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Min hi ÄŠ±ð²Ô²õ²¹ l-Mewt? (Who is ÄŠ±ð²Ô²õ²¹ l-Mewt?)

In Maltese folklore, Death takes the form of a woman. Her name is ÄŠ±ð²Ô²õ²¹, sometimes referred to as ÄŠ±ð²Ô²õ¾±²Ô²¹, a familiar figure woven into the island's traditional beliefs, expressions and folklore.

The connection can be found in the language itself. When referring to someone's death, Maltese speakers often resort to euphemisms such as “Ä¡ie nieqes” (has passed away) or “ħalla din id-dinja” (has left this world). Another expression, “għalaqlu Ä‹-Ä‹ens”, meaning that someone's time has come to an end, is also associated with the name ÄŠ±ð²Ô²õ²¹.

According to traditional Maltese folklore, ÄŠ±ð²Ô²õ²¹ l-Mewt is imagined as an elderly woman, worn down by age and dressed in a black ²µÄ§´Ç²Ô²Ô±ð±ô±ô²¹, the traditional Maltese hooded garment. She is said to be visible only to those whose death is approaching, appearing before taking them away to the other world.

But ÄŠ±ð²Ô²õ²¹ does not work alone. She is accompanied by her helpers, known as il-baxxara. The word is linked to baxxra, meaning news or tidings, and refers to those believed to deliver a warning or announcement shortly before someone's death.

These beliefs form part of Malta's rich oral tradition, in which death was not simply understood as an inevitable part of life, but was also personified through characters, symbols and expressions passed down through generations.