Maltese Mythology

Mleika

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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

Blue Lady

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Tradition: Maltese Mythology
Alternative Names: The Blue Lady of Verdala Palace
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Blue Lady is a ghost said to haunt Verdala Palace in Malta. She is believed to have been the niece of Grand Master de Rohan, a noblewoman who lived at the palace and was destined to marry a suitor she did not love. According to the legend, she was deeply unhappy with the arranged marriage and could not bear the thought of spending her life with a man she had not chosen.

On the day of her intended wedding, the young woman is said to have taken her own life by jumping from the balcony of her bedroom. She was wearing her blue wedding dress when she died, and the garment became forever associated with her tragic fate. Her death left her spirit bound to the palace, unable to escape the place where her life had ended.

The Blue Lady is reportedly seen wandering through the corridors and rooms of Verdala Palace, still wearing the same blue dress she wore on the day of her death. Her apparition is a reminder of the young woman’s sorrow and the fate she suffered when forced toward a marriage against her wishes.

Sources

“Verdala Palace § Ghost story.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdala_Palace#Ghost_story

Denfil

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Tradition: Maltese Mythology
Alternative Names: Dolphin King, Sultan il-Ħut
Category: Fish

The Myth

The Fish King, known as Sultan il-Ħut, is a powerful aquatic being in Maltese mythology, depicted not as a dolphin but as a fish with a large head and back. He rules over the inhabitants of the deep, commanding authority comparable to that of terrestrial rulers over lions, birds, and other creatures. Like a sovereign protecting his subjects, the Fish King is associated with benevolence and the safeguarding of those who dwell within his underwater realm.

Dolphins accompany boats and ships, where they are regarded as good omens. They protect vessels and their crews from malevolent beings of the deep, acting as guardians of sailors and the sea. Stone statues of dolphins adorn many Maltese homes and gardens, serving as protectors of households. Brass dolphin ornaments are also traditionally placed near fountains, ponds, staircases, and other parts of the home. These figures are more than simple decorations: they are believed to ward off evil and protect the household from harmful supernatural forces. Ancient Jewish tradition likewise held that fish were immune to the effects of the evil eye, while Sephardic Jewish households in Malta used dolphin-shaped amulets to guard against it.

Dolphins are generally regarded as benevolent toward humans, and stories tell of sailors rescued from drowning by these intelligent sea creatures. Maltese folklore also contains darker accounts in which dolphins attack and kill women in the water. Such stories suggest that dolphins may be more dangerous to women than to men, with some accounts associating them with supernatural powers that allow them to recognize and target women believed to possess the evil eye.

Sources

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

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.

Devil Ray of Dwejra

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Tradition / Region: Malta Mythology
Alternative names: Devil Ray, Devil Ray of Dwejra
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Devil Ray of Dwejra is a huge ray said to inhabit a dark cavern at Dwejra in Gozo. The cavern connects an inland pool with the open sea, and the monster is known for its enormous tail and for prowling through the deep waters of the cave.

According to the tradition, boatmen frequently saw the enormous ray inside the deep cavern and were frightened by its presence. Anyone travelling through the cave by boat had to be careful not to fall into the water, where the monster was believed to be waiting below.

Several boatmen attempted to capture the creature by placing nets across the exits of the tunnel. Their efforts were unsuccessful, however, and the Devil Ray always remained beyond their reach.

The cavern was said to contain a hidden passage leading from the sea into the underworld below. According to the tradition, the Devil Ray could use this secret tunnel to disappear from the cavern and escape anyone attempting to catch it.

Sources

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

Gandlora Cave Bear

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Tradition / Region: Maltese Mythology
Alternative names: Ors tal-Gandlora
Category: Bear

The Myth

The Gandlora Cave Bear is a gigantic cave bear said to roam the underworld beyond the great cities, guarding the steep rocky valleys that lead to the land of Buġibda.

One enormous bear is said to climb through a hidden tunnel that emerges from a cave on the side of Gelmus Hill. Because of its thick fur, it comes to the surface only during the coldest nights of midwinter, usually around Candlemas in early February.

It prowls the countryside in search of prey, wandering along lonely roads, silent village streets, and deserted alleys in the middle of the night. Children are warned to keep their doors and windows tightly shut during Candlemas, for the beast is said to reach into homes with its long hooked claws and snatch away unsuspecting children.

Sources

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

Gawgaw

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Tradition / Region: Malta Mythology
Alternative names: Il-Gawgaw
Category: Zombie

The Myth

The Gawgaw is a terrifying undead-like being from Maltese folklore, feared as a cursed creature that wanders through villages and fields during the night of Christmas Eve. It was believed to be connected to people born on December 24th, who were thought to have “stolen the Lord’s birthday” by entering the world on that sacred night.

According to the belief, anyone born on Christmas Eve carried a hidden curse. Every year, on the night of their birth, they would fall into a deep unnatural sleep and unknowingly transform into the Gawgaw. Their body or spirit — depending on the version of the tale — would leave the house and roam through the darkness until dawn.

The Gawgaw was described as a horrifying figure with long tangled hair covered in slime, twisted claws, and a staggering corpse-like walk. It moved through empty streets groaning hoarsely and terrifying anyone unlucky enough to encounter it. Some stories claimed it could slip through tiny cracks and openings to enter homes unnoticed.

Another tradition described the Gawgaw not wandering the roads, but furiously laboring through the countryside all night long. Dragging a massive harrow called a xatba behind it, the creature tore through fields making tremendous noise from midnight until the first church bells rang around four in the morning. Only then would it return home exhausted and resume human form.

Those cursed by the transformation supposedly remembered nothing upon waking, though their bruised bodies, exhaustion, and muddy clothes revealed what had happened during the night. Some wives even claimed their husbands physically vanished from bed every Christmas Eve before mysteriously returning by morning.

To prevent the transformation, the cursed person was required to remain awake the entire night. They occupied themselves by endlessly counting grains of rice or the holes of a sieve until sunrise, since falling asleep meant surrendering to the curse.

Old beliefs also claimed the Gawgaw could predict the end of winter. If, during its nightly wandering, its whiskers touched damp ground or dew, winter was considered nearly over. If the earth remained dry, cold weather would continue.

Children were warned that the Gawgaw hunted misbehaving youths. It was said to kidnap them during the night and carry them away to distant lonely places where they would perish from hunger and abandonment.

On the island of Gozo, folklore also spoke of the Mleika, the wife of the Gawgaw. She crept into houses on New Year’s Eve, bringing either good fortune or misfortune depending on the cleanliness and order of the household she visited.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Gavgav. Retrieved May 17, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/gavgav/

Phantom Knight

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Tradition / Region: Malta Mythology
Alternative names: The Black Knight
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Phantom Knights are ghostly warriors said to haunt the ancient fortresses of Malta, lingering centuries after the rule of the Knights of St John. Clad in dark armor and bound to the stone strongholds they once defended, these spirits appear around harbors, bastions, and chapels overlooking the sea.

One of the most famous apparitions is the Black Knight of Manoel Island. Within the old fortress built by Grandmaster Manoel de Vilhena, witnesses have reported seeing a silent armored figure dressed completely in black steel. He appears especially when the chapel or burial crypt of the knights is damaged, opened, or disturbed. Workers restoring the site have claimed the figure stands nearby watching them in silence, never speaking or interfering. The spirit is believed to be de Vilhena himself, returning to guard the resting place of the dead knights buried beneath the fortress. Once the crypt is sealed and the work completed, the apparition disappears.

Another phantom is said to haunt Fort Ricasoli at the entrance of the Grand Harbour. Fishermen and sailors speak of a horrifying scream echoing from the cliffs and ramparts during the night — the cry of a man endlessly falling through darkness. According to legend, the voice belongs to Captain St Clement, a knight condemned for cowardice after fleeing battle. He was strangled and thrown from the bastions onto the rocks below. His spirit still relives the final moments of his execution, screaming through the harbor night after night.

The Phantom Knights are not wandering spirits of ordinary dead men. They remain tied to Malta’s fortresses, chapels, and walls, continuing their eternal watch over the harbors and stone strongholds of the island.

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/