The legend of Janara of Naples

Behind the Naples famous for the sun, the sea and the mandolin there is also an underlying dark city, made of darkness, esotericism and stories about mysticism. The legend of Janara has precisely its origins in that world of occultism.

Neapolitan inhabitants hear about her frequently even now, but strangers unlikely know her. That creature, generally considered responsible for nightmares and sleep paralysis, is a very ancient mystical figure, belonging to the oldest and most profane part of the city. Although relegated to a world of popular beliefs, often conditioned by superstition, Janara is even sighted nowadays. In fact, many people swear to recognize her features in the dark of the night and many others claim not to be able to sleep well because of that.

However, what is the cult of Janara in Naples and how did it start? Let us find out together.

The true story of Janara

Every time someone has a sleep paralysis or a bad nightmare, her name is brought back to memory: does Janara really exist? According to the legend, the spirit incarnated in the body of a woman who really existed, that of a priestess, who died many years ago. Her name was Diana, then mangled in Janara to attribute a negative meaning to her. The woman had a particular temperament and it was rumoured that her spiritual vocation was nothing more than a way to conceal her witching nature. The sorceress used to enter others’ places to peek at those who lived there and to watch children sleep; in fact, her deep restlessness just originated from  her desire, never came true, to become a mother. 

What Janara does

According to the legend, Diana also entered others’ places to steal their horses. Then, the following day the foals usually came back home with their manes braided, an unmistakable trace of the witch’s passage. Nowadays, however, the visit of the spirit is perceived with a sudden pressure on the belly, a sign that Janara has just sat on the sleeping person. Very often, always according to common belief, the spirit muddles things up or causes a feeling of suffocation in the chest of the beholder.According to some people, her existence is relegated to a fantasy world but others swear up and down they have met her several times.