Maltese Cow Mythology

Wahx il-Baqar

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Tradition: Maltese mythology
Alternative Names: Wahx il-Baqar
Category: Cow

The Myth

Wahx il-Baqar is a terrifying man-beast with the head of a bull. It is said to emerge from the netherworld at night and roam through quiet country lanes and village streets.

Its arrival is announced by the loud rattling of chains. These chains are believed to be the remnants of the tethers that once bound the creature to the stone walls deep beneath the ancient underground of Minos.

As the creature wanders through the countryside, it releases a long and mournful howl. The sound is enough to terrify and panic farm animals, spreading fear among the surrounding villages.

Wahx il-Baqar possesses enormous eyes that are heavily afflicted and terrifying to behold. Anyone unfortunate enough to meet its gaze directly is believed to face almost certain death.

The creature is therefore a lingering echo of its dark confinement beneath the earth, retaining the chains of its former captivity as it wanders the world above. Its clanking chains, dreadful howl, and deadly gaze make it a being feared by villagers and travelers who are warned to avoid it at all costs.

Sources

Mifsud, S. D. (2014). The Maltese bestiary: An illustrated guide to the mythical flora and fauna of the Maltese Islands.

Qawqam

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Tradition / Region: Malta Mythology
Alternative names: Qawqam
Category: Cow

The Myth

The Qawqam is a mysterious supernatural ox from Maltese folklore that roams the rocky countryside, hills, and isolated roads of the island at night. It is described as an enormous wild ox with immense strength and long powerful horns rising high above its head. Golden in color, it appears both beautiful and frightening, standing apart from ordinary animals.

The creature moves silently through open fields, low brushlands, and abandoned paths, appearing suddenly out of darkness before disappearing again without warning. Villagers believed that encountering the Qawqam was extremely dangerous. People who crossed its path risked injury or death, and its mere appearance was enough to drive travelers indoors after sunset.

The Qawqam was said to travel not only across the surface of the land but also beneath it. Certain hills and rocky places were believed to contain hidden passages through which the beast entered the underworld and returned again. Because of this, the ox was considered a creature that moved between worlds, belonging partly to the realm of the living and partly to unseen places below the earth.

At times the Qawqam was seen grazing quietly in the wilderness, glowing gold beneath moonlight as though it were part of the land itself. Yet people believed it could never truly be captured, owned, or followed. It always vanished before anyone could approach too closely.

Farmers and herdsmen sometimes connected the creature to the fragile nature of wealth, labor, and possession. The Qawqam represented power that could not be controlled — something valuable yet untouchable, capable of disappearing without trace.

The Qawqam remains remembered as a horned night-beast of Malta: a golden ox wandering lonely hills, hidden tunnels, and dark roads between the visible world and the unseen depths beneath the island.

Sources

Mifsud, S. D. (2014). The Maltese bestiary: An illustrated guide to the mythical flora and fauna of the Maltese Islands (p. 28).

Bhim

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Tradition / Region: Maltese mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Cow

The Myth

There was once a creature remembered only by name: Bhim.

It was said to be cow-like in shape, yet not truly an animal. Its form was monstrous, something larger or stranger than ordinary cattle, enough to set it apart in memory even after all other details had faded. Beyond this, nothing certain remains.

No tale tells of Bhim’s deeds. No place is firmly linked to its presence. It is unknown whether people feared it, revered it, or merely spoke of it as a curiosity of the past. If Bhim once roamed fields or hills, or emerged as an omen or guardian, those stories have vanished with time.

All that endures is the shadow of an idea: a bovine monster once known to the people, now standing at the edge of remembrance, halfway between folklore and silence.

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Bkhim. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/bkhim/