In this week’s Creature of the Week we are looking at a creature native of Scottish folklore known as a Lavellan. The Lavellan is a mammal cryptid creature found in Northern Scottish folk tales, particularly in the Caithness region. The creature itself has a number of different names including:
Làbh-allan
La-mhalan
La-bhallan
and is deemed lethal to humans.
Description
Lavellan cryptid is rodent like in appearance, similar to that of a shrew and much larger than a rat. It is regarded as being:
Small
Furry
Has bright eyes
Runs very fast
it’s said they like to live in deep pools of water within rivers.
The Lavellan are regarded as a poisonous creature, being able to injure from 100 feet away using their noxious breath which is deemed lethal to humans. However, tales do give examples of how one may be cured of its poison. Two methods are detailed on how this can be achieved.
First, if you were to preserve a Lavellan’s skin, dipping it in water, this water can be drank and heal the affected person(s).
The second method is to boil a Lavellan’s head and drink the water.
Overall folklorists believe the idea of a Lavellan was constructed as a way to demonise water shrews as their saliva is slightly toxic to humans.
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.
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.
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.
Welcome back to ‘Creature of the Week’ here on Paranormal Archives. If this is your first time joining the series, each week I take a creature from my local folklore (Northumberland, England) and talk about them.
This week I’m talking about a small brownie like creature called a ‘Dunnie‘.
There’s not much wrote about them but what I can say is that they tend to be found along the Northumberland side of the Anglo-Scottish boarder, wondering the Cragg’s and Cheviot Hills.
Dunnies can shapeshift and take the form of a horse to trick a person into mounting and riding, but they disappear leaving the person in the muddiest part of the road.
Some sources state that a Dunnie can also disguise themselves as a plough-horse but vanish as soon as a ploughman were to take it’s reins.
Overall they are harmless but mischievous beings, just like a Brag (see previous post dated 1st July 2020).
In today’s ‘Creature of the Week‘ I’m looking into a being known as a Brag.
If this is your first time joining, then welcome, every Wednesday I bring forth a creature from my local folklore (Northumberland, England) and talk about them.
Brag’s are found throughout Northumberland and Durham in England. They are mainly described as a shapeshifting Goblin.
They are found to transform into horses or donkey’s letting unsuspecting humans rude them, then after a while, throw off the person into a pond and they run off laughing. Thus giving them quite a mischievous quality.
They are harmless but do like to play tricks on humans, who don’t tend to find their games funny.
One example of a Brag is the ‘Picktree Brag‘.
Stories state that Brag’s could take many forms, including appearing as:
A calf wearing a white handkerchief around the neck.
A naked headless man.
Or as 4 men holding a white sheet.
As you can see, they are quite imaginative creatures.
Welcome to part 4 of Creature of the Week, where each week I introduce you to a creature from my local folklore (Northumberland).
This week we meet the Barghest.
The Barghest is a monstrous black dog, with large white teeth and big claws. A Barghest only appears at night and it is said if you lay your eyes on one you will dies. Now before you think well if I only catch a glimpse of one I will be fine, you’d be wrong, you would still die just not imminently.
There are a number of black dog creatures across British folklore, their meaning remains ominous but their name and appearance can vary.
For example:
In Welsh folklore they are known as Gwyllgi who have red eyes.
In Lancashire as a Trash, Skriker or a Striker who have broad sometimes backward feet.
In East Anglia they’re referred to as Black Shuck or Shock who have one eye.
In Isle of Man they are the Mauthe Doog.
Note:
In Northern English folklore the name can also mean ghost, as a ghost is pronounced ‘guest‘ in some places.
Welcome to part 2 of Creature of the Week, where each Wednesday I bring you a creature from my local folklore and talk about them.
This week let me introduce you to a ‘Redcap‘.
What is a Redcap you might ask, and the answer is it is a type of Goblin. But not just any type of Goblin.
Redcap’s are malevolent creatures who are known to kill.
They feature in folklore along the Anglo-Scottish boarder. In some stories their name changes, they’re also known as Redcomb’s or Bloody Cap but are always described in the same way. They are depicted as a short old man, with long teeth, red eyes and shoulder length wild-looking hair. They are well built with long thin fingers, long thin nails like hooked claws and carry a pike. But most importantly they wear a red cap.
It’s not just any red coloured cap though, the cap is red as it has been soaked in the blood of their victims.
Redcap’s live in ruined castles, particularly those that have seen their fair share of evil tyrannous deeds and the boarder lands have seen plenty of that. It’s said that if you seek shelter in their abode he will throw stones at you, which usually results in your death and will then proceed to soak his hat in your blood.
While Redcap’s seem to be unaffected by human strength you can rid one using scripture or holding a crucifix, the Redcap will then vanish in flames leaving behind a tooth.
In day 10 of The 12 Days of Frightmas allow me to introduce to you to a Greek creature, The Kallikantzaroi.
Originating in folklore in southeastern Europe and in Anatolian folklore, stories of the Kallikantzaroi can be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia, Cyprus, Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Northern Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia. Although it’s exact origin is unknown, it is believed to be pre-Christan in theory but they have been mentioned in Christian traditions since the 17th Century.
Just like their origin can’t be pinpointed, neither can their description. The most common description is that they are small black creatures with a long tail, like that of the Devil, are mostly blind and eat small creatures. In central Europe the Kallikantzaroi are said to be horned, and look like a cross between a goat and demon.
Other descriptions have the Kallikantzaroi as being enourmass, small humans in appearence, they are said to be male, with long tongues and made up of various animal parts including horses legs and boar tusks. Some tales say they are covered in hair.
The main story for the Kallikantzaroi is that they spend the year underground sawing through the tree of life, which runs through the centre of the Earth. Every year during the 12 days of Christmas they feel an urge to come up to ground where they wonder the Earth. During this time they have nearly sawn through the tree of life , but when they return underground the tree has healed and they begin again repeating this cycle over and over.
Above ground they cause mischief and chaos.
In particular, they will find and steal babies born during the 12 days of Christmas (25th December – 5th January) turning them into Kallikantzaroi.
They could enter your home in a number of ways including:
Chimneys, windows, doors, keyholes and even cracks in the walls.
It was even thought that if you were born on a Saturday you could see and talk to them.
There are ways to protect yourself from the Kallikantzaroi.
Here are a few:
Place a calender on your doorstep: it’s believed that they cannot count to the number 3 because it is deemed a Holy number, as a result the creatures feared the number because to say it would mean they would die. So they would keep starting to count again only to reach 3 and have to stop. They would keep trying until the sun came up forcing them to retreat until the night returns.
Burn a fire all night: This would prevent them from climbing down the chimney.
Placing a black cross on your door.
Burning insense.
Burning smelly items on the fire: Thought the smell would keep them away.
In the end, they disappear on the Epiphany, where the cycle starts all over.
The Karakoncolos is a cross between a Devil and a Sasquash (Bigfoot)
In day 9 of The 12 Days of Frightmass I bring you an Eastern European being known as The Karakoncolos.
The Karakoncolos can be found in legends across Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia. While each country has a varying story its description remains relatively the same, in that, the Karakoncolos is a tall hairy creature described as a cross between a Devil and Bigfoot.
In general the Karakoncolos is a troublesome and evil creature but it is also harmless, appearing during the coldest days of the year.
Different countries describe different stories so here are a few of them:
Turkey
On the streets: The Karakoncolos in Turkey is described as lurking in the shadows standing on street corners waiting for a passer-by. When a person walks past it would ask you a riddle. If you were lucky enough for your answer to contain the word ‘black’ you would be free to go on your way. However, if your answer did not it would strike you dead with a single blow.
By your house: A Karakoncolos could also hover round your house, particularly your door. Whilst here it would disguise its voice pretending to be someone you know, it could be someone from your family or a good friend, to trick you into coming outside. Once outside you would be placed in a trance where you would be left alone in the elements.
Serbia
Take you for a ride: In Serbia it is believed that both ghosts and spirits can wonder the Earth during the 12 days of Christmas. If you were to come across a Karakoncolos during these days they would jump on your back where you would be forced to carry round, retreating only at dawn, leaving you exhausted
Sneak into houses: They could also sneak into your house lingering behind doorways of children’s bedrooms waiting for a child to walk through. Once a child did, the Karakoncolos would grab the child by the neck dragging the child away to be eaten.
Bulgaria
There is a name variant here, calling them the Karakondjul. They are said to wonder at night but you could scare one away by avoiding eye contact.
Unknown Country
One final story of the Karakoncolos is that if you invite one into your home it feels compelled to copy you. If you were to set fire to a piece of thread or silk, it will mistake it’s fur for thread and set itself on fire.
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