|
The Giantess of Qala as told by George Camilleri
|
 |
In the village of Qala, some distance from the Parish Church, right behind the local government school, there stands a huge chunk of stone. This object at first glance gives the impression that it is a remnant of the prehistorical past of our island.
Sir Temi Zammit, (1864-1935), the noted archaeologist, maintained that this huge stone is a "menhir", a massive pillar of granite embedded in the ground. Such pillars are found in both islands, but unfortunately few still stand in their original vertical position. Sir Temi Zammit opined that such stones were more common in Gozo than in Malta. He wrote that in the smaller island one can discover a greater number of their remains, although the one at Qala is the only intact specimen.
One day the farmer who owned the field where this menhir lies had an interesting idea. Observing keenly the rounded top of this chunk of stone, he decided to place there a statue of St. Joseph, the patron saint of this village. He was encouraged in this project by a friend to whom he had confided his wish. Eventually this farmer commissioned a statue and soon after he placed it on top of the menhir. It remained there for a number of years, but one day someone persuaded the farmer that the menhir was not a suitable pedestal to grace the image of St. Joseph. So the farmer removed the statue from its place on top of the menhir and round what he thought was a better place for it. Still, many believe that its former use as a pedestal is the main reason it still exists today.
The fertile imagination of our islanders has created a lovely legend about this menhir. The tale describes the way the stone came to its resting place in Qala. There used to live in Qala a woman of extra- ordinary strength. Everybody was amazed at her great strength and many yarns were spun around her. Some people said that she was able to lift two mill- stones simultaneously, one in each arm. Others claimed that they saw her brush against some trees with such force that these trees were bent or even uprooted! Anyway, many more similar stories were told by the villagers about this woman, and each teller swore that he had seen with his own eyes the story he described. It was said that this woman did not eat any special food; her nourishment consisted only of broad beans. She used to eat beans early in the day, at midday and again at night before she went to bed. Whenever she could she was seen crunching mouthfuls of beans, sometimes throughout the whole day. She used to admit that she would find it difficult to survive without beans, the secret of her enormous strength.
One day she was observed carrying a huge stone on the way from Ta' Cenc, near Sannat. She was carrying this extremely heavy stone on her head as if it were just a sackful of rags. All along the way she crunched beans. It is said that during this walk she devoured about sixty-three "tomna" of beans which she carried in the huge pockets of her pinafore. (One "tomna" is equivalent to 15 litres).
Along the way several people asked her where she was going with that heavy load and what she intended to do with it. "What else can I do?" the giantess replied to these queries, "I can't find a suitable slab of stone in my field on which I can sit comfortably. Today I went looking for one at Ta' Cenc where I found this sizeable chunk. From today onwards, this will be the seat on which I will rest, when I'm working in the fields or watching over my melons and other crops".
The giantess finally reached her fields where she put down her load, dug a shallow hole into which she lowered the stone and then firmly placed it upright. Her task accomplished, she would then rest on the rounded top of this stone as if she were sitting on a tiny chair. From her vantage point, she used to guard her fields and munch her precious beans; from her lofty place she sang songs of sadness, lays of battles and romance.
As the years rolled by, the giantess still enjoyed herself resting peacefully on the stone. But then something happened which completely spoilt the peace and comfort she had toiled for. A terrible drought struck Gozo; for a whole year not a single drop of rain fell on the island . The sky seemed dry as a bone. The seeds did not bud, and the fields did not produce their usual crops. Deprived of water, the soil dried up and presented a sorry sight to all. And of course, there was a severe shortage of beans. Men and beasts sorely missed their supply but the person most hit was the giantess of Qala. Deprived of this favourite and nourishing food, her strength began to wane. The villagers, gossipy and malicious, noticed this change and frequently teased her: "Now if you can, try and lift that stone which you carried from Ta' Cenc!" The giantess gave no reply, but one day she disappeared. It is said she was so offended that she chose to live in a large cave at the foot of one of Gozo's little hills, as far as possible from the village of Qala. Thus ends the legend of the menhir at Qala, but now let us leave the realm of popular fantasy and go back to the real world. This precious remnant of pre- history is in grave danger. The area around this stone is gradually being encircled by new buildings. If this goes on, then very soon visitors will not have access to this menhir. And then our scholars of prehistory will be deprived of a precious relic of the mysterious life of our earliest settlers. Therefore there is a pressing need for the area to be protected, so that this ancient monument may be accessible to the public.
In the past, some metal necklaces similar to those in the Valletta museum were found in this area. There is evidence pointing to the conclusion that this site was an important Neolithic settlement. Many people think that an archaeological excavation would produce material throwing light on the ancient past of our islands. Such opportunities should not be wasted, but fully exploited as soon as possible.
Prehistorical remains, as well as those of later stages in our history, can produce great wealth for our country, particularly through the tourist industry. In the present day, when Malta and Gozo are seriously competing in the tourist business, such rare and precious possessions should not be ignored or undervalued. It would be a pity if the menhir at Qala, a rare specimen of its kind which has survived so many centuries intact, is left abandoned. The need for preservation has never been so urgent as it is today, when prehistorical scholarship can help,us to appreciate it more fittingly.