Creature of the Week: Banchee

In today’s Creature of the Week I am looking into the Banchee. The Banchee comes from Irish folklore and goes by other names including Hag of the Mist, Little Washerwoman and Hag of the Black Head. Accounts surrounding the Banchee go as far back as 1380.

Description

Banchee’s are female spirits, often depicted as an old witch. There are 3 main descriptions used when referring to Banchee’s which are:

She has long hair, with red eyes (from weeping), wearing a grey cloak and a green dress.
She has a pale face, with red hair and dressed in white.
She is a shrouded woman who crouches under trees crying.

No matter what her form, she has a piercing wail, so loud it can shatter glass.

A Banchee is said to be a sign of death, or more specifically pre-warns of death but not just any death, the death of someone you know. Stories state that if you hear a Banchee’s wail, shrieking at night, it foretells the death of a family member.

Although, it is also said that if you hear 7 Banchee’s wailing at once it is usually an indication of the death of someone holy.

The idea of a wailing woman has a deeper meaning, in that it was a traditional part of mourning where a woman would be paid to mourn the dead, with the best and highest pitched wails being most in demand.

If you want to take a more supernatural approach to this, Banchee’s are those woman, their screams echoing on.

Creature of the Week: Fuath

In today’s Creature of the Week I am looking into the Fuath.

A Fuath is a generic term given to a malevolent water spirit in Gaelic mythology. The name directly translates as ‘hate‘ in both Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic, the English equivalent would be that of the Kelpie (see post 9th September 2020) and have similarities to the Bean Nighe and the Visges (Northern Irish folklore). The Fuath inhabit any form of water whether that be the sea, river or lakes.

Appearance

A Fuath’s appearance does vary, but in general they are described as:

Having a shaggy yellow fur
Webbed toes
(Multiple) tales with spikes
No nose
Wear the colour green

Alternative depictions have a Fuath with a mane of hair down its back rather than having shaggy yellow fur.

If you come across one of these creatures they can be defeated by sunlight or cold steel as its argued that these can kill it, so are afraid to be around them.

Creature of the Week: Finfolk

Today’s British folklore creature is that of the Finfolk, who come from Orkney. Orkney is a set of islands off the coast of Scotland and the Finfolk or Finnfolk have featured in folklore here going back many, many years.

In general, the Finfolk are shapeshifting sea creatures who travel to the Orkney shores during the Spring/Summer months in order to abduct a human spouse. There are both Finmen and Finwomen who live in one of two places, either in Finfolkaheem (an underwater kingdom) or Hildaland (a paradise island).

Finmen Description

Finmen are described as being thin and tall with a stern face and possessing magical powers. Finmen are very territorial and have been known to cause havoc to fishing boats and ships when they come to near or in ones domain. They are also described as being a crafty creature with a weakness for silver.

Finwife Description

Finwife are depicted as being a beautiful, radiant being with long hair and look like a mermaid, some sources state she has the voice of a siren. She comes to shore to find a husband, if she succeeds in her aims, he will be taken to live in either Finfolkaheem or Hildaland. However if she fails in her mission, she is then expected to marry a Finman who makes her go ashore and work, often as a healer or spinner, where she sends him all her silver earnings. Some descriptions list Finwomen in this situation as having a shapeshifting cat, that delivers messages back to Finfolkaheem.

Method of Abduction

In order to abduct an unsuspecting human they approach (in water) cautiously until they are at a distance where they can leap out and grab their victim. Finmen have an additional tactic, appearing as a fisherman in a boat – I guess to blend in and look less suspicious.

In the event a person is abducted you would live out the rest of your life doing ‘domestic’ duties for your Finman or Finwoman. But there is a chance of escape! For Finfolk have a weakness for silver, so if you are being abducted by a Finfolk throw a silver coin away from you for the Finfolk cannot resist and will go and get it leaving you time to escape (note this is for Finfolk and not other forms of abduction – but I hope you knew that).

If you have any creature suggestions please do let me know.

Top 5 Most Haunted Places: Canada

Today I am looking at some of the most haunted places in Canada. In order to produce my list below I have searched the internet listing all the places mentioned, tallying them up and selected the 5 most spoken about. So here are my 5 most haunted places in Canada.

5. St. Francus Xavier University

As someone who has only ever heard Xavier University in the X-Men films, all I can think of is Charles Xavier but it won’t come as a surprise he has nothing to do with the stories that come from this university.

Located in Nova Scotia and built in 1853, before becoming a University building it was a school for girls called Mount St. Bernard College which was ran by nuns.

Both students and staff today report a number of unexplained goings on includng:

Being knocked over be an unseen force
Footsteps that appear to folow you
Phone ringing (not matching any phone in the building)
Sounds with no origin
Doors opening and closing
Lifts moving without being called
Apparitions

It’s said that Gilmora Hall is haunted by a nun. The story goes that she fell in love with a priest and became pregnant with his child, she became so ashamed and felt guilty that she committed suicide by jumping from the top of the Hall falling to her death.

4. Plains of Abraham

One of themost famous battles in Canadian history took place in 1759 with a three month siege of Quebec City. Major General James Wolfe and British soldiers staged this siege against the French Army creating the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and since this time sightings of ghosts have been seen.

The sight is now a national park and it is believed that Major General Wolfe himself still wonders around, alongside the French Major General Louis Joseph de Montcalm.

Ghosts are said to appear and disappear with apparitions of soldiers being documented on the fields and in the tunnels.

3. Fairmont Empress Springs Hotel

The Fairmount Empress Hotel is described as one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria. It has even been described as one of the ‘most haunted hotels in the world‘.

Built in 1904 by Sir Francis Ratterbury this hotel has hosted royalty, film stars and other well known people. Guests and staff have a number of tales to tell about this place.

Sir Francis Rattenburg, the architect of the building, was murdered by his wife’s lover and is claimed to be wondering the halls with a cane in his hand since 1935. But of course you can’t be named one of the most haunted hotels in the world with one ghost, oh no, other apparitions include that of a chambermaid called Lizzie McGrath who died in 1909.

She went to step out onto a fire escape but unfortunately for her it had been removed for construction and she fell to her death.

An elderly woman has also been seen in her pyjamas, who is said to knock on doors and leading guests to the lift before disappearing before your eyes. There is even a young girl seen by guests in one room, although I can’t find out which one exactly.

While guests and staff have their witness accounts, so do construction workers. In 1960 construction works were taking place on the West Tower where one of the workers claims to have seen a black shadowy form swing from the ceiling. Many believe this could be the spirit of another construction worker who hung themselves in that very spot.

2. Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Located in Alberta and surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, sits the Fairmount Banff Springs Hotel and is argued not only to be one of the most picturesque hotels in Canada but also ‘one of the most haunted places in Canada‘.

It opened in 1888, with visitors and staff reporting a number of ghostly sightings. The most well known story is that of ‘The Ghost Bride’, she is reported to have fallen to her death down the marble staircase in her wedding dress, with guests of the hotel claiming to see her walking up and down the stairs as well as seeing her in the ballroom.

There is also the apparition of Sam The Bellman who is frequently seen helping guests with their luggage, despite dying in 1975. He is even said to help guests all the way to their rooms and switching on their bedroom lights, but if you try to speak with him he simply vanishes.

Other apparitions include a bartender.

It’s also reported that rooms 672 and 873 are haunted with guests hearing noises making it really hard to fall asleep. Would you try sleeping here?

Craigdarroch Castle

Built between 1887 and 1890 by coalmining millionaire Robert Dunsmuir for his wife and ten children this Victorian mansion can be found in Victoria, British Columbia.

Craigdarroch Castle is argued to be the most haunted home in Canada and is quite the tourist attraction, functioning as a historical site and museum.

Paranormal activity includes:

Music being heard, namely the sound of a piano playing
Disembodied voices
Whispering
Apparitions both full body and partial

A woman in white has been seen several times and is believed to be Robert Dunsmuir’s wife Joan. She is seen standing and looking through windows.

Other sightings include a little girl, a maid, a crying child, a man climbing the stairs and that of a woman’s feet running up the stairs.

However, the current owners deny any hauntings take place here.

That is my 5 most haunted places in Canada list. What do you think? Do you agree with this list or do you think other places should have been mentioned? Well you can let me know by leaving a comment, I’m interested in hearing your opinions.

Creature of the Week: Kelpie

In today’s Creature of the Week let me introduce you to the Kelpie. The Kelpie feature more in Scottish, folklore but do feature in British folklore as there are similar creatures throughout the four countries that make up Britain including a creature in Welsh folklore called a Ceffyl Dŵr.

A Kelpie in general is a malevolent, shapeshifting water creature that live in water such as streams and rivers usually taking on the form of a horse. But don’t be fooled, they can take on other forms to.

Description

Kelpie’s take on a number of different forms and I have read about 3 of these.

The first form is that of a black horse.

The second is the form of a human, although some sources say they retain their hooves and the third form is that of a hairy man.

Depending on which form you encounter determines how you might die.

If you come across the Kelpie in its horse form it will trick you into riding it. However once on you become stuck, unable to jump off and it will drag you into the water to eat you. It’s worth noting that children are the most susceptible to this form.

If you come across the Kelpie in the form of a woman, she will appear as a young and beautiful lady to attract unsuspecting men luring them to their death.

Finally if you come across the hairy man, he hides only to jump out and crush you to death.

Tales

One of the most common stories talked about is the story of The Kelpie and the 10 Children.

In this tale a Kelpie lured 9 children to their deaths and begins to go after the 10th child. During the chase the child catches his finger on the Kelpie’s nose and he begins to struggle to remove himself from the Kelpie’s grasp. The only way the child could escape was to cut its finger off, which the child does, managing to escape and survive. However all other 9 childre were draged into the water to their deaths.

Fortunately if you do come across a Kelpie, there are ways to survive, for example the best thing to do is grab the Kelpie’s main (when in horse form) as this is a Kelpie’s Achilles heel. As long as you can hold this you are in control.

There are of course warning signs of a nearby Kelpie. If you find yourself out for a walk and you hear thunder on a cloudless day, this is said to be the sound of a Kelpie’s tail entering the water. But if you hear a wailing or howling sound, it could be the Kelpie is fortelling an oncoming storm.

It’s also said a Kelpie can cause floods. So next time you see water levels rise in your nearby river it could be an angry Kelpie.

Regardless of the varying descriptions out there remember a Kelpie is a malevolent being, intent on causing your death.

Creature of the Week: Puck

In today’s ‘Creature of the Week’ I am looking at a mediaeval English folklore being known as Puck.

Puck can also go by the name Robin Goodfellow and anyone who has watched The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will recognise the name.

A Puck is a mischievous domestic, nature spirit often described as a demon or fairy. They like to pull pranks, whether by misleading travellers, turning your milk sour or frightening unsuspecting women.

But if you’re lucky enough they will help around the house with minor housework, sewing or even butter-churning to name a few. A word of caution though, their work can be undone in the blink of an eye if you displease them. So it is best to leave them some treats, they really like milk.

Puck’s are lonely creatures and look to male friends.

They feature in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream as the fairy King Oberon. There are similar creatures in Ireland known as a Pooka or Púca, and in Wales as the Pwcca.

Creature of the Week: Knucker

In today’s Creature of the Week, I am looking into a British folklore being known as a ‘Knucker’.

A Knucker is a slang term used to describe a water dragon that lives in the knuckerholes of Sussex. If you don’t know what a knuckerhole is, it is simply a round deep pool of water; a term largely used throughout the Sussex region of Britain e.g. Lyminster, Shoreham and Worthing etc.

Description

While a knucker is a water dragon, their description is close to a sea serpent.

Their body and mouth is serpent like
They have wings
Are giant in size
Have bold, cold eyes
Have 4 legs
Hiss like a serpent to

Folklore Tales

One of the most famous folklore tales is a story from Lyminster.

In this story the Knucker was said to eat livestock alongside villagers and due to this it was ordered to be slayn. However details differ on exactly how, there are two different versions of the tale in circulation.

The first version details a king of Sussex offering one of his daughters hand in marriage to the person who kills the knucker, so a knight errant does so and marries the girl. The story goes that the ‘Slayers Slab’ located in Lyminster Church belongs to him.

However in version two of the tale, the Mayor of Arundel offered a reward to the person who killed the dragon, which was done be a village boy called Jim (surname varies either Pulk or Puttock) who got the dragon to eat a poisoned pie. Some folklorists argue this version of the tale came into circulation later and was used as a way to explain the ‘Slayers Slab’ in Lyminster Church.

Either way the notion of a knucker remains the same, a water dragon.

Creature of the Week: Gremlin

In today’s post I am mixing things up. Usually in this series I would select a creature from my local folklore and talk about them, but today I’m expanding!

Today I am going wider afield and selecting a creature from wider British folklore, and so today allow me to introduce the Gremlin.

The term Gremlin made its way into British folklore during the 2nd World War, and was mainly used to explain unexplainable machinery and plane malfunctions.

Description

A Gremlin is depicted as a mischievous creature, however their physical appearances vary. They are mainly described as:

Being animal like in appearance

Have spikey backs

Large eyes

Claws

Sharp teeth

(I just keep thinking of the one that features in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors, which incidentally damages machinery aka the school bus).

Storys

Written accounts have been documented since the 10th April 1929 in a Maltese Journal ‘Aeroplane‘, most documentation is associated with World War II but some argue WWI however there is no printed documentation to prove this.

The stories come from WWII RAF (Royal Air Force) pilots, particularly from those stationed in Malta, the Middle East and India.

In all stories a ‘Gremlin’ is blamed for all unexplainable accidents, so much so that initally they were believed to be enemy sympathisers until evidence emerged that similar malfunctions were affecting the enemy as well. After this they were deemed to be tricksters who took no side, they merely look for opportunities to unleash their mischievous behaviour.

Folklorists, such as John Hazen, refer to Gremlins as being a product of the Machine Age and as such a modern being.

I guess Gremlins were used as a way to explain the malfunctions that people at the time were unable to identify and account for.

I’ll end today’s piece by encouraging you to do a quick internet search for WWII posters that were created to warn people about the Gremlins (I’m unsure if I can post them on here due to copyright concerns) and believe me when I say there are more posters than you would think.

Top 5 Most Haunted Places: Europe part 1

In today’s post I am counting down 5 of the most haunted places in Europe, so sit down and relax as we dive in.

5. The Vicarage of Bargvattnet (Sweden)

Located in the small village of Borgvattnet, in the North West Jamtland region of Sweden, sits The Old Vicarage and is said to be not only one of the scariest places in Sweden, but also said to be the most haunted place in Sweden since 1876.

Ghost sightings here go back to 1927 when Vicar Nils Hedlund saw clothes being wripped apart in front of him by an unseen force in the yard.

In fact, 7 vicars over the years have documented unusual occurrences including hearing footsteps, the rocking of chairs, furniture moving at night and apparitions of a woman dressed in Grey.

A journal was once kept by Erick Lindgren, documenting his experiences of the paranormal goings on at the vicarage and he states being regularly thrown out of a chair by an unseen force.

Despite this element, it’s said the ghosts here overall seen to be safe.

Now you can stay overnight here if you’re brave enough and if you do last the night, you get a certificate to say you survived.

4. Wolfsegg Castle (Germany)

Wolfsegg Castle can be found in Wolfsegg Germany and has over 800 years of history with legend stating this is the most haunted castle in Germany.

Paranormal reports go back to the 1500s, where a story states that a former owner killed his wife – ‘Klara Von Helfenstein‘ – after finding out shewhat was having an affair. To this day she is seen wandering thearound hallways of the castle, even scaring visitors and has become known as The White Lady.

Activity here does not stop at the castle, creepy noises are also heard in a nearby cave and from nearby graves. However, it has been found that hunters have taken shelter near to the castle on occasion, bringing into question just how many of the noises heard are paranormal in origin.

3. The Ancient Ram Inn

This location is one of the oldest B&Bs in the Western World and its argued to be one of the most haunted in the UK.

Located in Wotton-under-Edge, this cottage has sent guests jumping from windows as they’ve been so scared by what they have encountered to stay the night.

The Ancient Ram Inn was built in 1145 over a pagen buriel site and according to several historical books is a place of Devil worship and child sacrificing. In fact its reported that a child sacrificed himself in order to summon the Devil.

It is also reportedly built over 2 key lines which recieve spiritual energy from Stonehenge. Going further, it is believed that when water was redirected to the Inn, it caused a portal of dark energy to open.

With all this in mind it is not surprising visitors can be scared of this place.

More than 20 spirits are said to haunt the Inn, which include a murdered little girl called Rose, a high priest, a centurian on horseback seen walking through walls, monks, an incubus and a succubus.

There is also a woman sighted in The Witches Room, she is believed to have been burnt at the stake in the 1500s after being accused of being a witch.

Other activity on the site includes electrified wooden beams, agonising screams of a little girl and the feeling of a negative force.

Paranormal events are held here but only if you are brave enough to try it.

2. Poveglia Island

Poveglia island is a small island in the venice lagoon, between Venice and Lido and is a globally recognised haunted location. Even argued by some to be the scariest island in Europe.

The island was previously used by mainlanderers to flee invation but it was also used as a quarantine site in both the 14th and 15th Centuries for the Bubonic Plague, those who contracted the Plague were sent here to die with their bodies being burnt on giant pyres. After this the island became an asylum for the mentally ill in the 18th century where a doctor was known to perform experiments on his patients. Stories go that he took his own life jumping from the Bell Tower.

Locals refer to the island as being both haunted and cursed. They will not go near or step foot on the island, with fisherman refusing to fish near the island for fear of dragging up human remains.

Voices and screams are frequently heard from the island, alongside dark fleeting shadows appearing, as well as when people enter the island they feel an oppressive evil force. Another eerie factor is that while the bells from the Bell Tower were removed, some claim to hear the bells echoing every night.

The island is closed to visitors today, but the stories remain.

Chateaux de Brissac

Holding the reputation not only as one of the most haunted places in France but also in Europe. Chateaux de Brissac has hauntings dating back to the time of its construction.

It was built in the 11th century by the Counts of Anjou, it is the tallest castle in France hosting 7 floors with 204 rooms including galleries and its own private opera house seating 200 people.

According to legend, a lady called Charlotte was killed by her husband after he discovered she was having an affair. She was thought to be the illegitimate daughter of Kind Charles VII, she has become known as La Dame Verte as she is seen in a green dress. She is sighted in the Tower Room of the Chapel. She is also described as having holes in her face where the eyes and nose should be – possibly showing how she wqs killed.

Guests staying in the castle claim to hear her moans across the castle. With other activity including wails in the night.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this. Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon.

Creature of the Week: Billy Bind

Welcome to ‘Creature of the Week‘ where each week I take a creature from my local folklore (Northumberland, England) and talk about them. This week I’m talking about ‘Billy Bind‘.

Also known by many other names, including:

Billy Blin
Billy Blynde
Billie Blin
Belly Blin

It is a creature that is not seen, but rather features in local ballads in England and the Scottish lowlands as a household spirit. With some arguing Billy Bind may be a folk memory of the God Woden/Odin.

The most well known ballads the Billy Bind feature in are the ‘Child Ballads’.

In 5c the Billy Bind encourages the hero not to marry his bride as she is pregnant by another.

Then in 53c one provides magical assistance and information that the man the lead character likes is about to marry another and is able to reach the man in time.

Looking at the ballads it would appear that the Billy Bind is an advisor, a sort of helper if you will. This is also shown in modern day literature.