where the fairy guarding the treasure was the ancient Moira spinner.
Talasia indicates in Greek the work of wool, and Eurania, Euràmen (from eurisco) means to find one’s fate. Therefore, the name Eurania of Talasai was likely to indicate the oracle where the spinning fairy was consulted to know one’s fate.”
We do not have the necessary expertise to assess the correctness or not of what Turchi claims regarding the meaning of the names that appear in the story; however, the legends are nonetheless fascinating and especially refer to the names of the two nuragic sites of Iloi and Talasai, true jewels of the Sedilo area.
The photos of the nuragic sites of Talasai and Iloi are by: Maurizio Cossu, Acrissantu for Wikimapia, Gianni Sirigu, Bibi Pinna, and Diversamente Sardi.
