FATA MORGANA – WHY IS A MIRAGE SO NAMED?

fata morgana

Is it not curious that an optical illusion has become associated with the notable sorceress from Arthurian legend, Morgana? Morgana is known by many names, including Morgan or Morgan the Fey, and many tales tell that Morgana brought about the downfall of Merlin. But why did this phenomenon whereby object on, or even behind the horizon can be seen distorted, vertically elongated or even inverted, come to be associated with Morgana?

Fata Morgana is the Italian name for Morgana, and means ‘The Fairy Morgana’. She was a shape-shifter and was said to live in a palace of pure crystal beneath the sea that she could cause to rise above the waves at will. It was to this that the phenomenon was ascribed, as it seemed to show a false harbour to which unwary mariners might be lured – the saying ‘building castles in the air’ refers to this, also. In French the phenomenon is called ‘le Chateau de Morgan le Fee’.
The first recorded usage of the term ‘fata morgana’ in 1818 was specifically applied to the observation of the mirage in the Strait of Messina, a narrow sea channel separating mainland Italy and Sicily.

How, might you ask, does a ‘British’ sorceress come to give her name to a Sicilian optical novelty? It seems that Morgana was long associated with the island and Etna. This may owe something to an medieval romance ‘Florent and Florete’ where Morgana is described as ‘Mistress of the Sea-Fairies’ ie sirens, also closely linked to Sicily. It is testament to broad appeal to the Arthurian canon that many countries have sought to appropriate the legends, for instance, Avalon has been located to many islands in the Mediterranean including Sicily. Mount Etna was also thought to be last resting place of Arthur, this legend may have arisen after Arthurian tales were introduced to the island during the Norman conquest of the island.
View the embedded video clip to get a sense of the phenomenon:
Fata Morgana; video clip