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| Fairies (fae) were blamed for fungus rings... (mikezwei) |
British, Nordic, Slavic and European folklore in general is filled with creatures far stranger than any vampire or werewolf. Whether you're interested in mythology or simply looking for creative inspiration, there should be something helpful here - though you'll have to decide how much stock to put in tales of the...
- Green Man and Woolpit Children: Britain's little green men
- Golem: The Hebrew robot of mud, clay and magic that turned up in Prague
- Ghillie Dhu: The Scottish fairy the ghillie suit is named after
- Dullahan and Headless Horsemen: You don't want to meet these riders
- Sacamantecas: A sack-toting bogeyman on the hunt for human fat
- Sandman: Magical anesthetist or eyeball stealing maniac, depending on your country's folklore
- Draugr: Superpowered intelligent zombies from Nordic sagas
- Redcap or Powrie: Evil gnomes that dip their hats in human blood
- Sea Bishop and Sea Monk: Part fish, part clergyman... possibly carved out of sea-life
- Iele: Romania's dancing and dangerous "Ladies of the Wood"
- Selkies and Kelpies: Shapeshifting Scottish seal-folk and water-horses
- Leshy: The Slavic spirit of the forest
- Vodyanoy and Rusalka: Water-dwelling and murderous Slavic spirits
- Brownie: A helpful (but easily offended) Scottish house fairy
- Nuckelavee: A murderous demonic water centaur from the Orkney Isles
- Frau Perchta: A goddess turned belly-slitting hag
- Ghost of the Silent Pool: The spirit of a girl who drowned escaping King John
- Beast of Gévaudan: A wolf-like creature that killed around 100 people
- Lantern Men, Jack-o'-Lantern and Will-o'-the-Wisp: Ghost lights or chemical reactions?
- Black Shuck: A British hellhound that raided two churches
1: Green Man and Woolpit Children: Britain's little green men
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| Tucked away in a church... (erge) |
Did you know that many old churches (and even cathedrals) in Britain feature a pagan catch-all god in their decorations?
The entity in question is the Green Man, a human-ish figure made out of leaves (often oak) and other bits of plant. Usually only the head is shown, nestled amongst otherwise Christian decorations. Since it's unlikely that carvings of a pagan spirit were requested by the clergy, perhaps stonemasons slipped it into the decorations as a nod to older gods?
The idea of the Green Man crops up a lot in British folklore. It usually stands for growth, death and renewal, following the seasons just like the foliage it's made from. It can also be used as a representation of summer (the "Oak King") battling a representation of winter (the "Holly King") across the year.
While the term "Green Man" is often attributed to Lady Raglan in 1939, references to the figure go back far longer. A book from 1610 "Chesters triumph in honor of her prince As it was performed vpon S. Georges Day 1610. in the foresaid citie" by Richard Davies speaks of "Two disguised, called Greene-men, their habit Embroy∣dred and Stitch'd on with Iuie-leaues" who took part in the parade while armed with massive clubs.
There's another story of green people from 12th century Britain. During England and Normandy's "Anarchy" two children were discovered near the village of Woolpit. Displaced orphans wouldn't have been all that remarkable given the civil war... but these children couldn't speak English and had green skin. They were taken in by Sir Richard de Calne but refused food... until they discovered green beans growing in his garden and ate them straight from the ground.
They eventually got used to normal food and learned English, seeming to lose their green coloration in the process. When asked where they came from, they said that they were from the land of St. Martin (which they described as being in a perpetual twilight and being bordered by a huge river, on the far side of which was a luminous country) and claimed to not know how they had ended up in Woolpit - all they remembered were chiming bells.
These mysterious children could have been refugees displaced from France by the war - St. Martin of Tours was revered in France and the white (some would say luminous) cliffs of Dover in Britain can sometimes be seen from the French coast. Could the chiming bells have come from a half-remembered ship voyage across the English Channel?
Curiously, people can take on a green tint thanks to hypochromic anaemia (iron deficiency.) Perhaps the children (with their odd diet) were simply malnourished rather than being some kind of changeling or fairy?
2: Golem: The Hebrew robot of mud, clay and magic that turned up in Prague
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| A man of clay.. (Elijah Crouch) |
People into computer games and fantasy fiction probably know about these guys already. The golem was a man of clay, a magical mud robot from Hebrew folklore. The golem would act as a companion, worker or soldier for its creator... though frequently it would turn on its master.
It was said that the Sefer Yetzirah or book of creation contained the magical secrets required to create a golem. By combining ritual, letters and numbers a Rabbi free from sin could supposedly conjure a living being (or even better, an entire new world) but there was a catch - nobody was really free from sin. The best a Rabbi could do was bring a body of dust, earth and clay into a facsimile of life - and because it was not really alive, the resulting golem could not speak.
The most famous practitioner of this technique was by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the man supposedly behind the Golem of Prague. The story goes that Rabbi Loew heard a mystery voice commanding him to create a man of clay. He took mud from the river, shaped it and placed a shem (definitions vary, but for golems it's a mystical scroll or tablet that acts as an imitation soul) in his creation's mouth.
Rabbi Loew named the resulting animated man Yossele and set it to walk the Jewish quarter of Prague each night. With horrifying strength, no fear and no need to rest, the Golem was a fearsome protector. During the day the Rabbi used it for chopping wood, fetching water and other heavy but simple tasks - the golem lacked the capacity to truly "think" for itself.
The Golem was only allowed to rest on the Sabbath, when the Rabbi would remove the shem... except the one time he forgot. The golem went on a rampage and started destroying all in its path, only stopping when Rabbi Loew removed the shem. He never reanimated the creature and the pile of clay was sealed away in the attic of the Old New Synagogue... where it may lie to this day.
There is one thing I'd like to note about the Golem of Prague - the supernatural characteristics of the golem really boil down to strength and size... which can also be seen in folk with pituitary gigantism.
3: Ghillie Dhu: The Scottish fairy the ghillie suit is named after
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| The ghillie suit... (Anastase Maragos) |
Ever wondered where the ghillie suit got its name?
The Ghillie Dhu is said to have been a solitary fairy - and a fairly benevolent one at that. He lived in the woodland around the Gairloch (a loch or lake in Scotland) where he hid from adult humans. His name roughly translates to dark-haired boy (which he was described as) and he was said to wear an outfit of moss, bark and greenery (hence ghillie suit.)
Folklore tells the story of a young girl called Jessie MacRae who got lost in the woodlands one cold Scottish night. Rather than avoid or harm her, the Ghillie Dhu guided her back out of the forest... something you'd think would earn him the gratitude of the locals.
Sadly the opposite was true. The local laird (lord) decided that he wanted the helpful woodland fairy's head for his wall and led a hunting party after him. Though they returned empty-handed, the Ghillie Dhu vanished from the area.
4: Dullahan and Headless Horsemen: You don't want to meet these riders
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| Horsemen with a little off the top... (Michi-Nordlicht) |
Would any haunted wood be complete without a headless horseman?
One of the most fleshed out tales of these entities is that of the Dullahan, a decapitated rider that carried his rotting head beneath one arm. His other hand was used for a whip fashioned from a human spine - which he used to lash the eyes out of anyone foolish enough to look at him.
In case it isn't obvious, this fairy was not a friendly creature.
Sometimes the Dullahan spiced things up and rode a coach as he looked for victims. Like a proactive banshee, he sought out a target, called their name and killed them himself. Getting in his path was a bad idea as well, though throwing gold in front of him could sometimes turn him away.
So you might be wondering what made this entity so vicious. One theory is that Dullahan folklore draws heavily from an ancient Celtic god named Crom Dubh. Though he was worshiped as a harvest deity, the "dark crooked one" demanded human sacrifice - specifically decapitation. It's said that when Ireland turned Christian and the sacrifices stopped, the god took a hands on approach!
Of course, Ireland isn't the only place to have a headless horseman. Scotland's Ewan the Headless is said to haunt the MacLeans of Duart to this day, having been defeated by them in battle back in the 1538. The tale goes that Ewan and his Lochbuie MacLaines were challenged to battle by his father and the MacLeans after arguing over land.
While riding through the woods, Ewan saw a Bean Nighe washing bloody rags in a stream - these fairies have the gift of prophecy. Ewan asked her to tell him the outcome of the upcoming battle and she replied that if he was served butter with his porridge in the morning without asking, he would be victorious.
The day of the battle came and Ewan sat for hours with his men, refusing to let them eat from their bowls... but nobody broke out the butter. Eventually he stormed off with his hungry men and shortly into the battle, took a shoulder-high claymore blow with predictable results. His headless body rode clear of the fight, held in the saddle by his stirrups.
Supposedly the ghost of Ewan rides out to collect the souls of dying MacLaines and still holds a grudge against the MacLeans, attacking isolated individuals at night and forcing them to fight until the dawn. A cynical part of me wonders if that's just the effects of a few too many drams of whisky though!
5: Sacamantecas: A sack-toting bogeyman on the hunt for human fat
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| Not a place you want to be... (Susbany) |
This monster hails from Spain and blends folklore with real life murders.
The Sacamantecas was a kind of bogeyman, stalking the streets after dark in the hopes of catching children to stuff in his sack and carry off. The reason behind this sinister hobby can be found in his name (which literally means "fat extractor") as this creature wanted only the finest human lard.
The stories get a bit more vague when discussing what it did with the fat. Some claim that he consumed it, others say he used it to make remedies or even arts and crafts.
Such was the case with Manuela Blanco Romasanta, a real-life Spanish serial murderer who killed people and used their body fat to make high quality soap. He'd offer to guide women and children between towns, only to murder them on route and extract their fat. Upon being captured he also claimed to be a werewolf... though he proved unable to transform in front of the court.
6: Sandman: Magical anesthetist or eyeball stealing maniac, depending on your country's folklore
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| Dust in the eyes... (Mark Valentine) |
On the subject of bogeymen, did you know that one of the earliest references to the sleep-inducing sandman is as a figure of eye-stealing horror?
German author Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann wrote a short story called "Der Sandmann" in 1816. The young protagonist Nathaniel is told a tale of the Sandman... but rather than being a figure that brings drowsiness, the character flings sand (sometimes red hot) into the eyes of children to make them leap from their skulls. This fear generated by this story eventually combines with events in Nathaniel's life and drives him to madness, eventually causing him to leap to his death.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a much kinder version of the character in the 1841 story "Ole Lukøie." The character gently sprinkles something in children's eyes to close them (depending on the translation this can be anything from magical dust to milk) and keep himself hidden.
Ole Lukøje also totes two umbrellas, one decorated (to create dreams) and one plain. The worst he does to children is give them a night without dreams if they've been naughty!
7: Draugr: Superpowered intelligent zombies from Nordic sagas
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| Draugr were sometimes called mound-dwellers... (Efraimstochter) |
If you played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim you'll be familiar with these guys.
Essentially the draugr (sometimes called aptrganga or haubui) were reanimated corpses that usually inhabited burial mounds. They possessed supernatural strength but unlike many depictions of zombies, they retained the ability to think.
Glámr is eventually defeated by the hero Grettir when he stays at the farmstead. The draugr tries to use his unnatural might to drag Grettir into the night, but the cunning hero manages to outmaneuver his foe and knock him to the ground. Before Grettir can draw steel and finish his foe, moonlight shines upon the draugr and he speaks a curse - dooming Grettir to never grow stronger and to suffer incredibly ill fortune for the rest of his life.
Essentially the draugr (sometimes called aptrganga or haubui) were reanimated corpses that usually inhabited burial mounds. They possessed supernatural strength but unlike many depictions of zombies, they retained the ability to think.
One of the most interesting examples of draugr comes from the 13-14th century Icelandic Grettis Saga. The protagonist Grettir faces off against Glam (or Glámr) who had previously been a herder before dying under mysterious, otherworldly circumstances.
The story goes that the farmer Thorhall had been troubled by a wight that kept driving his farmhands away. He recruits a burly herder named Glámr in the hopes that he can withstand the creature menacing his animals... but on yuletide, the herder is found blue and dead amidst the signs of a struggle. Tellingly, Glámr's body becomes incredibly heavy when they try to carry it to the local church - and they eventually bury it on the spot.
It soon becomes apparent that Glámr has returned as a draugr. He menaces workers, causes people to swoon with a glare, kills animals and even breaks every bone in the body of Thorgaut, a big and brawny man hired to replace him.
8: Redcap or Powrie: Evil gnomes that dip their hats in human blood
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| Redcaps were said to throw stones at victims... (Ben Wicks) |
Scotland is littered with ruined castles and keeps - and it's these that are said to be the home of the malevolent Redcap.
This small fairy stomped around in iron-shod boots, wearing a (you guessed it) red cap and often carrying a pikestaff or other weapon. If it encountered a potential victim, the redcap hurled stones pried from the ruins to kill its target... then dipped the cap in their blood. Some stories even claim that the redcap would die if his hat ever dried out.
Hermitage castle has a rather grim tale of Lord William de Soules. History tells us that de Soules died in prison after being in a plot to kill King Robert the Bruce, but folklore tells us that de Soules was a dark magician with a familiar named "Robin Redcap."
The tale paints de Soules as a monster. He kidnapped local peasants, sent his redcap out to murder and when a fellow noble intervened to stop him being lynched by a crowd, thanked him by stabbing him in the back.
The warlock finally met his demise when the locals captured him in specially forged chains and boiled him alive in molten lead!
9: Sea Bishop and Sea Monk: Part fish, part clergyman... possibly carved out of sea-life
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| Could rays or sharks have been the sea bishop? (Hugo Carle) |
Do you think the oceans have clergy? People in the 16th century had to ponder the same question thanks to the discovery of a "sea bishop."
The creature appeared to be a fish with an organic bishop's habit. Supposedly the creature was brought before King Sigismund I of Poland and his court, whereupon it indicated (somehow) that it wished to return to the sea.
There's also the "sea monk" which appeared to be a large, fish-like creature with a humanish head resembling that of a monk.
Nobody is entirely sure what these creatures were, though suggestions have been made pointing to the angelshark or giant squid. There's also the possibility that it was a fabrication like a Jenny Haniver - a preserved fish modified to have human or monstrous characteristics!
The creature appeared to be a fish with an organic bishop's habit. Supposedly the creature was brought before King Sigismund I of Poland and his court, whereupon it indicated (somehow) that it wished to return to the sea.
There's also the "sea monk" which appeared to be a large, fish-like creature with a humanish head resembling that of a monk.
Nobody is entirely sure what these creatures were, though suggestions have been made pointing to the angelshark or giant squid. There's also the possibility that it was a fabrication like a Jenny Haniver - a preserved fish modified to have human or monstrous characteristics!
10: Iele: Romania's dancing and dangerous "Ladies of the Wood"
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| Iele caused scorched soil... (Elisa Stone) |
Romanian folklore speaks of the Iele; the Ladies, Beauties, Empresses or Powerful Ones. These mysterious women are not exactly evil, but anything they touch becomes dangerous.
Groups of Iele were said to dance the hora, scorching grass into bare earth as they did. The resulting patches were inimical to mortals - walking over one guaranteed sickness, while animals avoided them entirely. This may be an analogue of fairy rings found in other parts of folklore!
Spying on the dancing Iele was a terrible idea - tales tell of men struck mute or even mutilated having been caught by the Powerful Ones.
Groups of Iele were said to dance the hora, scorching grass into bare earth as they did. The resulting patches were inimical to mortals - walking over one guaranteed sickness, while animals avoided them entirely. This may be an analogue of fairy rings found in other parts of folklore!
Spying on the dancing Iele was a terrible idea - tales tell of men struck mute or even mutilated having been caught by the Powerful Ones.
11: Selkies and Kelpies: Shapeshifting Scottish seal-folk and water-horses
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| I suppose it could look human... (Howard Senton) |
Folklore is littered with tales of men (and sometimes women) finding a sealskin and hiding it away, condemning the selkie to a land-bound existence - and frequently marriage. These tales usually end with someone (often their child) finding the sealskin and alerting the selkie, who immediately takes the skin, rushes to the water and swims away.
There are actually some genetic conditions that might help explain selkie folklore - for example, people born with webbed fingers and toes might be considered to have selkie blood!
Now for another aquatic Scottish shapeshifter, the kelpie. This creature could take the form of a human, but its true form is that of a horse. Kelpie in the form of a female human were said to lounge in streams and rivers to lure men close, while the male human form allowed them to ambush travelers.
The party piece of the kelpie was that anyone touching its hide would find themselves stuck fast. The "horse" would then dive into the water, drowning its would-be rider!
12: Leshy: The Slavic spirit of the forest
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| Would you risk the deep forest? (Sebastian Unrau) |
The leshy is a fairly benevolent Slavic woodland spirit or god. He is generally depicted as ambivalent towards humans and fiercely protective of his forests.
The leshy often took a human-ish appearance, resembling an old man with a few strange features. He was missing his right ear, eyebrows and eyelashes, green hair covered most of his body and if he was hurt, his blood was blue. He also changed shape depending on where he was - in the forests he grew to the height of the trees, but outside of them he shrank to the height of the grass.
While the leshy generally didn't harm humans, he would make an exception if he felt someone was abusing the woodlands - or in rare cases, if he simply felt like it. He would blend in with the forest and use his voice to lure travelers away from the path - or outright abduct children in some tales.
On the plus side, it was relatively easy to appease the leshy by amusing him. Making a fool of oneself (for example, putting your shoes on the wrong feet) could make him laugh and leave you alone. On the other hand, if you managed to befriend the leshy he could offer helpful advice, protect livestock and even teach magical secrets!
13: Vodyanoy and Rusalka: Water-dwelling and murderous Slavic spirits
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| Dangerous without supernatural help... (Jayant Chaudhary) |
The vodyanoy is a Slavic freshwater version of a merman. Often depicted as a shape-changing frog-like humanoid, he loved nothing more than to drag foolish people to their deaths beneath the waters of his home.
Anyone that entered the water after dusk, on a holy day or without having made the sign of the cross risked an encounter with the creature - they might find themselves pulled beneath the water without anything they could do about it. Of course, going swimming in a cold river at night is pretty dangerous without the assistance of the supernatural!
Another Slavic water spirit is the rusalka. These were formed from the ghosts of drowned girls and unbaptized children, emerging from their watery homes in spring to play... and lure men close enough to kill. Despite their evil nature, the dancing of the rusalka was said to promote crop growth!
14: Brownie: A helpful (but easily offended) Scottish house fairy
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| Cottages could use a brownie... (Paul Arky) |
Many of these fairies are, to be perfectly frank, evil. The same can't be said for the brownie of Scottish and English folklore - the worst it gets up to is occasionally rearranging the contents of a room.
Though the brownie was rarely seen, it could be heard performing household tasks throughout the night. This could range from cleaning to cooking or even finishing off work started by the mortals of the house.
This fairy didn't ask for a great deal in return, but it was quite easy to offend. Gifts of milk, cream and bread were all it wanted, with anything else annoying the diminutive sprite. The worst gift one could give was a suit of clothing - the brownie would don it and vanish forever!
15: Nuckelavee: A murderous demonic water centaur from the Orkney Isles
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| Orkney blends Celtic and Nordic folklore (Mark Foster) |
This creature didn't go in for subtlety. It was a massive horse-like creature with a single glowing eye, a protruding maw and flippers. A human torso extended from the back of the horse, like a rider had been fused in place. To finish off the look, the creature was without skin - instead, tarry black blood could be seen seeping through exposed veins.
Despite the nightmarish appearance, this creature could be checked by fresh water - getting a stream between you and it was enough to be protected!
16: Frau Perchta: A goddess turned belly-slitting hag
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| Oliebollen! (Bern Fresen) |
If you can get past the name, these bits of food were thought to serve a vital purpose - they would help protect you from a Germanic goddess-turned-hag, Frau Perchta. This entity had a charming punishment for those she deemed not to have enough community spirit - around Christmas, she would rip open their bellies and tear out their innards, filling the resulting void with straw and pebbles.
How does a doughnut protect against that, you ask? Well, the theory was that the oily pastry would cause her blade to slip away from a victim's belly!
17: Ghost of the Silent Pool: The spirit of a girl who drowned escaping King John
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| I can tell you from personal experience the Silent Pool is eerie... |
The Silent Pool in England is an eerie looking place with a dark history. The pool itself is spring fed, meaning there's no chuckle of water trickling in - the blue-tinted water (possibly thanks to minerals) sits in silence.
Legend has it that in the 13th century a woodcutter's daughter was swimming in the pool when King John passed by. Not one to miss out on an opportunity for a misdeed, he sought to grab the girl and she retreated to the middle of the pool... where she drowned as the king looked on. Folklore claims that her ghost can be seen haunting the pool each midnight.
At a much later date, crime author Agatha Christie was thought to have drowned in the pool after her car was found abandoned nearby. It turned out she was staying at "The Harrogate Hydro" (now known as "The Old Swan") hotel and baths, under an assumed name and with a case of amnesia!
18: Beast of Gévaudan: A wolf-like creature that killed around 100 people
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| The Beast? (Chris Ensminger) |
The Beast of Gévaudan is an interesting bit of folklore, since it was based on very real and very bloody events. France was reeling from war when peasants began being picked off by a large wolf-like creature in 1764.
The beast seemed to care little for livestock, instead hunting women and children. It seemed impervious to gunfire and even the efforts of the greatest hunters in France (including the king's own huntsman) failed to stop the rampage.
The beast was eventually slain by Jean Chastel, a local farmer who went on to become a folk hero. Mystery surrounds the creature said to be responsible for over 100 deaths though - was it an enormous wolf, a wolf-dog hybrid, a human serial killer using a dog as his weapon (some even point to Chastel as the possible mastermind) or something otherworldly? Since the beast decayed in the heat before it could be brought to Paris for a proper examination, we many never know.
19: Lantern Men, Jack-o'-Lantern and Will-o'-the-Wisp: Ghost lights or chemical reactions?
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| Just gas, or something worse? (nuspla) |
The will-o'-the-wisp is some times known as ignis fatuus or "foolish fire." They were once thought to be malevolent bog spirits or the souls of the unquiet dead, using their bobbing light to draw travelers to their deaths in the treacherous mud.
Science disagrees, instead suggesting that chemicals released by decaying of organic material (like us - human bodies contain phosphorus) in the murky waters could be responsible. If that doesn't sound possible, check out this video of phosphorus being exposed to air.
The lantern men of England are a bit more proactive. They're said to haunt the fens and marshes, especially around Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. Rather than just luring people, they are said to attack people and are particularly attracted to other lights and the sound of whistling - apparently two people can defeat a lantern man by taking turns to whistle, causing the creature to keep changing direction.
Unfortunately the wherryman (boatman) Joseph Bexfield went alone into the night in 1809. Though he knew the area and marshes well (he lived and worked on them after all) he washed up on the banks of the River Yare three days later - local folklore claims that a lantern man was to blame for his demise.
20: Black Shuck: A British hellhound that raided two churches
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| Britain's best hellhound? (Stevebidmead) |
Folklore contains quite a few hellhounds, but the Black Shuck (Shuck may come from the old English succa, meaning demon) is one of the more infamous - at least in Britain.
This black, ghostly canine is said to haunt Suffolk and the countryside of East Anglia, frequenting graveyards, crossroads, the coastline and deep woodland. Standing as high as a calf (or sometimes a horse) it has occasionally appeared headless or floating on a patch of mist.
Now phantom dogs are often viewed as creatures of ill omen (and lets face it, the baying of a lone dog in the countryside at night is disturbing on some primal level) but the Black Shuck allegedly took things a step further by raiding a pair of churches in 1577.
During a powerful storm, the Black Shuck forced its way into St Mary's Church in Bungay accompanied by a crash of thunder. It killed parishioners as the church's steeple collapsed, before running out again.
The dog wasn't done though. It continued to the Blythburgh church and attacked again - this time it left scorch marks on the door as it exited. The locals call them "the devil’s fingerprints" though to me, they look a lot like mundane candle burns!
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