Tradition: Maltese Mythology
Alternative Names: Meika, Mejka, Little Queen, Ghost Queen of Gozo
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Mleika is a ghost queen in the folklore of the Maltese island of Gozo. Her name, also recorded in the Latin spelling Mejka, is associated with a Maltese Christian spirit of good fortune and literally means “little queen.” She visits homes on New Year’s Eve, bringing either good luck or misfortune to the household depending on its cleanliness and tidiness.
Mleika is one of two supernatural Christmas figures in Gozitan tradition. The other is the gavgav, a man who transforms into a monster on Christmas Eve and frightens passers-by. While the gavgav inspires fear outside the home, Mleika enters houses to judge the conditions within them.
According to the tradition, Mleika is accompanied by a distinctive sense of smell. If she enters a house and the milkmaid smells the aroma of flowers and the scent of cooking food, she brings good luck to the household for the coming year. If these pleasant smells are absent, misfortune awaits the family. Her visit therefore makes the cleanliness and atmosphere of the home a sign of the fortune that its inhabitants can expect in the year ahead.
Sources
“Mleika.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/mleika