A clattering coach rides to a Tudor manor, carrying a specter whose visage causes madness or death. It may sound like a Halloween tale, but that's actually a snippet of a Christmas ghost story! Take a look at...
- The History of Haunting Christmas Tales
- The Science of Scariness
- Story One: The Haunted Hotel With a Dark History
- Story Two: The Red Knight
- Story Three: The Christmas Coachman
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| Ghost stories have a stronger connection to Christmas than you might think... (By_Jo) |
The History of Haunting Christmas Tales
Humans have been telling ghost stories in the depths of winter for a long, long time. Many ancient religions held that the worlds of the dead and the living overlapped during the darkest times of the year, while Samhain and Yule persist today as Halloween and Christmas.
It was the Victorians who really kicked the idea of Christmas ghost stories into overdrive. Society at the time was fascinated by the occult, with seances, spirit photography and cheap "penny dreadful" novels being a common form of entertainment. It was also around this time that Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol."
There's also the simple fact that the Christmas climate lends itself to the telling of tales. Without central heating, computers or television, families would gather around a hearth and listen to tales spun from folklore as the dancing flames cast sinister shadows behind them.
The Science of Scariness
Have you ever wondered why people enjoy spooky stories? The answer probably lies in the biochemistry of the human brain - specifically the ancient "fight or flight" response.
If the brain perceives a situation to be dangerous, this survival mechanism kicks in and floods the body with hormones (such as adrenaline.) Our heart speeds up, aches dull and a surge of energy prepares us for combat (or to beat a hasty retreat.) When experienced in a safe, controlled setting (i.e. at home in front of a screen) any sense of danger is fleeting. The brain quickly realizes that you're safe (there's even evidence that exposure to fictional threats can help you to endure the real thing) but the effects of the adrenaline remain - and without the presence of danger, they can feel pretty good!
Psychologists also believe that the lingering effects of fear can be misinterpreted. Dutton and Aron set up an experiment where a female researcher would ask males crossing bridges (one scary, one safe) to fill out a questionnaire about creativity, then give them their phone number in case they had any questions. Males in the scary condition were much more likely to get in contact, suggesting that they were misinterpreting the adrenaline from the crossing as attraction towards the researcher!
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| Anyone else feel their stomach lurch? (Joshua Kettle) |
Story One: The Haunted Hotel With a Dark History
The Crescent Hotel of Arkansas was built to attract people visiting the supposedly healthy waters of the Ozark Mountains. It opened in 1886 and quickly became a luxury destination of the well-to-do, but this prosperity would prove fleeting. When it became apparent that the waters of the Ozarks were no better than those of anywhere else, the flow of vacationers dried up and the hotel fell on hard times.
It would first be repurposed as a series of colleges and then as the Baker Hospital, an establishment that offered cures for cancer - though this turned out to be a scam and Baker was arrested. In 1946 a group of businessmen bought the site and reopened it as a hotel, but a fire torched the south wing in 1967. In 1997 the site was bought again and refurbished - this time with a bit more success.
With such a colorful history it's no surprise that the Crescent Hotel is rumored to host a series of spooks. The ballroom is said to be frequented by specters during the festive season, all clad in the height of Victorian-era fashion. These spirits have been blamed for rearranging furniture, swapping the location of the Christmas decorations and even moving the Christmas tree to the other side of the ballroom!
One of the other supposed spirits at the hotel is Michael, a builder that fell from the roof in 1885. This ghost is said to tinker with lights, pound on walls and generally make mischief. There's also been reports of a nurse seen wheeling a gurney late at night - perhaps a throwback to when the corpses of cancer victims from the sham Baker hospital were quietly removed from the premises.
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| Probably not a place you'd want to hear unexplained hoofbeats... (Hans) |
Story Two: The Red Knight
It's said that if you wander over Pymms Brook in East Barnet on Christmas Eve, you might encounter an armored rider dressed in a red cloak and accompanied by a headless hound patrolling the roads.
Sir Geoffrey de Mandeville lived during one of England's many civil wars, specifically the "Anarchy" of 1135-1153. As the Earl of Essex, he had supported both Stephen and Matilda's claims to the English throne at different times - a stance that did little to win him allies. That changed when Stephen seized some of Geoffrey's holdings, leading him to start his own little rebellion.
He occupied Ramsey Abbey and threw the monks out, intending to use it as his base. This ill-judged move enraged the pope and led to his excommunication - meaning that after his death he couldn't be given a Christian burial. His body was taken in by the Knights Templar and hung from the branches of a tree near their temple in a lead coffin. The Prior of Walden Priory eventually managed to get the excommunication revoked, allowing the body to be buried inside the temple.
Sir Geoffrey had offered generous financial support to Walden Priory in his life, and was said to have set a curse against anyone who tried to take the money from it. Some say that this curse was triggered when Henry VIII orchestrated the dissolution of the monasteries of England - and as such, the erstwhile Earl rides the countryside every six years in indignation at the theft.
Story Three: The Christmas Coachman
Upon hearing the sound of hooves on Christmas Eve, you might look around to see if someone has hired a horse-drawn coach to make a particularly festive sight. Things are rather different at Roos Hall, where guests (if the stories are to be believed) would be best to avert their eyes.
Folklore has it that a coach approaches the red-brick Tudor hall at high speed, guided by a headless man and pulled by headless horses. At their destination, a woman steps from the coach... and anyone gazing upon her risks madness or death.
The hall itself has a rather dark history. The grounds used to hold a hanging gibbet used to execute criminals, though this was eventually replaced with an oak tree. It's said that spirits can sometimes be seen interacting with the tree - or even pacing circles widdershins around it in an attempt to conjure up the devil!
Thanks for reading - for more winter woes, try...