Siurell — a mythical whistle
3D-printed and hand-painted collectables.
The Siurell is one of the most iconic objects in the Mallorcan imagination: a small, white, clay whistle decorated with green and red strokes. Despite its simplicity, it condenses centuries of history, myth, and cultural transformation. Its naive form — often human or animal figures — hides deep and ambiguous roots linked to ancient rituals and the symbolism of the wind.
One of the most intriguing theories about its origin connects it to the act of whistling during the winnowing of grain, an agricultural practice where the wind was called to separate the chaff from the wheat. This seemingly trivial gesture dates back to an archaic vision of the wind as an animated, almost spiritual force. In many ancient languages — from Greek to Arabic — the terms for wind, soul, and spirit share the same etymological root. Robert Graves linked it to ancient harvest rituals and saw in its figures veiled symbols of rural deities or manifestations of the wind itself.
Other hypotheses suggest even more distant origins, connecting it to Iberian ex-votos, Minoan idols, or Phoenician deities. The oldest specimen dates from the Islamic period (12th-13th centuries), found in Palma, which suggests possible Arab influences in its design or function. Historically made by women, the Siurell has transitioned from ritual to play, eventually becoming a popular toy and later a souvenir.
However, beyond its commercialization, the Siurell retains an enchanted quality. It is an object that breathes, calls, plays. In its whistle resounds something ancient, something that speaks of the wind, the harvest, and the hands that molded it with clay and breath, making it irresistible both to children and collectors.
Today, the Siurell is still much more than a picturesque figure: it is a link to a Mallorca that still remembers how to call the wind. Reinterpreting it from a contemporary perspective is a way of hearing that ancient whistle again and asking ourselves what forces we want to awaken in our present.
