Il-Belliegħa, the Swallower in the Well
Maltese children were warned never to lean over a well. Down in the dark lived Il-Belliegħa, the Swallower, waiting.
What was reported
In Maltese folklore, Il-Belliegħa, 'the Swallower', is a creature that lives at the bottom of wells and cisterns. Children were told that if they leaned over the edge to look down, or played near the opening, it would reach up and pull them in.
Malta has many wells and underground water tanks, dug to store rainwater on its dry islands, so the warning was heard by generations of Maltese children.
Explanations offered
Il-Belliegħa is a 'nursery bogie', a creature invented to keep children away from danger, like Peg Powler of the River Tees and Jenny Greenteeth of Lancashire. Open wells were a real hazard in Malta's villages.
- When
- Told for generations
- Where
- Malta
- Witnesses
- Maltese folklore
- Status
- Folklore
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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