Maltese folk world is rich in content. Shame most of it got lost. For instance one interesting aspect of Maltese folk is the upside world or ‘Id Dinja ta Taht’. Nothing to do with Stranger Things. In Stephan D. Mifsud’s ‘the Maltese Bestiary’ this world is made up of different levels: Nephilim, Bufies, Atlandide and… Read More Portals and the Upside World in Maltese folk

We are getting to understand more about the Sarangu’s World. For sure it is a strange and dangerous world inhibited by all sort of demons and ghouls. Here are some concept art I did for this project. Not all demons are dangerous. In traditional European folk, some demons – The imp or Xifajk were known… Read More Demons and Ghouls – the strange world of the Sarangu

Maltese folk is a rich and spectacular place to navigate. Most of the stories have been lost … or rather no one tells them anymore. Myths and legends derive their strength from storytelling. If people stop telling these stories then they cease to exist. I believe the history of Maltese myth has been one of… Read More Maltese folk … building a new world

From eating a hen’s neck and head, boiling of puppies and bleeding a female tortoise are among some old Maltese remedies against illnesses and the evil eye.

The ‘Sarangu’s World‘ is a research project set in 1813 Malta during the Bubonic plague pandemic with particular attention to Maltese folk. We are uploading two Maltese folktales compiled by G. Cassar. Pullicino. ‘Il Kap Ta’ Izbanduti’ and ‘Il Hrafa tax Xemx u L Qamar’ [Stories in Maltese] Download

Pretty much what you would expect … plus the death penalty! The same concept of containment of the diseases was applied then: Identify, isolate, treat. For such a system to be effective, the chain of transmission needs to be cut off. Thus, quarantine measures were applied. Among the measures the Committee of Health ordered: No… Read More How did a quarantine look like in 1800?

The use of quarantine measures is nothing new. Quarantine is an old method utilised by authorities and communities to contain or slow down the spread of a diseases as much as possible. It provides the opportunities to provide effective care to the victims. The town of Senglea managed to survive the 1813 Bubonic plague by… Read More How Senglea survived the plague

Manoel Island and the surrounding area of Gzira was very different from today (and from that of tomorrow). It was mainly a rural area surrounded by fields and a few farm houses. Without the lights of today, the road to Sliema must have looked pretty bleak at night. Manoel Island’s role in 1813 was that… Read More This is how Manoel Island looked in the 1800s

The Bubonic Plague was increasing at such an alarming rate that its death trail was starting to include servants, people responsible to purify the infected houses and gravediggers. Leaving no one to care for the victims.  The British Government resorted to using French prisoners for such chores. In 1813 Malta had around 900 French prisoners… Read More Sarangu’s World: The role of French war prisoners in the 1813 Malta Bubonic plague