The Argia's dance

The dance of the Argia was a cult that accompanied the Sardinian people as protection against the bite of this insect. The Argia is a venomous and often lethal spider; its bite caused poisoning, along with terrible pains, often causing death. The rite is represented in different ways depending on the area although the fundamental concept is always the same which is to put the victim in a pit and cover him up his neck with manure.
Twenty-one woman, divided into three categories; single women, wives and widows are called to dance around the victim. These women, tell ironic jokes to attempt to make the victim laugh until his suffering is alleviated. After many attempts, if the man begins to laugh, he is healed. This rite is linked to worship of the moon that, with its triple aspect of damsel, wife and widow, is reflected in the request for the three divisions of women who take part in the dance. The crescent moon is represented by the girl in the full bloom of youth, the full moon by the wife and the half-moon the widow who is nearing the end of her life.
The seven women who make up part of each group indicate the number of moon passages necessary for the complete cure of the victim. Sometimes, for the therapy to be effective, it is necessary to see the passage of only three moons but, which must represent a single category of woman and obligatorily be called Maria.
One distinct example of this rite was that of Bolotana; the dance was carried out without noise or movement but accompanied by the sound of cattle-bells, like those worn around the necks of the goats, with the intent of warding off evil spirits. Another example was that of Dorgali. The victim was placed in an oven heated by vines, the sacred plant of Dionysus, for ten minutes; after the victim was removed from the oven, he was then wrapped in hot cloth and the people waited hopefully for him to be cured. This was defined in Dorgali as "micresiare" or the introduction into the church. This popular belief was a great success until the advent of medicine.