The proximity of Ætna doubtless had its share in this delusion, Virg. Æn. viii. 417:
Deep below
In hollow caves the fires of Ætna glow.
The Cyclops here their heavy hammers deal:
Loud strokes and hissings of tormented steel
Are heard around: the boiling waters roar,
And smoky flames through fuming tunnels soar.
Hither the father of the fire by night,
Through the brown air precipitates his flight:
On their eternal anvils here he found