WATCH: The Belliegħa Lives – Local Punk Band Release New Twisted Music Video Inspired By One Of Malta’s Darkest Myths
Monstrous creatures and blood-curling stories of hauntings have always played an important role in every country’s folklore, and Malta is definitely no exception. Drawing inspiration from the island’s very own collection of mythological monsters, local punk trio BILA have just released a music video all about the Bellieg?a.
A creature that was said to live in the dark waters of wells all over the islands, the Bellieg?a (literally translated to ‘Engulfer’) supposedly extended its toe-covered foot to snatch and drag children into the depths.
For their latest offering from their EP Bestjarju, BILA (Samwel Mallia, Nick Morales and Caroline Spiteri) teamed up with local rapper and pendant-maker Rachelle Deguara to embark on an occult-fuelled adventure to track down the mythological monster.
The music video sees a local occult group trying to take down their own, horrific interpretation of the Bellieg?a
The quartet of occultists, the video explains, actually believe the monster is a powerful, restless spirit of a 19th century woman who worked as a nanny for a wealthy Maltese family.
“Claiming to have seen her throw her own newborn baby down a well, the family patriarch accused her of witchcraft and Satanic worship,” the video continues. “The woman suffered the same fate at the hands of an angry mob.”
However, this is where the story takes yet another terrible twist
“It was later found out that the newborn was the illegitimate child of the patriarch.. and that he had disposed of the baby himself. Since then, numerous cases of kids developing a disturbing obsession with wells, before mysteriously going missing, were reported.”
“The occult group want to summon the Bellieg?a entity, who they believe is responsible for these disappearance. The ritual is to be performed away from the presence of children.”
Cue the heavy music, twisted visuals, occult rituals and the mythological monster itself of course… excellently portrayed by Teodor Reljic.
The haunting music video was shot by Franco Rizzo and makes for some great Friday night viewing. Sweet dreams tonight.
If you’d like to catch BILA live, the punk trio will be throwing down a signature heavy set at this year’s Rock The South Festival, which is promising to be the biggest edition yet.