The folklore of Maltese fossils

Abstract

When the British antiquarian W.J. Thoms - signing himself as Ambrose Merton - introduced his newly-coined word FOLK-LORE in a letter printed in The Atheneum of 22 August 1846, he used it to denote the customs, traditions and superstitions of the uncultured classes in a civilized nation. The significance of that word has since been vastly amplified to include also the legends, prayers, medicine, songs, costumes, popular arts and crafts as well as village rivalries and the celebration of local festivities. Consequently there is now practically no distinction between Folklore and Social anthropology. The following is the first attempt at a comprehensive survey of the folklore attached to Maltese fossils - a term used for the prehistoric vegetable and animal remains embedded in rocks. In it an attempt has been made to gather not only the beliefs, teachings and sayings of the Maltese countryfolk relating to local fossils - but also the fanciful names by which such objects were popularly known and the various uses to which they have been put. Fossils discovered in local archaeological sites (Għar Dalam, Qortin l-lmdawwar, Ħagar Qim, Ta' Ħagrat, Ggantija, Tarxien) have also been included as they must necessarily have had a special significance to the prehistoric inhabitants of these sites. Though admittedly, a few of the fossils discovered from these archaeological deposits were probably derived from the site itself by erosion of its walls, others must have actually been collected and possibly used by Prehistoric Man as ornaments, amulets, cult objects or instruments for his craft.