Stephan D. Mifsud

This is one of the most original Maltese publications of recent years. Inspired by the illuminated bestiaries of old and drawing upon the writings of other Maltese folklorists and folktale collectors (including Manwel Magri and Guido Lanfranco and, for Gozitan legends, George Pisani and Anton F. Attard), Stephan D. Mifsud has compiled an illustrated guide to the mythical flora and fauna of the Maltese islands.

As he explains in the introduction, the featured entries are of four types: legendary organisms which are found only in folktales (such as the dragons and monsters which inhabit the mythical netherworlds of Buġibda and Bufies), supernatural entities (including ancient gods, djinns and the various types of local ghosts) and natural organisms which have either legendary associations (such as Filfla's double-tailed lizard) or alleged supernatural qualities (such as cats, rats and white horses). The subjects covered are quite far-ranging. I enjoyed coming across legends and characters which I had first (and last) heard about from grandparents and other old people in my childhood - such as "Tas-Setta", Malta's own witches and warlocks who dispense with broomsticks and instead fly around naked after covering themselves in magic oil. But there were also other entities which were new to me - such as "Il-Kobba", mysterious balls, seemingly of wool, but which are actually supernatural manifestations.

The book has an eye-catching presentation. It is published in hardback, and most of the entries are accompanied by illustrations by the author based on descriptions in his sources (although he admits that he gives free rein to his imagination where these are unclear.) In fact, the book was a deserved winner of "Best produced book" at the Malta National Book Awards of 2015.

Sometimes I did feel that some featured items merited greater depth and would have benefited from a more "academic" approach. Thus, references are limited to a generic indication of the source of a particular tale and there are often tantalising references to legendary parallels in other countries and traditions which are never taken up in any great detail. Then again, a more scholarly approach would have led to a very different publication from the one which Mifsud has (and meant) to give us - the author himself invites us to consult the sources listed at the back of the book should we be inclined to delve deeper into the subject.

The book has spawned its own facebook page. It gives a flavour of the publications 's feel and the occasionally disturbing entities featured in it but, for the full experience, get hold of the book itself!


… (más)

This is one of the most original Maltese publications of recent years. Inspired by the illuminated bestiaries of old and drawing upon the writings of other Maltese folklorists and folktale collectors (including Manwel Magri and Guido Lanfranco and, for Gozitan legends, George Pisani and Anton F. Attard), Stephan D. Mifsud has compiled an illustrated guide to the mythical flora and fauna of the Maltese islands.

As he explains in the introduction, the featured entries are of four types: legendary organisms which are found only in folktales (such as the dragons and monsters which inhabit the mythical netherworlds of Buġibda and Bufies), supernatural entities (including ancient gods, djinns and the various types of local ghosts) and natural organisms which have either legendary associations (such as Filfla's double-tailed lizard) or alleged supernatural qualities (such as cats, rats and white horses). The subjects covered are quite far-ranging. I enjoyed coming across legends and characters which I had first (and last) heard about from grandparents and other old people in my childhood - such as "Tas-Setta", Malta's own witches and warlocks who dispense with broomsticks and instead fly around naked after covering themselves in magic oil. But there were also other entities which were new to me - such as "Il-Kobba", mysterious balls, seemingly of wool, but which are actually supernatural manifestations.

The book has an eye-catching presentation. It is published in hardback, and most of the entries are accompanied by illustrations by the author based on descriptions in his sources (although he admits that he gives free rein to his imagination where these are unclear.) In fact, the book was a deserved winner of "Best produced book" at the Malta National Book Awards of 2015.

Sometimes I did feel that some featured items merited greater depth and would have benefited from a more "academic" approach. Thus, references are limited to a generic indication of the source of a particular tale and there are often tantalising references to legendary parallels in other countries and traditions which are never taken up in any great detail. Then again, a more scholarly approach would have led to a very different publication from the one which Mifsud has (and meant) to give us - the author himself invites us to consult the sources listed at the back of the book should we be inclined to delve deeper into the subject.

The book has spawned its own facebook page. It gives a flavour of the publications 's feel and the occasionally disturbing entities featured in it but, for the full experience, get hold of the book itself!


… (más)