The Houses of the Fairies
All over Sardinia, small doorways lead into chambers cut into the rock. Sardinians called them the houses of the janas: tiny fairy women who wove on looms of gold.
What was reported
There are more than 3,500 domus de janas, 'houses of the janas', in Sardinia: rooms carved into rock outcrops and hillsides, some single cells, some with many chambers, carved pillars, false doors and painted bull's horns.
Sardinian folklore said they were the homes of the janas, little fairy women, sometimes kind, sometimes not, who spun and wove with golden thread, sang at night, and guarded hidden treasure.
Explanations offered
Archaeologists have found they're tombs from the Neolithic and Copper Age, about 5,000 years old, carved to look like houses for the dead. Some were later reused as churches or shelters. Many are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- When
- Carved about 5,000 years ago
- Where
- Sant'Andrea Priu, Sardinia, Italy
- Witnesses
- Sardinian folklore, and archaeologists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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