In the book by Dolores Turchi “Lo Sciamanesimo in Sardegna” (Newton Compton editori / Edizioni La Torre – 2008), it reads among other things: “…We know from ancient sources that in Sardinia those who committed certain thefts were unmasked by means of water, which could blind them if they did not tell the truth. This type of ordeal, practiced after an oath, is referred to by Solinus, who writes that in Sardinia there were miraculous waters in which those accused of theft were forced to wash their eyes. << Those who deny under oath that they have committed the theft attributed to them must wet their eyes with those waters; if they tell the truth, they will see more clearly, but if they swear falsely, they will be struck by blindness and, deprived of the use of their eyes, will admit their guilt. >> Since we know that there are no waters capable of such miracles, it is clear that these were manipulated by skilled individuals, presumably shaman priests who were well aware of the properties of certain herbs. Those who ordered this type of ordeal must have introduced toxic substances into the water taken from a sacred well like that of Su Romanzesu, near which the trial and judgment of the accused were to take place. These, depending on the amount, could cause blindness, even if only temporary, in order to induce the guilty party to confess…”.
Attached: the nuragic site of “Su Romanzesu” in Bitti in the photographs by Marco Secchi, Alberto Valdès, and Nicola Barbicha Tornello.
