The mouth of truth

In the portico of the Paleochristian church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, at the foot of the Aventine hills, a Roman statue is conserved that has attracted the attention and curiosity of tourists from all over the world. It is the "Bocca della Verità", which in English means the Mouth of Truth, an ancient stone mask from the Classical period that represents a river god with an open mouth, wide eyes and a flowing mane of hair.

The reason for its unshakeable fame is a rather macabre legend associated with the mask since ancient times. If a liar puts their hand inside its mouth, they will lose it.

This legend probably originates from Roman times. It is said that the rich wife of a Roman noble was accused of adultery. The woman denied the accusations, but her husband wanted to put her to the test by making her hand inside the stone mouth. Knowing perfectly well that she was lying, the woman used a very clever strategy. In front of a group of curious bystanders who had gathered around the Mouth of Truth, the man who was actually her lover embraced her and kissed her. She pretended that she didn't know him and accused him of being a madman and the crowd chased him away.

When she put her hand into the mouth, the woman declared that she had never kissed any other man apart from her husband and the poor madman who had just kissed her. In this way she was certain that she hadn't lied and her hand was saved. The betrayed husband saved her honour, but the Mouth of Truth lost its credibility and it is said that since that day it no longer carried out its function as a right and unappeasable judge.

Thanks for your comments. Be happy.

Excelente luz y color, gran composici´pon, Gracias por la leccion de Historia, Un abrazo y un buen Year 2009 Jose Ignacio.

Muy buena la explicacion y mejor la foto. Un buen inicio de año.

Saludos

happy new year

Interesting image and a great story it tells. Thank you for sharing.

Hola José Ignacio. Te deseo un Feliz 2009, mucha salud y muy buenas fotos. Un gran abrazo de Eugenio.

:-) Gracias Nacho.

Pepe amigo.. What an interesting story .. its like a good good glas of wine with a perfect dinner( your photo) Stunning...

 

. Wish you a Happy 2009.from Montreal..abrasito..

John

Me gusta la historia, una lastima que solo sea eso, creo que habitariamos en un mundo de mancos y en nuestra aficion muchas veces necesitamos las dos. Evidentemente la negrura de ojos y boca impone su respeto. Max anon. Que este 2009 te trate lo mejor posible, un abrazo, Vicente.

Excelente historia, la verdad concido con Vicente,me da gusta ver que no funciona porque no tendria como tomar mis fotos. Me gusta el tratamiento que le has dado, este tono magenta me agrada porque resalta las texturas. Saludos. Un Feliz Año

Impressive! Great light and composition! 7/7a. Happy new year! Best regards.

Excelente, muy buena image...7/7! Feliz y prospero 2009!!! Un abrazo, Diego

Very good capture. Warm regards.

Me ha gustado la explicacion, que ya intuia, pero que ha valido la pena traducir. 7/7 A.

con algun pero. Un abrazo.

Great impression and interesting story behind

What a wonderful story..well found and documented...Regards

Hola Jose,

 

Another beautiful and interesting image from you.

Dramatic with a comical twist, intriguing and one that leaves one thinking..

 

The story behind is interesting. And wonderfully captured on this image.

Do doubt, this image captured my eye - as I suppose it does to others as well.

 

Wishing you a happy new year, with lots of new and well done images coming.

 

All the best to you

 

Peter

Ah, ''La Bocca Della Verita''. Alas the mouth does not work any more..it was once tricked by a cunning philanderer...:-)

Excellent shot! No words.

Warm regards my friend.

Raoul

Maravillosa, un feliz 09 para ti y los tuyos, Jose Ignacio. Esta foto me recuerda la pelicula Roman Holiday, te mando el lugar... http://us.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4098883609/ en nuestra lengua fue "La princesa que queria vivir". La protagonista mete la mano en la boca... ya lo veras en el trailer. Cinta maravillosa como esta foto tuya. Saludos.

Desde luego tienes un ojo fotografico extraordinario.

Abrazo, eso y Feliz 2009.

excellent capture and perspective.7/6. best wishes.

Buena compo, con la 'boca' equilibrada por la puerta y la reja, que proporciona la luz lateral que resalta los detalles de la 'boca'. Feliz 2009!

Interessante racconto e immagine ben eseguita.

Ciao.