coins. The ‘Ħares’ is then said to have
reappeared during the night, only to
beat up the thoughtless workman
who had uncovered his secret. The
moral behind this ghost story was to
never speak of anything the ‘Ħares’
says, which is why all ghost stories in
Malta were kept hush.
The Headless Bride of Mdina
It is said that a heart-broken,
headless, ghost bride roams the
streets of Mdina at night, warning
young men about the sorrows of love.
This bride had been promised to marry
the love of her life, and had all the
preparations for her wedding ready.
One night, a lusty Knight captured
her and took her against her will.
Distraught that her reputation had
now been tarnished, she took out her
vengeance on him and murdered the
brawny Knight. She was sentenced
to death by beheading for her (just)
crime, although she was granted her
final wish of marrying her love before
her death. She is said to be still
roaming the streets of Mdina after
dark, headless but still in her ill-fated
wedding dress, a bride that she never
truly was, but now always will be.
The Blue
Palace
Lady
of
Verdala
This tale is well-known among the
Maltese, and it is wide-spread enough
to make the notorious Blue Lady a
household name. It is said that the
niece of the Grand Master De Rohan
had been betrothed to a suitor who
she did not fancy, and whom she did
not want to marry. He, tired of being
ignored and rejected by his future
wife, kept her captive in one of the
upstairs rooms of the Palace. While
trying to escape, she lost her footing,
and fell to her death, wearing a blue
dress. She is said to still haunt that
same room, wearing the same blue
dress she wore to her deathbed. One
particular incident tells of a guest of the
Governor at the time (Verdala Palace
used to be the summer residence of
the Governor), who slept in her room.
He asked the Governor one night
who was the lovely lady wearing blue
reflecting through the mirror while
he dressed, and the servitude replied
that they had all seen her. The Blue
Lady is one of the most well-known
Maltese ghosts, amongst adults and
children alike.
The Maltese have always been master
storytellers, that’s for sure, from
legends about Saints to tales about
ghosts – the Maltese have commented
on everything and anything. We
have always tried to explain the
unexplainable, and we have made
up some fascinating stories in doing
so. The legends now form part of
our very being, and share a part of
our history, although some are not
based on facts. I shall leave it to you
to decide whether the ghastly tales
of old are true or not, and while you
are here, why not try and find out for
yourself?
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