The legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, which is found with slight variations in most European countries, tefls the story of seven Christian brothers who, to avoid the persecution of Decius (AD 250), took refuge in a cave which was blocked up by their pursuers. They fell asleep and awoke nearly 200 years later, in the reign of Theodosius 11 (AD 447).

One of them was sent to buy food. By tendering coin of the time of Decius he aroused suspicion and was taken before the authorities, to whom he confirmed the story of his long sleep. People interpreted this as a wonder wrought by God to make them believe in the resurrection of the dead.

An interesting variant of this story is found in Professor Hans Sturnme's collection of Maltese tales, Maltesische Studien (Leipzig, 1904), under the title Is-Setti Dunnenti. In it "... the seven sleepers awoke and one of them set out to buy food. He came to a shop and asked for five rotoli (1wizna) of bread of the same quality as that of the day before. "The baker asked, "Have you been to. my shop before?" Receiving an answer in the affirmative, he was all the more surprised when leather money was given to him in payment. "Why," he said, "these leather coins were in use seven thousand years ago." The other answered: "You are mistaken. I came here yesterday and bought bread with them."

"On hearing this the baker sent for the police. When the policeman arrived and heard the case he thought it fit to refer the matter to the Inspector who, in turn, sent for the parish priest. The latter came and asked the boy, "How long is it since you last went out to buy bread?" "Since yesterday," was the reply. "And where is your room?" asked the priest.

"The boy led them to the cave and the priest asked the others, "How long have you been here?" They all said, "Since yesterday." Upon this the priest knelt down and the others followed his example. He made the sign of the cross and the seven sleepers quietly passed away. A rich perfume filled the room while everything faded into nothingness."

Writing on this legend S. Baring Gould says: "Dionysius of Antioch (9th century) told the story in Syria. It is also possible to find some heathen antecedents and legendary parallels in Greek mythology and European folklore. Epimenicles, wearied and oppressed with slumber, is said to have retreated into a cave and to have fallen asleep, only to awake after 57 years, finding everything changed. It is told of Endymion that he fell into eternal sleep in order to be preserved in perpetual youth by Jupiter."

In a way, the Ephesus legend has something in common with the whole cluster of legends making up the cycle of "The King in the Mountain" found in several European countries - the tale of a king shut up in the interior of a mountain, whence he will break forth one day to restore his country to its pristine splendour. One might as well mention here the Maltese legend told to explain the origin of the people's devotion towards OurLady of the Cave (Il-Madonna tal-Ghar), attached to the Conventual church of St Dominic's Friary at Rabat, Malta.

Two friends, having gone in search of game and feeling very bred, entered a cave and rested for a while. One of them then returned home, leaving the other asleep in the cave. As the latter did not return home he was given up as lost, but 15 months later his friend, happening to pass by that same cave, saw him coming out as if nothing had happened.

On being told that he had been more than a year in the cave he expressed surprise, maintaining that he had only been asleep one night. Later he recounted how he had seen a most beautiful lady, holding a child in her arms. Everyone looked on this as an apparition of the Virgin Mary and an altar with an image of the Blessed Virgin was erected within the cave, which thus became the centre of an ever-increasing devotion.

Today hardly anything more than the name of the legend has survived in Malta in the saying "torqod daqs is-Seba' Durmenti" (to sleep as much as the Seven Sleepers). The story as current in our island up to a century ago will only survive in writing thanks to the pioneering work of the German scholar Hans Stumme who, together with his contemporaries Fr Manwel Magri and Bertha Ilg, collected a considerable number of Maltese folktales.