According to the Hellenic myth, Phineus became a mole because he had, following the advice of his second wife, Idaia, allowed his two sons by his first wife, Cleopatra, to be blinded, and also because he had revealed the secret thoughts of Zeus.[109]
In Du Cange I find that even in the Middle Ages it was the custom on Christmas Eve for children to meet with poles, having straw wrapped round the ends, which they set fire to, and to go round the gardens, near the trees, shouting—
"Taupes et mulots
Sortez de nos clos
Sinon je vous brulerai la barbe et les os."
We find a similar invocation in the seventh story of the second book of the Pentamerone. The beautiful girl goes to find maruzze, and threatens the snail to make her mother cut off its horns—
"Iesce, iesce, corna
Ca mammata te scorna,
Te scorna 'ncoppa l'astreco
Che fa lo figlio mascolo."
In Piedmont, to induce the snail to put its horns out, children are accustomed to sing to it—
"Lümassa, lümassora,
Tira fora i to corn,
Dass no,[110] i vad dal barbé
E it tje fass taié!"
Sicilian children terrify the snail by informing it that their mother is coming to burn its horns with a candle—
"Nesci li corna ch 'a mamma veni
E t' adduma lu cannileri."