Cola Pesce: The Legend of Sicily’s Most Famous Merman

For centuries, when storms raged and the sea swallowed ships whole, people turned to legend to make sense of the mysteries of the deep. One of the most enduring of all fishy tales is that of Cola Pesce – Nicholas Fish – the fisherman’s son who became a merman, a hero, and a symbol of Sicily itself. Cursed by his own mother, summoned by kings, and destined for the deep, his story flows through generations like the Mediterranean tides.

But exactly who or what was Cola Pesce? Why does his tale see him end up underwater for eternity, and what did he have to do to test his amazing aquatic ability? Let’s explore the myth of this fascinating Italian merman.

The son of a fisherman from Messina in northeastern Sicily, it’s sometimes claimed that the earliest written mention of the story of Cola Pesce came from a twelfth‐century Provençal poet named Raimon Jordan, who supposedly told of a Nicholas of Bari (Nichola de Bar) living in the sea. The name itself comes from Cola, a nickname for Nicholas, and pesce, Italian for ‘fish’.

Another unverified attribution is to the twelfth‐century (possibly Welsh) writer Walter Map (Gualterius Mappus), who is sometimes said to have written about a boy called Nicholas Pipe who could spend vast amounts of time underwater and warn sailors of incoming storms. However, no such reference exists in Map’s surviving works.

The earliest verified reference to a Cola Pesce‐like figure appears in the writings of Gervase of Tilbury, an English lawyer and statesman active in the early thirteenth century. In his Otia Imperialia, Gervase describes a talented sailor named Nicolaus of Apulia who could stay underwater for remarkable periods.

While original sources telling the tale are rare, the origins of Cola Pesce’s story are deeply rooted in maritime folklore and may have drawn inspiration from earlier stories involving sea gods and legendary divers. Scholars have compared Cola’s exploits to myths like Theseus retrieving King Minos’s ring, and tales of Neptune’s rule over the ocean.

The tale also shares similarities with legends of shapeshifting water spirits such as the Neck or Nykur from northern Europe. These parallels suggest Pesce Cola’s story may have evolved from a broader tradition of sea-related myths before becoming uniquely Sicilian.

The story goes that a young man called Nicholas who had an extraordinary affinity for the sea, spent his days exploring the depths of the ocean, recounting tales of underwater marvels to those on land. In Gervase of Tilbury’s version, Cola Pesce said he could see mountains, valleys and forests under the water.

His obsession with the sea, and the fact that he neglected his chores, led to frustration from his mother, who would say to him ‘you’ll turn into a fish sooner or later.’ Another version of the story said that he was sent out to get fish for dinner, but would throw his catch back out of respect. This didn’t go down too well with his mother, who cursed him to become part fish, a curse that transformed him into the most famous Italian merman. Some say he developed the feet of a duck and the throat of a frog. Others say his skin grew scales and his hands turned into fins.

Whatever happened to him, word got to the king of this remarkable boy with astonishing skills, though specifically which king remains up for debate.

The king in question may have been the King of Sicily, Frederick II, later to become Holy Roman Emperor. It may have been King William I of Sicily, nicknamed The Bad or The Wicked. It may also have been King Roger II of Sicily, also known as Roger the Great. Whichever monarch it was, the king summoned Cola Pesce to perform daring underwater feats.

His extraordinary underwater abilities were tested with a series of increasingly daring challenges. First, the king threw a golden cup into the sea, which Pesce Cola retrieved effortlessly, impressing the court with his skill. The king then increased the challenge by throwing his crown into deeper waters. Cola spent two days and nights searching for it, eventually bringing it back to the surface.

For the final test, the king threw his ring into an even deeper and more perilous part of the sea. Cola Pesce hesitated, sensing the danger and predicting he might not return. Before diving, he asked for lentils to carry with him, saying that if they floated back to the surface, it would mean he had chosen to stay underwater. The lentils and the ring surfaced, Cola Pesce didn’t.

The legend of the three columns is one of the most intriguing aspects of the Cola Pesce story. According to his underwater explorations, Nicholas Fish had declared that Sicily was held up by three enormous columns beneath the sea, which supported the island and kept it from collapsing into the ocean. When King Frederick II (or King Roger the Great, or even King William the Wicked) tasked Cola with retrieving his crown, he discovered that one of these columns was cracked and crumbling, threatening the stability of Sicily itself.

In some versions, Cola chose to remain underwater permanently, holding up the broken column with his own strength to prevent disaster – a selfless act that transformed him into a heroic figure in Sicilian folklore. Other versions paint it as a tragedy, with the Italian merman lost to the sea forever.

It’s often said by Sicilians that the ground between Messina and Catania (further down Sicily’s northeastern coast) sometimes shakes because Cola Pesce shifts the weight of the island from one shoulder to another.

The legend of Nicholas Fish endures as a powerful symbol of sacrifice, resilience, and the connection between Sicily and the sea. Whether seen as a tragic hero who gave his life to save his island or as a mythical figure who continues to hold up Sicily’s crumbling column beneath the waves, Cola Pesce’s story resonates with themes of bravery and devotion.

As with all ancient folklore, the legend of Cola Pesce has evolved through countless retellings, with each iteration adding new details or altering existing ones to fit the storyteller’s vision. Despite the numerous variations, the core essence of Cola Pesce’s tale remains unchanged. It continues to be one of Sicily’s most beloved legends and has cemented itself in the heart of the island’s heritage.