The legends of Campania are full of scary beings, and one of them is a tiny spirit with magic powers - the "munaciello", a goblin-like dwarf about whose origin there are two theories.
Caterinella Frezza, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant, fell in love with the handsome Stefano Mariconda, a stable boy. Their families, of course, disapproved because of their difference in social status. In spite of this, the two lovers continued to meet in secret, living moments of indescribable joy. But one day, everything turned to tragedy. Stefano was murdered in their secret meeting-place and Caterinella decided to take to the cloisters. A sweet memory of their love was a child. But the child would not grow and the convent nuns helped him, up to a point, by covering up his deformity. They made him clothes similar to those of a monk, with a hood. But as he made his way around the streets of Naples, they called him names and cursed him, giving him the name of "lu munaciello".
He was said to have magical powers, so that when he wore the red hood that his mother had made from a piece of purple wool, he brought good luck; but when his hood was black, he brought bad luck. However, the red hood seemed to appear very rarely, so lu munaciello was sworn at and cursed. One evening, he mysteriously disappeared for good, and it is from the time of his supposed death that the legend of a sprite that appeared in the alleyways and houses of Naples began to spread. He was said to bring bad luck, but also to be a blessing, so that many people tried to invoke him. The munaciello was at one and the same time respected, feared and loved.
The second theory holds the munaciello to be the keeper of the ancient water wells which were many houses had easy access to through the tunnels down which the bucket was lowered. He worked his mischief, perhaps, on the owners of the well who refused to pay him for his services.