Creepy Urban Legends: Bocca Della Verita

 

Image by Gianni Crestani from Pixabay 

Centuries ago, people were always wondering if someone was telling the truth or not.

So when they came across the Mouth of Truth, they thought all their problems regarding someone’s truthfulness was solved.

But did it really?

The Mouth of Truth was constructed centuries ago and weighs more than 1300 kg. It is situated in Rome and is now a tourist attraction.

The face is believed to be based on Oceanus- God of Sea. Its eyes are holes, has an open mouth and is bearded.

The exact reason for its construction is not confirmed but if you look at it, and realize that Rome is also known for some of the famous fountains, it seems to be part of a fountain.

God of Sea. Fountain. Makes a little sense.

The reason why it is called The Mouth of Truth could be because a construction worker probably put his hand into the mouth and got hurt. He probably told a lot of lies as well which earned the statue the reputation of punishing those who lie.

According to a legend, a man married a beautiful woman, then left her to go to business to another town.

In his absence, the woman had an affair with her neighbor. When the husband returned, he suspected his wife of having an affair behind his back but didn’t know who her lover was. He decided to take her to the Mouth of Truth to find out if his wife was being honest about her faithfulness.

The wife is terrified and the devious neighbor comes to her rescue. She stumbles, he catches her and she thanks him.

The husband takes her to the Mouth of Truth, she puts her hand in and declares she’s never been touched by another man than the one who just saved her from stumbling.

The Mouth doesn’t chew her hand off and her husband believes her lies.

Not long after, the truth of the woman’s affair was revealed and the Mouth of Truth lost its credibility.

The Mouth of Truth is still a great tourist attraction and is visited by many.

No one has lost their hand yet.