The first known mention of the term “Mafia” occurs in 1658: it is the nickname given to Catarina la Licatisa -- nomata ancor Maffia (also called Maffia) -- and occurs in a list of heretics. According to Henner Hess’s study of the etymology of the word, it means boldness, ambition and arrogance (1). Two hundred and fifty years later, the folklorist Giuseppe Pitré (1841-1916) would record the word again in Palermo, with the meaning of “superiority, self-confidence, consciousness of being a man” (Hess 1). Explaining further, Pitrè wrote that the
The first known mention of the term “Mafia” occurs in 1658: it is the nickname given to Catarina la Licatisa --
nomata ancor Maffia(also called Maffia) -- and occurs in a list of heretics.…
2805 words
Citation: Eckert, Elgin. "Mafia in Italian literature". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 February 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19473, accessed 16 October 2024.]
