Il-Ħaddiela : the re-telling of a Maltese folklore classic through a modern medium

Abstract

This dissertation explores the subject of adaptation from Maltese literary works using word of mouth with dedication to Maltese Folklore through modern media such as digital illustrations. The theme chosen for these visuals involve a Maltese Folk Tale called “Il-Ħaddiela”. This dissertation primarily uses self-conducting research to Invision and depict experiences I have personally gone through to help convey certain feelings and help others understand the fear one has during this experience. Research and Influences for creating striking visuals will include Joseph Bugeja, Alexandra Day and the Grimm Brothers. Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon regarding a person who is temporarily unable to move or speak while the body transitions between different sleep stages, the more common stage is when the body is in Rapid Eye Movement (REM). This is the phase where vivid dreams usually occur and the body is unable to move, seemingly paralyzed, to prevent acting out said dreams. Within this stage sleep paralysis usually occurs when the brain awakes from REM sleep, but the body remains in its paralysed state. During sleep paralysis, the person is unable to move or speak while being fully conscious and a very common thing to happen is experiencing vivid and frightening hallucinations as if someone is in the room with them and even feeling a pressure on the chest. The Maltese culture decided to personify this instance of sleep and called it “Il-Ħaddiela”. The aim of my research is to educate people about their own culture along with indirectly teaching them about sleep paralysis and what it truly is, through the creation of illustrations depicting a storyline through a personal poem.