(The Maltese language has characters that are not common in English. The characters may be changed or omitted depending on the computer, font, or web service. To prevent any confusion or random substitutions that your computer may try to use, I will be using the closest letter in our alphabet instead. I mean no disrespect and have no desire to change the original language. This is simply the easiest way I know to prevent any unforeseen hiccups.)
Malta is a charming microstate just off the coast of Sicily, Italy. Although the country is very small, its history is one of the largest in the known world. Evidence of its original inhabitants dates back to 5900 BCE. Some of their megalithic temples were built 500 years before Stonehenge and still stand today. But with such a long history of being inhabited, there also comes a long history of invasion. Malta has been colonized, seized, or conquered by Phoenicians, Byzantines, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Scicilians, Swabians, Aragonese, Spanish, Ottomans, French, and eventually the British. Many of these cultures left lasting touches on the country of Malta.
Due to the sealife fossils uncovered at the highest points, scientists have concluded that Malta was submerged at some point in its history. There is also proof that Malta was once on a land bridge that connected Sciliy to Africa along a ridge that is now submerged. With this fluctuation between land and water, it is no surprise that underground caves and tunnels lie beneath the cities. Nor is it a surprise that these subterranean passages play an important role in Maltese folklore. According to Maltese legends, the subterrestrial world is not only home to their afterlife realm but also encompasses many levels and has wormholes to multiple universes. Many of their legendary creatures and supernatural beings are said to come from these other worlds.
One of these underground predators of myth is known as the Belliegha tal-bahar or the Marine Engulfer. The marine engulfer is said to have no visible shape but instead takes on the properties of a sudden tidal wave or a whirlpool. It is in the classification of engulfer because it swallows its victims whole, never to be seen again. Some believe this creature may be a collection of sea creatures in a school or large group that uses synchronized efforts to create these water anomalies. Then, they eat and digest humans at the same time.
Malta has another type of engulfer, but this one sticks a little closer to home, literally. The Well Engulfer, or Belliegha tal-bir, thrives in a water well. It is thought to crawl up from the underground caves, settle in the dark, deep wells, and wait patiently for its victims to get a little too close to its hiding place. When the unsuspecting meal (usually children) comes along, the engulfer uses its long chameleon-like tongue to snatch its meal and drag it back down to its hiding spot. According to legend, one particularly large engulfer in Gozo managed to ensnare seven sisters and eat them one by one.
The last creature on my list for today is the Well Ghoul. Like the Well Engulfer, the Well Ghoul sits at the bottom of a well, waiting for prey to come close. But unlike the engulfer, the Well Ghoul is eel-like in appearance and has no tongue with which to grab its prey. Instead, it self-propels itself up to the surface to capture the human with its massive jaws. One story states that the Well Ghoul had a face that resembled the local village crone. After the deaths of one too many children, the well was blocked up.
I believe both the Well Engulfer and the Well Ghoul both stem from the same creature: the well eel. Although it may sound strange today, in the past, people across the world would place an eel into their well. Freshwater eels consume mosquito larvae and other bugs that would dirty up a well. Therefore, this was a beneficial relationship for both parties. The eel would have food to eat, and the humans would have clean water to drink. As a matter of fact, the longest-living Swedish well eel only recently died in 2014 at the ripe old age of one hundred fifty-five. So, imagine looking down at a long, dark water well. You hear a splash and see the flash of eyes, but it's too dark to see anything else. I can imagine the stories one might come up with. Then add a small child accidentally leaning over the edge too far and falling, and you have the makings of a scary local legend.
Sources:
Farrugia, Claire. “First Inhabitants Arrived 700 Years Earlier than Thought.” Times of Malta, 19 Mar. 2018, timesofmalta.com/article/first-inhabitants-arrived-700-years-earlier-than-thought.673783.
The Local/sr. “World’s Oldest Eel Dies in Swedish Well.” The Local.se, 8 Aug. 2014, www.thelocal.se/20140808/worlds-oldest-eel-dies-in-sweden. Accessed 15 July 2024.
miklem. “Il-Belliegħa.” Il-Miklem, 13 Sept. 2020, www.ilmiklem.com/il-belliegha/. Accessed 15 July 2024.
Mifsud, Stephan D. The Maltese Bestiary : An Illustrated Guide to the Mythical Flora and Fauna of the Maltese Islands. Blata L-Bajda, Malta, Merlin, 2014.
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