In 1985, Dr. Anton, a pediatrician on one of Malta’s islands, got a jolting call. His contractor was deeply rattled while on the job of clearing land for a new medical clinic. When workers began digging, they unearthed something eerie – human bones. The situation escalated when a 10-foot long skeleton was discovered. This wasn’t the stuff of everyday finds, and as stories go, this one plunged straight into the realm of myth and legend.
Malta, an archipelago just 60 miles off Italy’s coast, held stories that spoke of times when giants walked the earth. It was quite the anecdote; on a late winter evening many millennia past, a farmer witnessed a burning object streak across the sky, crashing into the valley. Out from the woods emerged a towering figure, a giant by all accounts, who was both a terror and protector to the isles’ inhabitants. This giant seemingly stemmed from a race known as the Nephilim, trusted to safeguard the locals.
These legends spun tales of gigantic feats, like the construction of colossal temples made from massive limestone blocks. The island farmers lived thousands of years ago, certainly before modern tools, and these monoliths seemed to defy the capabilities of their age. The most renowned of these is the Ggantija, named aptly after the giants. But as centuries passed, sans evidence to solidify these tales, giants drifted into myth—until skeletal remains turned up, pulling the tales back towards reality.
Malta’s strategic spot in the Mediterranean made it a bustling hub over its long history, from Phoenicians to Romans, and Byzantines to Arabs. John Francesco Abela, a 16th-century nobleman, was among the first to scrutinize the mysterious temples. Fascinated, Abela collected artifacts, piecing together history, and stumbled upon a giant femur, suggesting that such immense structures could only be crafted by giants. His findings sparked a fascination with Malta’s ancient past, and his home eventually became a museum open to the public.
Fast forward to 1915, a farmer uncovers a megalithic temple while plowing, leading to the excavation of the Tarxien Temples by Sir Themistocles Zammit. These finds raised questions about Stone Age skills — how did these early settlers manage such feats without metal tools, the wheel, or even writing? And aligned so perfectly with celestial bodies, it suggested a sophisticated understanding of astronomy, possibly dating back to an era just after the Great Flood when cataclysm reshaped the planet.
The Nephilim, referenced in various ancient texts, including the Bible and the Book of Enoch, were notorious as warrior giants born from forbidden unions between angels and humans. Legends dovetail with Malta’s own stories, suggesting some Nephilim may have survived, hidden amongst humanity, and perhaps left traces of their existence on Malta.
Excavations in 1902 of the Hypogeum, a subterranean wonderland, revealed an underground labyrinth filled with bones—over 7,000 remains linked to the Neolithic era. But what caught particular attention were elongate skulls, something eerie and different from average human anatomy. Unlike artificially elongated heads, these lacked the typical suture, challenging notions of their origins. The mystery deepened, leading to hints that these might be hybrid children of Nephilim lineage, linking back to the legends of giants and their offspring.
Lois Jessup’s curious tale adds another dimension. During a tour of the Hypogeum, she witnessed giant figures in a cavern, a harrowing account that would be printed with intrigue in National Geographic. The legend of 30 children vanishing on a school trip into the caves contributed to haunting folklore.
The Malta mystery remains cloaked in shadows of legend and fragments of history. The temples’ true architects, their purposes lost to time, evoke curiosity. Though proven the bones above ground related to long-gone animals like elephants, the enigma beneath remains. Skeptics and believers wrestle over the elongated skulls, while some artifacts, once shrouded in secrecy, tease at truths hidden in ancient stories.
While mainstream archaeology shifts its theories, hinting at perhaps older than thought roots of human civilization, it raises the question of whether giants did indeed stride our world once. The factual hesitance acknowledges much about the Malta stories remains conjectural, yet tantalizing subscriptions to the imaginary sustain their allure. The answer, perhaps, lies hidden still, sleeping beside the stones or in the watery depths below.
Science and myth intertwine, setting the stage for narratives that weave human history with the wonder of folklore. Whether Giants, Nephilim, or heightened ancient human capabilities, the mystique surrounding Malta remains thick, drawing curiosity and leaving imagination room to roam. As Malta quietly keeps its secrets—the stones, the caverns, the bones—all have tales to tell, waiting patiently for those who dare to delve a little deeper.
