The Salvanèl
Who is the Salvanèl?
The Salvanèl is a goblin that frequently appears in the legends of Trentino, in northern Italy. Until not many decades ago, in every valley you could find someone who said they had seen the Salvanèl, even though actually encountering him was extremely unlikely.
They described him as a small man, boyish-looking, and always with some red feature on him: a hat, clothes or hair.
The Salvanèl takes delight in playing all kinds of tricks, but he can also be very generous with people who treat him well. Like other sprites in the wood, he guards secrets and has extraordinary knowledge. He is an expert of medicinal herbs, he knows how to cure sick animals, he can forecast changes in the weather and he knows where precious treasures are hidden.
Many stories recall that he was the one who revealed the secrets of making butter, cheese and ricotta. Sometimes he helps the farmers and shepherds and rescues people in danger, but he does everything secretly because he doesn’t like to be seen!
The Salvanèl is a goblin that frequently appears in the legends of Trentino, in northern Italy. Until not many decades ago, in every valley you could find someone who said they had seen the Salvanèl, even though actually encountering him was extremely unlikely.
They described him as a small man, boyish-looking, and always with some red feature on him: a hat, clothes or hair.
The Salvanèl takes delight in playing all kinds of tricks, but he can also be very generous with people who treat him well. Like other sprites in the wood, he guards secrets and has extraordinary knowledge. He is an expert of medicinal herbs, he knows how to cure sick animals, he can forecast changes in the weather and he knows where precious treasures are hidden.
Many stories recall that he was the one who revealed the secrets of making butter, cheese and ricotta. Sometimes he helps the farmers and shepherds and rescues people in danger, but he does everything secretly because he doesn’t like to be seen!
Salvanèl's token
Trento Film Festival
Since 2007 the Salvanèl is the mascot character of the events for children promoted within the International Film Festival of Mountain, Exploration and Adventure.
