Random stuff and nonsense I find amusing.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Werewolf of Langrick Fen (Dogdyke, Lincolnshire, UK)
A local archaeologist digging in the peat discovered a human skeleton but with a wolf’s head.
Carrying the object into his cottage he placed it on a table and examined it carefully. But he could make nothing of it and concluded that it must have been some monstrosity, such as showmen bring out at fairs to excite the interest of the crowd.
That night, however, he found himself unable to sleep, and fancying he heard a noise in the back premises, got up to investigate. Suddenly he heard a sharp rat-tat on the window pane and looking round perceived a dark object looking at him. This speedily resolved itself into the form of a human being with a wolf’s head.
Every feature was distinctly marked and there was no possibility of reflection, since no light was visible anywhere. As the young man stood transfixed with horror, the creature gave a snarl of savage exultation and raised its arm to dash in the glass, whereupon he recovered the power of movement and fled into the kitchen. A crash sounded behind him and he wasted no time in locking and barring the door and erecting a barricade of furniture against it. There he waited all night in a cold sweat, while the stealthy pad-pad of feet sounded without. At last the first streaks of dawn told him that his long vigil was over and as the light grew stronger he ventured to unbar and open the door.
Nothing was visible of the ghostly visitor, but the table, whereon he had placed the skeleton was overturned and the window of the room was shivered into fragments. Hastily collecting the remains of the uncanny being, which lay scattered all over the floor, he buried them again in the same place, where he had found them and covered them over with several layers of peat. Nor was he again disturbed, though for many years afterwards, he would describe with vivid gesture his peculiar adventure with the supernatural.
The Mermaid of Zennor (Zennor, Cornwall, UK)
The people of Zennor had long wondered at the beauty of a richly-dressed lady who attended divine service at the church. None knew whence she came, but when she fell in love with Matthew Trewella and lured him away, tongues began to wag. Neither was seen again for many years, until one Sunday morning the sailors on a ship anchored near Pendower Cove were surprised to see a mermaid rising from the water, and recognised her as none other than the mysterious visitor to Zennor Church. She asked the captain to raise his anchor, as it was barring the entrance to her house. Her likeness can be seen to this day carved on a pew-end in Zennor Church.
Legend of Herne the Hunter (Windsor, Berkshire, UK)
Herne was the favourite huntsman of Richard the Second. Mortally wounded while saving his master from a stag at bay, he was miraculously cured by a stranger, who tied the antlers of a dead stag to the dying man’s brow. He claimed in payment all Herne’s skill in venery. Crazed by the loss of that skill in the craft he loved, Herne fled to the forest, where a pedlar found his horned corpse hanging from an oak. But every night he returned at the head of a spectral hunt to harry the Windsor game as of old.
Legend of Cader Idris (Barmouth, Wales)
Idris was said to be a wise giant, who may have had links with King Arthur. People would avoid the area at night, convinced that fairies would drive them mad. Another legend says that the site was the hunting ground of Gwyn ap Nudd (Ruler of the Otherworld) who searched the area with a pack of Cwn Annwn, looking for souls to take back home. Finally. Strange lights are said to appear around the summit for the first few days of a new year.
Twelve Apostles Standing Stones (west Yorshire, UK)
Situated 1264 feet above sea level, the Twelve Apostles Standing Stones (once known as the Druids Chair and the Druidical Dial Circle) is the second highest ancient monument on Rombald’s Moor and probably dates from 3500-4000 years. The stones stand close to the crossing of two prehistoric paths probably used for trans Pennine trading and amidst what has been described as an ‘extensive ancient ceremonial landscape’. Those earlier travelers probably took advantage of Black Beck Well which is position about 200 yards from the Twelve Apostles.
Arthur Raistrick (1896-1991), a local archaeologist visited the site in 1929 and speculated that the circle could have originally had 20 stones with a single stone in the centre.
As with some other stone circles, there are reports of UFO or Earth Light type activity. One sighting took place in 1976. Three members of the Royal Observer Corps saw a white silent sphere hovering low over the stone circle whilst they were out on exercises. It remained motionless, then suddenly shot straight up into the sky eventually vanishing. Two witnesses saw a similar light in July 1990. They were at the Backstone circle one night and saw a white ball of light on the horizon about a mile or so away. It approached the Twelve Apostles from the west and when it reached the stones it became stationery. It then made a series of strange manoeuvres, backtracking at high speed, doing a 180° turn, returning to the circle before heading off to west where it had originally come from, apparently pursued by an Royal Air Force fighter which was seen heading in the direction which the light had taken.
Witch of Edmondthorpe (St Michael’s Church,Edmondthorpe, Leicestershire, UK)
Sir Roger Smith and his two wives have their tomb within this church, with the effigy of Lady Ann possessing a dark mark on one whist. A local legend says that Ann was a witch who could change into a cat - the mark on her statue shows where a butler hit Ann in cat form with a small axe.
Legend of Jiang Shi: The Hopping Vampire (China)
In Mian county, in China’s Shaanxi province, rural folk never venture out of doors after dark. The reason for this is that they fear the Jiang Shi: the hopping vampire.
The Jiang Shi (the name literally translates as ‘stiff corpse’) is different from vampires in western tradition. It does not drink blood, but rather saps its victims of their ‘qi’, or life energy. This is the only way the creature can survive. Like western vampires, however, the Jiang Shi can only roam free at night and must return to it its lair, usually a cave or hollow tree, when morning comes.
The Jiang Shi is thought to be a clumsy being which can only move with great difficulty, hopping awkwardly towards its victims with arms permanently outstretched. This is due to rigor mortis. Its appearance is said to be that of a decomposing corpse, with rotting flesh hanging from its undead bones. There are said to be a number of ways a Jiang Shi is created:
A dead body is not properly buried and so becomes re-animated, though not fully alive.
A pregnant cat jumps over a body before it is buried.
A person dies due to violence or suicide.
A living person is buried alive.
There are also several ways to destroy or evade a Jiang Shi. These include:
Put a mirror in front of the Jiang Shi. It’s said that when confronted with its own reflection the creature will finally realise it is dead and all remaining ‘qi’ will leave the body.
A sharpened peach wood branch can be used to kill a Jiang Shi, as peach wood holds sacred significance in traditional Chinese beliefs.
A Jiang Shi can also be killed with fire.
A Jiang Shi detects the living by following after their breath (closely related to ‘qi’ in Chinese thought). Holding one’s breath therefore makes one invisible to a Jiang Shi.
Ghosts and legend of Norrie’s Law (Cairns) (Largo, Scotland)
A ghost once appeared in the area and demanded that no cockerel should be allowed to crow nor should a horn be blown, and in return for peace and quiet, the phantom told the local shepherds the location of a hidden gold mine. One man by the name of Norrie unfortunately forgot the instructions and blew his horn - the ghost appeared and poor Norrie dropped dead on the spot. Norrie’s body proved impossible to move, so his friends constructed the cairn over him. Another legend says that the hill is so rich in gold, if any sheep lay on it, they shall turn yellow.
Arthur’s Stone (Llanrhidian, Wales)
The stones here are said to animate when the weather is right and there are no human witnesses, to head off and drink from the nearby waters. A ghostly knight in glowing armour also haunts the area; drifting out from under the rocks and heading north on nights of a full moon.
Legend of the Knucker Of Lyminster (Sussex, UK)
Lyminster has a dragon legend of which three different versions exist. The dragon was known as the Knucker and inhabited a supposedly bottomless pool known as the Knucker Hole and is situated just to the north of Lyminster.
In the first version, the dragon was terrorizing the area and had eaten all the maidens in the area, leaving only the King of Sussex’s daughter. The King offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to anyone who could deliver her from the dragon’s jaws. A wandering knight took up the challenge and slew the beast.
Others say it was a local lad named Jim Puttock who fed the dragon an indigestible pudding, then killed it whilst it was indisposed with a bout of bellyache! He got some of the dragon’s blood on his hand and, after wiping his mouth after a celebratory pint of beer, Puttock also died.
In the third variation, Jim baked a poisoned pie so huge it needed a horse and cart to transport it to the Knucker hole. The dragon ate the pie, the cart, and the horse, and subsequently died.
Knucker is believed to derive from nikyr, Old Norse for water monster.
The Slayer’s Slab can be found in St Mary Magdalene’s Church, which is reputedly the tomb of the dragonslayer.
Curse of Knockdolian Castle (Scotland)
The mistress of the castle ordered the destruction of a black rock which stood just a short distance away, in order to prevent a mermaid sitting upon it and singing. As revenge, the mermaid cursed the family, ensuring they all died without leaving an heir for the estate.
Ghosts and legend of St Michael’s Isle Church (Isle Of Man)
It is said if you knock on the church, one can hear the screams and cries of a group of pirates. These men were killed on the nearby rocks as they tried to escape with the church gold. The nearby ruins are haunted by the drowned people buried around the site. They have been seen sitting on the rubble and walking inland from the sea.
Ghost of Caerphilly Castle (Wales)
Once owners of the building, the de Clares family were haunted by a Gwrach-y-rhibyn (similar to a banshee), warning them about an eminent death in the family. Now they have moved away, the ghost is still seen - drifting towards the castle only to disappear once she enters the ruins. A figure dressed in red also haunts the building.
Legend of Silbury Hill (Wiltshire, UK)
This hill is the biggest man made mound in Europe. It is 130 feet high and 100 feet across its flat top surface.
The hill was built around 2500BC, formed with some of the chalk from the great henge at Avebury, and built in a complex lattice structure of in-filled chalk walls.
The hill has been excavated several times, but no traces of burial have ever been found. The first excavation was during 1776, when the Duke of Northumberland hired a number of Cornish miners to bore a hole from the top down through the centre of the mound. Nothing was found during this excavation.
In 1849 a side tunnel was dug from near the bottom to the centre of the mound, again no traces of any artefacts were recovered but some information on the structure of the mound were gleaned.
The last excavation was during 1968-70 was led by Professor Richard Atckinson who also bored into the side of the hill. These excavations have caused weakening to the structure of the mound, so much so that it is being monitored for movement by English Heritage.
According to folklore the mound was the final resting place for King Sil, who sat upright on a golden horse or within a golden coffin, depending on which version you prefer. The hill is also said to have been dropped by the Devil, who was carrying earth to bury Avebury. The priests of Avebury prayed for redemption, and the Devil was forced to drop his load short of the village.
Ghosts of Holland House (Holland Park, London, UK)
Situated in a 500 acre estate, some of which is now survives as Holland Park, the house was originally known as Cope Castle and was built in 1605 for Sir Walter Cope. His daughter married Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland (1590 - 9 March 1649) who inherited the property and is said to haunt it.
The Earl of Holland was a Royalist officer during the Civil War and surrendered after being defeated at the Battle of St Neots on 10th July 1648. He was found guilty of being a traitor and beheaded in the Tower of London on 9th March 1649. For more details concerning Henry Rich and his capture, see The New Inn, St Neots, where he is also supposed to haunt.
Cope Castle was adopted by the Roundheads as an army headquarters which was often used by Oliver Cromwell.
The building was named Holland House after the war when it was returned to the family. In 1721 it passed into the hands of the Edwardes.
In 1940 it suffered during an extensive German bombing raid over London, which destroyed much of the building. Following World War II the house and grounds were passed to the local authority with Holland Park opening in 1952. Holland House is currently a restaurant and Youth Hostel.
There are two ghost stories attached to Holland House. Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland reputedly haunts the Gilt Room. He is said to emerge from a secret doorway and walk across the room, some say carrying his head.
Another strange apparition appeared to Lady Diana Rich whilst walking in the grounds of Holland House. She came across an apparition of herself, an identical mirror image. A month later she died of small pox. In the love letters of Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple 1652-1654, Lady Diana Rich, daughter of 1st Earl Holland was described as seeming to have been of a lively, vivacious temperament, and very popular with the other sex. Within the letters they refer to her having an eye condition of some sort and having died unmarried by 1653.
Her sister Lady Isabella Thynne, wife of Sir James Thynne of Longleat is also supposed to have seen an apparition of herself just before she died.
