{{expand Italian, erchitu, date=January 2013
The Erchitu is a legendary creature of Sardinian tradition.
According to the ancient
legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
s of
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, a man who committed a serious fault would turn on
full moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means ...
nights into a white ox with two large horns. The creature stops in front of a house and bellows three times: his roar is heard by all the inhabitants of the country, and according to tradition, the master of the house will die within the year.
Sometimes it is accompanied by
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
s who lay two lit candles on its horns and prod it with hot skewers.
The Erchitos can free themselves from their torment only when they encounter someone brave and strong, capable of extinguishing the candles in one puff, or capable of cutting the horns on the head with one precise shot.