Lesson 3 - Piracy and Legends

Text by Christian Debono/Michael Portelli; Design by Martin Galea De Giovanni

 
Introduction
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Other Legends
 

There are many landmarks and locations near the sea which are also entangled into Maltese legends.

One of the most famous is the cave of Calypso which according to legend, is the cave where the nymph Calypso seduced and kept Ulysses a “prisoner of love” for seven long years.

Ulysses is the main character of the two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer, The Illiad and the Oddysey.

Another famous cave in the south of the island of Malta is the cave of Hasan where in the Middle Ages, a certain Arab, named Hasan, kidnapped a Maltese young lady and kept her in the cave against her will.

This legend ends badly. When the Maltese found Hasan, it is said that he killed the woman and jumped to his death from the cliffs.