Assumptions about the original meaning of the figure of the camel

The tendency of Calabria and Sicily to explain the relationship between the giants and the camel referring to the clash between Moors and Christians – and then to interpret the camel as the animal symbol of the oppressors – it is certainly plausible. It should be noted, however, that the relationship between the appearance of the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic giants has been seen in different ways. In the European processional context, in fact, it seems that originally the camel would participate in parades of Corpus Christi to evoke the story of the Magi. Over time, however, it distanced itself from them and from the scenography of the Gospel, to become an independent element and dedicated (through the placement on its back of a little Moor) to the Muslim threat.