Case file · Folklore / legend
Virgil's egg in the Castel dell'Ovo
Medieval Naples saw the poet Virgil as a magician. In 1194 Conrad of Querfurt wrote of his marvels, and later legend says he hid an egg in the castle's foundations: if it broke, Naples would fall.
1194 CE · 40.83, 14.25 · status: legend
The sceptical view
Virgil the sorcerer is a medieval invention.