The history, origins and legend of the Neapolitan Smorfia

Curiosity and legend behind the world’s most famous cabal

According to tradition, the term "Smorfia" is linked to Morpheus, the god of sleep in ancient Greece, and is believed to have very ancient and mysterious origins. Legend suggests that its roots lie in the Jewish Kabbalistic tradition (Kabbalah), where letters, words, and symbols are thought to hold hidden meanings, and each name is associated with a number through numerology.

Other theories trace the development of the modern Smorfia to the human desire to find meaning in dreams by connecting them with everyday experiences. Through symbols and numbers, dreams are interpreted to offer insights or guidance in daily life.

Inspired by Kabbalistic thought, the Smorfia is traditionally associated with Naples and its narrow alleys, and it shares a deep cultural bond with the tradition of lottery games.

The Neapolitan Smorfia is the most widely used dream dictionary in Italy. This Partenopean tradition consists of a list of 90 numbers, each linked to specific words, objects, people, or events. These connections are based on a symbolic coding system that assigns a different number depending on the context.

In ancient times, the Smorfia was transmitted orally and later written down. It was made accessible to the illiterate by pairing numbers with illustrations. In its modern form, the Neapolitan Smorfia has incorporated contemporary references and characters strongly tied to Neapolitan culture. It has become a source of inspiration for films, comic sketches, and theatrical works, often brought to life by Neapolitan actors.

Over time, the Smorfia Neapolitan has become more than just a dream dictionary — it represents a philosophy of life. Though not based on science, it is a deeply rooted folk tradition, born from the people and for the people. It reflects a form of popular wisdom and hope, giving symbolic meaning to the unconscious through dreams and the timeless game of numbers.