Claire Barrand's Blog, page 2

Author Focus ~ Mark Norman | Black Dog Folklore

Mark Norman is a folklore author and researcher based in Devon, in the South West of the U.K. He is a committee member of the Folklore Society and has been researching and collecting information on Black Dog apparitions for many years. He holds what is believed to be the U.K’s most extensive archive of these sightings and traditions, which includes fieldwork and notes from other respected collectors such as Theo Brown and the recently donated archive of Janet Bond.The book Black Dog Folklore is the first full-length study of the phenomenon by a single author, containing a gazetteer of over 750 key U.K eyewitness accounts and traditions drawn from the author's archive.Mark, Welcome to my blog and thank you for being a part of my Author Focus series!Your book “Black Dog Folklore” is a comprehensive study of the image of black dogs within British Folklore and I believe you have the most extensive collection of sightings ever held! What inspired you to focus on the Black Dog in particular?It was never my intention to focus on Black Dog apparitions as the main part of my research. Although I am interested in a wide variety of folklore topics, I like to work within my own geographical area a lot of the time. In the late 1990s, I decided to access the archives of the well-respected Devon folklorist Theo Brown. These had been bequeathed to the Special Collections Department of the University of Exeter after her death.Originally, I had intended to try and track down any local ghost stories that I was not already aware of. Theo was a prolific collector, and there were many boxes of papers in the collection. At the time, not having been there long, they had not been transferred into archival boxes and so were still in their original ring binders, empty crisp boxes and all sorts of other random storage devices.My attention was diverted by a large blue metal ammunition tin which was labelled Black Dogs. This turned out to contain around 250 accounts of sightings of ghostly black dogs – some from old sources but many from personal correspondence – as well as three draft copies of a manuscript for a book that Theo intended to write. She had already published a seminal article on the subject in the journal ‘Folklore’ in 1958.It became clear that this under-used and valuable archive should be made more available. The librarian responsible for the collection at the time managed to track down the literary executor, and I was given permission to work on the archive, which I partly catalogued and transcribed. Over the next ten years or so I continued the research which Theo had been undertaking, rewriting her manuscripts and combining them with my own material. I also added significantly to the catalogue of sightings, traditions and eyewitness stories. From her 250 or so I now hold over a thousand. The result is my book, which is the only full-length study of the subject by a single author, and my archive of accounts which is, we think, the largest in the UK.Have you ever had an encounter yourself?I have had plenty of encounters with people who have had encounters, but I have not seen one myself. I have possibly seen one or two big cats, but although rare we know that they exist in the landscape and so are something more tangible. What I am interested in with Black Dog accounts is not whether they are ‘actual’ ghosts. Proving the paranormal is not the remit of folklorists. Rather, we are interested in why people report the experiences that they do, and why over the period of almost 1,000 years that my archive spans, there are so many commonalities. Many informants don’t even realise that their experience is not unique and yet they use terminology and description which recurs so frequently.How do you collect the stories? And do you have a favourite?I collect stories from many places. Sometimes in person when talking about my book or my research. Some people send me their experiences by email, and I am always happy to receive these. Some contact me after interviews and so on. Other accounts or traditions I pick up from books, journals, and other printed sources.There are so many accounts – 750 or so alone listed in the gazetteer in the back of my book – that it is almost impossible to pick a favourite. The phantom coach of Lady Mary Howard, which has a black dog associated with it, is a folk ghost based on a tragic true historical tale. But it is too long to describe here; you will have to buy a copy of the book for all the detail on that!Is there a common theme that you have identifies across sightings? Such as the size or description of the spectre?There are many commonalities. Theo Brown used six key features when examining stories, and within these, there are definite common descriptors. Certainly around size and description, but more interestingly in the recurring terminology. “Eyes like saucers” is one. Some are interesting because they change over time based on our cultural readings although they retain their meaning. For example, the old phrase “as big as a calf” which was often used in the heyday of rural farming is often now replaced with “as big as a wolf.” The book goes into the detail of why this happens.Are Black Dogs in your opinion, “Ghosts” or something darker? (i.e., demonic or from the Faerie realm?)As I mentioned earlier, it is not my place as a folklorist to have an opinion on what they are. They are probably different things to different people. In folklore that is all equally valid and does not really matter. It is the decoding of the story and the ‘why’ rather than the ‘what’ that is of interest to me. Anyone who reports a story to me of something they have experienced will certainly not find any danger of ridicule from me, for example.In Wales, many stories involve Black Dog folklore such as the Gwyllgi and the Cwm Annwn. Often seen as a pre-warning to death. Have you any stories to share about this?Interestingly, in these Welsh stories, the dogs are often white rather than black. We still include them in Black Dog studies because the commonality of black animals means that the term has become more of a catch-all for all ghostly dog apparitions. The Cwm Annwn, meaning sky dogs, may be seen to have many parallels with the Germanic legends of the Wild Hunt which may be found all across Europe. The pre-cursor to death and disaster also parallels the Shuck and Barguest variants of Black Dog lore which are found in the north of England. But actually, less than half of the sightings in my archive are malevolent. They are often protective or act as guardians.You have a brilliant podcast called The Folklore Podcast. What other topics do you focus on?The Folklore Podcast can be found at www.thefolklorepodcast.com, and it covers a wide range of folklore topics from apples and the weather to old hags and devil lore and much more. I write and present many of the episodes but also have expert guests from the worlds of folklore and history. It is all free, so you get access to research that is often not available to the public in this way. Of course, if people want to sign up for a small monthly donation, they can earn many rewards and bonus content and help the podcast to survive and grow. It has increased massively in the almost two years that it has been running – far more than I ever imagined and it is now I understand in the top 10% of global podcasts for its type.What is next for you regarding research and future books?The Black Dog research is always ongoing. I am usually writing episodes or public talks on different aspects of folklore. I also have a regular newspaper column in my area which has just started, and I sometimes get asked to write for books or magazines. Bookwise, I am writing a new book called “Folk Life” which is an anthology of extended chapters on different aspects of folklore.Where can we come and hear you speak?That is changing all the time. I try to brand live events under the podcast banner to keep them all in one place. I would encourage people to follow my social media below to see all the events as they get released. Along with my wife Tracey, who is a social historian, we are giving four talks for Hillingdon Libraries on the 21st and 22nd September if you are in the London area. But I am happy to give talks where people want to hear them if I can, so people can get in touch with me and ask.Where can we buy your book?You can buy both hardback and softback versions from my publisher, Troy Books. But if you want a signed copy then order the softback at www.thefolklorepodcast.com by clicking on Folklore Shop and then ask me to dedicate it.Do you have a website or Facebook page that readers can follow your work?Yes. Apart from the podcast website cited above, I would suggest people follow the podcast on Facebook and Twitter and also follow my author page to get all the latest news and eventswww.facebook.com/thefolklorepodcastwww.facebook.com/marknormanfolkloreTwitter @folklorepodMark Norman, thank you for talking to me, I enjoyed the signed copy of your book I received for Christmas as a gift from my daughter! I can recommend your book wholeheartedly, it is a fascinating and very well researched, informative read.Thank you for your dedication to this research and long may it continue. You can buy Mark's book Black Dog Folklore on Amazon or by clicking the links above and buying directly from The Folklore Podcast shop asking Mark for an exclusive signed copy!

Beltane in Wales ~ Calan Mai

Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival celebrating fertility and new growth. As a festival, it has mostly died out since the mid 20th century, but many customs continue today, and in many places, it is being revived as a cultural event.In Wales on May 1st, there are some superstitions and customs still practiced today that date back to Druid times.Known as Calan Mai or Calan Haf the first of May was an important date in the calendar because it signifies the beginning of summer. Nos Galan Mai was Mays Eve. May Day is the day that farmers would turn their herd out to pasture.The Beltane fires that are traditionally observed represented purification and the banishing of disease and the ceremonies are extravagant with music costume and dancing.Until the mid 19th Centuries a calf or sheep might have been sacrificed to the fire as an attempt to prevent disease in the entire flock.As well as the opportunity to keep herds healthy divination would be carried out during this festival and Spirit Nights known as Ysprydnos took place on Mays Eve. This was thought to be one of the three nights of the year that the veil to the spirit world was at its thinnest and people would use this to foretell who their true love would be.Locals would gather hawthorn and flowers and decorate the outside of their houses. It was however thought to be unlucky to bring hawthorn inside a home. The Mayflower was likely cowslips, and that would also be collected in some parts of Wales, to represent new growth and fertility.In Anglesey and Caernarfonshire, gware gwr gwyllt was a straw man that would be hanged near a woman by a man that wanted her to know he held her in his affections, and he would pin a note to it. This was a common sight on May Eve, and often this bold declaration would lead to fights in the street between jealous love rivals.Calen Haf was also a time where a mock fight would take place between two men representing Winter and Summer. The man dressed as Winter carried a stick of blackthorn and a shield with wool stuck on it to signify snow. The man dressed as summer would be adorned with flowers and ribbons and carry a wand made of willow with more flowers and decorations on it. The winter man would throw straw at the force of summer who would battle back with his wand, and branches of birch and fern. Of course, summer would always win the battle, and afterward, he would choose a May King and Queen who would be crowned before the festival began full of drinking, laughter, and games until the early hours of the morning.Twmpath Chare or Tump for Playing – namely the village green also would be officially opened on May Day. Village Greens are traditionally used for locals to gather and play sports, and on this day, the green would be decorated with branches of oak and people would dance around a mound with a harpist or fiddler playing in the centre. Summer dancing was known as Dawnsio haf, and May Carols would be sung – Carolau Mai. Often these songs would be quite explicit in nature, but basically, they were intended to be giving thanks for the season. The singers, if worthy, would be rewarded with food and drink.Mead was the more common drink or Metheglin ( nothing to do with Meths!) This was a beverage made with herbs including Woodruff, a sweet-scented herb which was often used in wine thought to be a tonic for the heart and liver. Elderberry and rhubarb wine was also a favorite May Day drink.The Maypole that is more widely recognised in May Day traditions was very much an essential part of Welsh culture. It would be fashioned out of birch wood and painted bright colours, adorned with ribbons and hoisted into the air and dancing would commence. In North Wales, it was a slightly different method, called “Cangen haf” and up to twenty young men would dress in white with ribbons, except for two who would be named “Fool” and “Cadi.” The Cadi would carry the “Cangen Haf” which would be decorated with watches, spoons and silver items donated by the village folk. Singing and Dancing they would carry this through the village knocking on doors and asking for money as they did so.Further reading References Trefor M. Owen. Welsh Folk Customs. Gomer Press, Llandysul 1987Marie Trevelyan. Folklore and Folk Stories of Wales. EP Publishing Ltd, Wakefield 1973http://www.applewarrior.com/celticwel..., electronic version, by Hilaire Wood.

The Mabinogion

The Mabinogion ( pronounced Mabin-OGion) is the name given to a medieval collection of Welsh tales, found mainly in two manuscripts dated between 1382 and 1410. Namely the Red Book of Hergest and the White Book of Rhydderch.The word is thought to be derived from the Welsh word "mab" – which means Son or boy. Some people believe that the stories were written for boys or perhaps written by young men.In the 1900 antiquarians William Pughe and Lady Charlotte Guest translated these tales into English and established this name for the stories, so basically it is just a title for this collection. The stories are written by different authors and have very different styles. In fact, they are so diverse it is argued by some that they are not a collection at all.The Mabinogion texts were written over the course of two and a half centuries and represent the thoughts, beliefs, and traditions of the Welsh during those times. The tales give us an insight into the mythological past.Seven of the stories are split into two main groups. Four of the stories are written by the same author and are known as The Four Branches of the Mabinogi,” and they share one familiar character whose name is Pryderi. He is born in the first story, fostered inherits his kingdom and marries. He is not mentioned much in the second story, but in the third, he is captured and imprisoned by enchantment the in the forth he dies in a battle. The tales have themes of redemption loyalty marriage love, fidelity and incest.The stories are heavily woven with magic and supernatural and bear the hallmarks of Pagan origins. There are also many comparisons that can be found between the true events of the times and the protagonists of the Mabinogi. One gruesome similarity is the fates of Bendigeidfran the giant and the notorious eleventh-century tyrant Gruffydd ap Llewelyn. Both end up being beheaded by their own men and have their severed heads taken to a royal venue.After the carnage at the end of the Second Branch story, the wounded Bendigeidfran requests that his own head is severed before he dies, and his head lives on as the surviving members of his family share a supernatural feast with him in which the boundaries of the time don’t exist. This is known as “The Feast of the Wondrous Head.”In a dark twist of fate, when captured Welsh prince Gruffydd ap Llewelyn fell to his death trying to escape the Tower of London, his body was found at the foot of the tower with his head buried in his chest cavity. Thirty years later his son, Llewelyn II, native Prince of Wales had his own head severed and crowned with Ivy then displayed at the Tower for twelve years. Throughout the stories are hints of Celtic mythology, a mix of human mortals and supernatural beings that behold special magical powers. Gwydion the shapeshifter, creates a woman out of flowers, Bendigeidfran the giant who lies across the river to allow his men to cross, Math the magician, whose feet must rest in the lap of a virgin and the beautiful Rhiannon, whose magical white horse is impossible to capture.Three of the tales are known as the “Three Romances.” In each tale the hero must embark on a journey to prove his worth and comes across castles and beautiful maidens, meeting knights they must battle to defend them. The stories may be based on the work of Chretien de Troyes poetry.The remaining stories are very much Arthurian, and the last two are about early British traditions.The stories are listed in chronological order as followsCulhwch and Olwen (c.1100)The Four Branches of the Mabinogi (c.1190)Pwyll Prince of DyfedBranwen Daughter of LlyrManawydan Son of LlyrMath Son of MathonwyLludd and Llyfelys (c.1200-1250)The Three Romances (c.1200-1250)The Lady of the FountainPeredur, son of EfrawgGeraint, son of ErbinThe Dream of Macsen Wledig (c.1200-1250)The Dream of Rhonabwy (c. 1300-1350)Scholars have yet to agree on many aspects of the Mabinogion, however for those of us who are simply fascinated by the origin of ancient supernatural stories, further reading is wholly recommended. The multi faceted layers of these tales weave a magical portrayal of the supernatural beliefs of the time. Welsh folklore and tradition are steeped in historical tales of witches, giants, shapeshifters and mythical creatures, and this collection of tales holds the keys and clues to many of them. For more information, I can recommend this book!Thanks to http://www.mabinogion.info/ for some of this information.

The Lonely Shepherd

The best folklore tales are always the ones that you heard about from a family friend or relative about a place local to you as a child. The stories that would make your eyes widen with awe, and keep you awake at night thinking about them. For me, one of these stories is the one of The Lonely Shepherd.Just less than a mile away from my home, on the top of Mynydd Llangatwg (Llangattock Mountain) stands a limestone pinnacle. Opposite Clydach Gorge overlooking Gilwern and Llangattock this huge stone is known locally as The Lonely Shepherd, and of course it has a legend attached to it.The stories do vary slightly depending on who is doing the telling but fundamentally remain the same. The stone is said to have once been a man, a shepherd that was turned to stone by a witch. He was said to have been incredibly cruel to his wife, so much so that she was so miserable by his beatings and brutality that she drowned herself in the River Usk. The farmer was turned to stone for his evil ways by a local witch, but at midnight on Midsummers Eve, he walks down the mountain as the rock in search of his wife, calling out her name and searching for her to return. It was customary in the locality to whitewash the stone before this event each year so that he would be clearly seen from below. It was also said that if a woman in Gilwern died on Midsummer nights eve, then the Lonely Shepherd has claimed her for his wife!There are many large stones in British folklore that have ancient lore attached to them because large rocks on the landscape implore an explanation. It was thought they must be the Devils work! The dull part of this story is that this particular rock was left there by quarry workers who possibly left it as a memorial to the many men that lost their lives there.There are some cairns scattered across the same hill that are thought to be of Neolithic age. Cairns is the most commonly used Scottish word (Welsh -Carn or Carnedd) for man-made piles of stones that were built for many reasons such as for defense or hunting, ceremonial purposes sometimes in association with astronomy or as burial places.There are also interestingly some extensive cave systems underground near to The Lonely Shepherd including two of the longest in Britain.The entire area is steeped in folkloric history, and rumors of Faerie (Tylwyth Teg) activity is rife here. It certainly has all the elements any self-respecting ancient Faerie would ask for! Could it be that this mountain is a fairy fort, with its underground caves and tunnels being a passageway to otherworldly realms? Indeed, I would say that the area is sacred and advise people that to litter here or cause any damage would be risking the wrath of the Pwca, a malevolent fairy who can do unpleasant things when riled!One such story is of a local man named Annelly, who was walking home via Gilwern one evening when he met a small strange looking man that asked him to help carry his bundle. Annelly agreed, and as a reward, the odd little man ( who was indeed one of the Fae folk) took Annelly to a cave nearby and showed him a secret chamber filled with gold. He told the amazed man that he was allowed to visit this chamber only once a week and take just enough gold to fill his mouth. Of course, Annelly was one day overcome with greed, and he stuffed his pockets full with as much gold as he could. This caused the Fairy man to become enraged with anger, and he threw Annelly down a ravine as his body fell all the gold spilled out of his pockets.I spent many nights watching the horizon of the mountain at sunset on midsummer nights eve as a teenager because my bedroom window had a direct view of him. Always hoping I would see him move, I never did, but I still live in hope. Perhaps this year I will take a walk and sit there next to him, but if I don’t return, please look out for a second rock that wasn’t there before…

Thirteen Creepy Welsh Superstitions to Observe this Friday 13th

It is Friday 13th again, and whether or not you believe in the western superstition that the day is bad luck or think the notion of evil omens based on the Gregorian calendar is a load of old codswallop, most likely, you will have heard of many common superstitions. You may consciously or subconsciously avoid walking under ladders for example, or perhaps you have a lucky charm on your desk? In Wales, we have many unique superstitions, many of which are still upheld in rural communities today. I have chosen 13 of the darkest (of course!) and creepiest that you might want to avoid this Friday 13th…1. In South Wales, Friday is associated with bad luck. Miners would refuse to start any new projects on a Friday and pit men would stay away from the mine on Good Fridays throughout Wales.2. Beware of Corpse Candles – spectral candles seen by roadsides foretell of impending death. Read more here.3. The smell of flowers is often thought to predict doom. Invisible “death flowers” gave off such strong scent, that miners in the Port Talbot area of South Wales heeded this superstition, and many stayed at home. That day 87 miners died in a massive explosion.4. Watch out for birds. Pigeons Robins and Doves flying over a pit were believed to be foretelling a disaster. Dubbed “Corpse birds.” They were seen before a massive explosion at Senghennyd Colliery in 1913 in which 440 miners were killed. Owls screeching over the house were also seen as an omen and known as “Corpse birds” read more here5. Look out for the squinting woman! If a miner passed a woman with a squint on his way to work, he would turn back and go home! It is a wonder any of these guys ever made it to work!6. Hide the cat! On the day's miners were to be selected for new positions at the mine, women would hide the family cat in an (unlit!) oven to avoid her husband being chosen for the most dangerous. On another note, cats were not permitted to enter the room where a dead body lay before burial as it was believed that cats were out to steal their souls!7. Wash the linen of the deceased immediately but not before they are buried for the fear was that they will not rest in their grave. 8. When someone was sick, a handful of green nettles would be placed under their bed. If the nettles kept green, that was seen to be a good sign that the person would recover.9. If someone shivers while sat before a roaring fire it was said that “the spirits are searching for your grave”!10. It is considered to be terrible luck if you pick a flower that grows on a grave. Anyone doing so will inevitably die or can expect disaster in the family before the year is out.11. Beware of the Tolaeth. An ominous sound, unearthly and heard by undertakers just before an order for a coffin would be made. Shuffling, tapping and unearthly grunting sounds heard in the night are said to be that of the Tolaeth. Even today carpenters in Wales have been known to claim that they are forewarned of death by hearing strange rappings in the timbers of the workshop.12. The Cyhiraeth is associated with the Glamorganshire area in particular and closely related to the Irish banshee. It is said to be a doleful cry heard three times getting weaker with each call, and coming from the home of a sick person heard from a distance. Said to sound sad and wailing or like a smothered shriek or even a rushing sound like birds wings, this weird noise is meant to be a ghostly spirit foretelling death.13. Yarrow is supposed the be the death flower in Wales and in some parts of Glamorgan the plant is not permitted inside the house for it is assumed that a funeral will follow. Yarrow has many healing properties, but perhaps this superstition was derived from the fact that during the middle ages yarrow was purported to be able to assist in summoning the devil and driving him away and it was used in complex Christian exorcism rituals. You can read more about the uses for yarrow in this fascinating article here.

The Ghostly Graveyard Guardian of the Hidden A470 Dead

From the age of 12, my family home was a beautiful ivy covered white 1950’s house in Gilwern, Abergavenny, with a veranda overlooking the Black Mountains. Situated on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales U.K., my bedroom had unsurpassed views of the rolling hills, and I could see from my window The Lonely Shepherd, an isolated limestone pinnacle that stands on the horizon of Llangattock Mountain. Doused in Celtic history, my homelands boast numerous Neolithic mountain top cairns, fairy folklore, legends, Shakespeare, stunning castles, and many mining and ironwork ruins. I should have been able to dream sweetly but I, however, could never sleep in that bedroom. Despite the enchanted marvels before me, something still unnerved me.From as young as I can remember I have had paranormal experiences and being a girl of that age meant I was in tune with my sixth sense maybe more than ever.I couldn’t put my finger on it, but “something” was eerie about that room. I would often experience the bed shaking me awake during the night, continuing long after it woke me up. I’d lie listening to soft footsteps across the floor towards me and then feel a weight on my bed. I would hear breathing that wasn’t my own. I could sense things moving under the cloak of darkness. I wouldn’t have described the feeling I got from this, as being an evil entity. This spirit had an edgy presence that was not going to allow me to settle. After only a few months I had moved permanently to sleep in the spare bed in my sister’s bedroom although my possessions remained and I would still go in the room during the day to study or listen to music and look out of the window.The gardens below my room stretched out into about an acre of orchard and woodland and at the bottom, where a gate and pathway to a small disused chapel known as Lion Terrace Chapel stood, also there was the main road, constructed in the 1970's known as The Heads of the Valleys, which was shielded by huge conifer trees.I used to keep pet rabbits about halfway down that path, in an old greenhouse base we had converted into a lovely large run. But if it had gone dark before I had chance to go and check on them, I would have to persuade my sister to accompany me as I was frightened to go alone because of a disturbing sense of being watched. My fears were confirmed one evening, when we had a chilling experience. Whilst feeding the rabbits we both suddenly heard the loudest rustling and sounds of cracking and splitting branches, as something huge and clumsy scrambled about and we froze to the spot then saw a terrifying black humanoid shape looming in the tree above us, which sent us screaming back to the house.Nothing was ever revealed to be the origin of the “thing” we saw though, despite our father searching the area thoroughly.Years were to pass and we grew up and moved out, but we live less than half a mile away and still our mother remains living there to this day.In 2015 work began on expanding the A465 road at the bottom of the garden. It had become a dangerous route, with many fatal accidents caused by speeding vehicles on the two-lane road and the plans to dual-carriage the road were set in motion by Costain Ltd.Under the proposed scheme, it did however mean the compulsory purchase of Lion Terrace Chapel. Lion Terrace chapel was built in 1838 and had not been used since early 1900 subsequently it was boarded up and so overgrown with ivy and sharp brambles, that it had effectively become invisible to residents.Unknown to most, including myself, there remained ten headstones in the small graveyard adjoining. Many attempts to find the relatives of the names on these headstones mostly of the Watkins family name, were made to no avail. A disused burial ground notice was then published, as is the law, giving two months’ notice warning of the intention to exhume and relocate the bodies. Nobody objected, and so the delicate task of exhumation began, following conditions set by the Welsh Secretary of State. This included taking due care and attention to decency, screening the area from the public during removal and placing any items buried with the deceased into containers.It rapidly transpired, however, once the work began, that there were far more than 10 bodies buried here, and to the shock of archaeologist Mick Rawlings, who was overseeing procedures, a total of 62 bodies were eventually recovered. This discovery at the bottom of my family homes garden tugged at my emotions, and I wanted to cover the story for an article in my local paper, and began to investigate further.I interviewed Mr Rawlings and he informed me that almost all the bodies exhumed, were children between the ages of two and four years of age, and many were double burials. Wrapped in cloth, with no coffin or personal belongings and tightly packed together, it was to become apparent there was no way possible to identify any of the poor souls. I discovered that as civil registration had not been introduced until 1837, and it seemed that the parish registers were sadly destroyed in a fire in the early 1900’s. However, the lack of evidence could not take away the fact that these children existed. What I did know was that they were all born into a family, and they would have been as loved and cherished as my own children are by me. The children, typically would have died of a disease epidemic such as typhoid, cholera, and influenza, which was rife during those times due to poor sanitation and a lack of clean water.With little or no medical facilities these children would have been nursed and cared for without pain killers or medicine until they breathed their last breath.South Wales was an industrial area and full of poverty, so faced with bereavement, most folk had the additional burden of not being able to afford a burial on consecrated ground. Many desperate folks found themselves forced to use the cover of nightfall to secretly carry their dead in silence to a church yard, or as close to the church yard as possible. The only place they believed would protect their child’s innocent and pure souls from evil spirits and help them to cross over to the other side. A belief in God’s protection would have been the only reprieve for incalculable grief and pain.They then had to quietly dig a hole and bury them, then walk away allowing the most treasured thing in their life to become lost in the earth, buried with nothing but rags and silently shed tears. Imagine the pain at having to surrender your child’s fragile and precious body to be devoured by the earth for more than a century.Heartbreakingly, and as was so commonly the case in those times, these children, unlike today, would have no headstone, no little white coffin, no flowers, no teddy bears and no funeral.One heartening outcome to this sad story was that on April 23rd, 2016, Costain Ltd financed a funeral for the bodies, in a nearby cemetery, which I attended along with my family and a few residents of our village also touched by the sadness of this story gathered together to pay respects. We stood solemnly around one mass dug grave, laid with roses and listened to bagpipes being played. It was an incredibly poignant moment. Afterward, in a private moment, I placed a small bunch of daffodils by the wooden cross and whispered, “sleep tight” to the children who now were finally, I hoped laid to rest.The lump in my throat even as I write this story today is profound such was the emotion in the air that day. However, I should tell you that this wasn't the end of this story.My home today, parenthetically happens to be half a mile in direct line from the chapel location but in the opposite direction. My article was printed in the Abergavenny Chronicle on Wednesday, 4 May 2016. That night as I slept in my bed, I woke up suddenly at approximately 3 am.It wasn’t a sound that woke me; it was a feeling. Something made me look up, and as I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus, I was startled to see a young woman and a little girl stood by my bed no more than two feet away from me.The woman was leaning a little towards me and smiling. She was not beaming, she simply had a gently upturned mouth and a questioning gaze. She was young. About twenty. And I recall she had dark hair parted in the middle and tied back. I remember her long dress and white apron; her child, a little girl, stood shyly by her side peeking round her skirt... she was almost two-dimensional and like an old negative photograph, with lines through her (as you would imagine the television if it were going on the blink?) It is the only way I can describe her. I was in no doubt that this was a mother of one of the children we had just buried. I cried out in surprise and woke my husband just as she faded.I found it difficult to get back to sleep that night but I haven’t had another visit from the ghosts since that night. I have given my visitors a lot of thought and I think that maybe, she came to thank me for writing her story and to ask me to pass on the message to all those involved in giving her children the recognition and burial they deserved. I wondered if the emotion of the sixty-two secret bodies lying so close to my bedroom was the reason I felt such an intense feeling of discomfort as a girl. What was the humanoid figure I saw with my sister that day? Was it a guardian of the graveyard as folklore suggests many graveyards have, prowling after dark and keeping trespassers away, defending the dead?Thankfully all these innocent souls are now at long last resting in peace after getting the burial they deserve. Sleeping soundly forevermore at long last. How many others are out there still lying cold and undiscovered though...? We will never know.

Top Ten Creepy Welsh Apparitions

If you have had the pleasure or even held a desire of visiting the lush green valleys of South Wales, you won’t need me to tell you that the brooding mountains, weather-beaten coastlines, and dark, sinister lakes have the power to stir your spirit and free the mind. It is a land where legends prosper, where spoken tradition has ensured that the past has never been forgotten through the telling of folklore and legend and is the haunt of many different entities.Here are ten of the creepiest folklore stories of Ghosts, Witches, Goblins, Phantoms and Fae that have grown as old as the hills themselves and are still told this day in the area by the wise elders that know the worth of paying attention to ancient lore.1.PwcaLegend has it that in Cwm Pwca, which translates as “Valley of the Goblin” a certain sort of goblin named “Pwca” existed. Mythological creatures, they were thought to have a menacing shapeshifting capability, frequently beginning in the form of a rabbit, horse, cat, goat or dog but at all times black. Said to have the influence to bring terrible fortune, people would be filled with dread if one intersected their path for dread that the “Pwca” would curse them. Pucks Valley in Clydach Gorge was so named because this is one of the areas that he was reputed to hang out.The name was given to a variety of English fairies, but the stories in Wales are found to be very similar and across vast areas of locality varying very little in detail. Each account will be interchangeable with another with the only difference being the alteration of local names for Pwca.The story goes that a peasant who is returning from his work (or sometimes he is returning from a fair) in the dark, sees the lit lantern travelling in front of him. He sees that it is a dusky little figure carrying a lantern or a candle over its head and so he follows it for several miles. Suddenly he finds himself on the brink of a frightful cliff. From this height, he can hear below him a foaming torrent of water. At the same time, the little goblin holding the lantern bursts out laughing with a malicious and evil cackle as he extinguishes out the light leaving the poor traveller stranded and left lost in the dark.2. Old Magw the WitchHistorical accounts suggest to us that Welsh Witches would be conceivably misunderstood and misrepresented often in the middle ages. The term “witch” has had many meanings to many people over the years., For most of the Middle Ages, the word would have described someone who was simply a local healer, maybe someone who mixed herbal poultices and medicines, or perhaps they used charms or spells for healing cattle and other farm animals.A law in 1563 made witchcraft a capital offence, so from that point onwards more and more people would be called out as being witches as they were universally feared.Commonly this was simply a convenient way of labelling some ill-fated woman who was unlike everybody else – or, occasionally it would be used as a way of exacting revenge when a wise man or wise woman failed to cure an illness or heal a wounded animal.The most feared Clydach Gorge Witch was said to be that of Old Magw. A teacher employed at the Ironworks school in Clydach by the manager Edward Frere, Old Magw was reputed to be a vicious, wicked woman with merciless means of dealing out the most severe punishments to children who were late for school or defiant. Widely feared by local folk she was reputed to curse your plants in the garden if you maddened her.3.The Maddened Ghost of John DawsonAnother teacher reputedly a harsh tyrant at the ironworks school was a man called John Dawson who was reputed to have three pets that he kept close by his side at all times - a black jackdaw, a cat, and a welsh terrier. Disliked by many because of his nasty temper and harsh ways, Dawson would walk daily from home and back to work across the mountain from Twyn Wenallt, however, one day, he just disappeared.Assumed that he had drowned in a nearby pond, locals in search of his body recovered a sack from the water with the three pets dead inside. However, Dawson was never to be seen again, and no trace of his body was found. The apparition of a figure wearing “old fashioned clothing” and a hat that “dated back to the Seventeenth Century,” has been described high up on Gilwern Hill near the old quarry pits, known as the Tyla. It is whispered amongst locals that this is the ghost of John Dawson, perhaps resolute to tell the story of his murder?The ghosts of departed mortals usually are known to the witness however some terrifying ones would be of those seeking moralistic resolution. One story goes that some men were drinking in an Inn in Newport when one of the men dared another to go into the nearby charnel house (church vault where corpses would be kept) and fetch a skull. He accepted the challenge and took the skull back to the Inn, where for an hour or so the men debated over their beer as to whether the skull belonged to a male or a female. After a jolly hour, the man returned the skull to where he had found it only once he was alone an immense blast of icy wind grasped him, mauling and hauling him about so much that his teeth chattered in his head. Once he got home, his wife told him that his cane which was hanging up in the room had been beating itself against the wall in a frantic manner and convinced the original owner of the skull had come to get him he swore he would never do such a deed again.4.The Gwyllgi and the Cwm Annwn (Phantom Dogs) A spectral black dog ghost has been witnessed by many people in Wales, but they do vary in their consequence. In Welsh folklore, the black dog is usually a night-time apparition, often said to be associated with the Devil or a Hellhound (Cwn Annwn) however the is another dog that has a distinct difference. The Gwyllgi or Dog of Darkness was a spirit dog of terrible shape and size, described as “larger than a steed nine winters old” and rather like a Mastiff with fiery breath and glowing red eyes and an unearthly howl. It can be partly human with the limbs of a dog. The Gwyllgi was sighted around coastal areas of Wales and was not universally classed as an omen of death if seen, unlike the Cwm Annwn which has clear connotations with a warning of death. It is described to be larger than a normal dog and often has large, glowing eyes. Black dogs are almost universally regarded as malevolent. Interestingly once smuggling became unprofitable, the Gwylgi was seen less and less.The Cwn Annwn or hounds of hell were said to be a pack of sky-bound ghostly hounds to lead out at night by the King of the Otherworld to hunt the souls of the damned. According to Welsh folklore, their growling is loudest when they are at a distance, and as they draw nearer, it grows softer and softer. In legend, the hounds are sometimes accompanied by a fearsome hag called Mallt-y-Nos, "Matilda of the Night." Mallt-y-Nos drives the hounds onward with shrieks and wails, which some say are evil and malicious in nature. Apparently once a beautiful but wicked Norman aristocrat who loved hunting so much that she said, "If there is no hunting in heaven, I would rather not go!" She is said to have regretted making this wish and now cries out in despair as she hunts forever in the night sky. It is not known if she has been seen in this area but no wonder the sighting of the black dog on more than one occasion would fill the locals with fear.5.Guardian of The GravesIn Llanelli Church yard the ghost of a dog white dog used to be often seen. Said to have once been owned by a local man from Crickhowell, by the name of Colonel Sandeman.After his death and burial here, the loyal dog was found often pining at his master’s graveside refusing to leave, and so they placed a statue of the dog on the grave after his death.Locals started to talk about sinister shadows of the dog that would be seen by passers-by at night and poachers coming down from the mountain would report their dog’s hackles going up and refusing to pass the graveyard.However, the sight of a single ghost dog is not uncommon in Welsh graveyards. Superstitious lore meant that folk believed that the first person to be buried in a churchyard would be fated to stay earthbound evermore to be the “Guardian of the Graves.” A role that meant that soul had the duty to protect all other souls committed to that ground from evil and trespassers with ill intentions towards the graves. As nobody would relish the idea of that role, it was often the case that a dog would be buried there instead for that purpose. The guardian of the graves, therefore, is often sighted as a ghostly spectre of a snarling and fearsome dog prowling churchyards at night.6. Giants and Bedd y Gŵr Hir (“The Long Man’s Grave”)The story might explain the existence of two small, standing stones in a field at Twyn Allwys near Gilwern, that used to mark the old parish and county boundary between Monmouthshire and Breconshire:The story goes that an incredibly tall giant lived in the area and when he died the locals had to carry him a long way with the intention of burying him at Lanwenarty Church Yard. The weather unpredictably became wild, and it grew dark, so weary bearers decided to bury him there and then in the center of the field, as he was so heavy and large to continue any further. They lay two stones at his head and foot to mark his graveThe distance between the stones is 13.5 ft, and so he was described as a man of “gigantic size.”Long Mans Ghost continued to haunt the area for the early years of the 19th century. He was believed to be particularly fond of peering through bedroom windows on Hallowe’en!Gigantic apparitions such as this were also being noted elsewhere. A Thomas Miles Harry (Wirt Sikes) on his way home to Aberystruth from Abergavenny when his horse spooked and he saw the figure of a huge woman standing in the path before him. So, tall was she that he described her as being half as high as the tall beech trees on the other side of the road.7. The Gwrach y Rhibyn Truly one of the most terrifying amongst all Welsh apparitions is that of the Gwrach y Rhibyn. The main thing that makes her distinct is her phenomenal ugliness. A rare female goblin, a common saying in Wales used to be “Y mae mor salw a Gwrach y Rhibyn” which means “She is as ugly as the Gwrach y Rhibyn.” She is hideous to look at with having disheveled black hair, long black teeth, long, lanky withered arms, leathery wings and a corpselike appearance. She comes in the still of the darkest nights, and you hear her flap her wings against the window and at the same time a blood-curdling howl and the name of the person about to die. She calls the name in a lengthy dying tone, and her shrieks are said to be unutterably horrific to hear. She sometimes appears on a mountain side if it is misty or at crossroads or by a body of water.8. Grotesque GhostsMany 19th century Welsh ghosts have a distinct strangeness about the way they look or move about. Often, they were sighted whirling, throwing stones, walking on their hands or on all fours whistling and distorting their shapes terrifying those that witnessed them.Another tale goes that a man by the name of Lewis Thomas was returning from a journey and in passing a field near Bedwellty, he witnessed a ghost of a man whirling along on his hands and feet. When a John Jenkins hanged himself in a hay loft near Abertillery, his sister discovered his body and let out a scream. Jeremiah Jones who lived in the nearby house upon hearing the scream looked in her direction only to see a figure of a man emerging from the hay loft upside down and moving violently towards the direction of the river. One freakish goblin sighted by a Thomas Andrew in the parish of Lanhiddel claims to have seen a goblin whirling across a wall on all fours and making a horrible mowing sound shaking its head from side to side.9. The GwyllionThe Gwyllion is one type of female fairy you don’t want to meet on a dark, lonely road at night on top of Clydach mountain. She haunts the lonely roads and as the welsh word “Gwyll” is used to describe gloomy dark hag or witch. What is special about this particular one is that she shows herself as an apparition in the form of an old woman with an oblong four-cornered hat ah coloured clothes, her apron across her shoulder and she carries a wooden pot. She shouts “ Wwb!” ( “Whoa up!” ) And those that hear her cries on a foggy night would follow the cries unaware that they were being led purposefully astray and became disorientated and lost before hearing her cackle an evil laugh. It is said that her face has never been seen. She became a regular spectre after the death of Juan White (a local witch) and is seen on many mountains in the area. It is also said that once a knife is drawn in front of her, she disappears as the Fae (Twlwyth Teg) reputedly do not like knives.10. Twlwyth TegThe modern Welsh name for fairies is the Twlwyth Teg which means “fair folk” or family. In the Celtic tradition, fairies were entities who were barred from paradise. They inhabited a middle kingdom between the human world and the Otherworld of the dead – though as we shall see, that was frequently a somewhat blurred distinction. They lived in and moved around the land, but were invisible most of the time to the human inhabitants. Contact between the human and fairy races was most often indirect: fairies would be heard and not seen, their effects felt (such as good/bad luck, illness), and changes they made to the house, farmyard or field noticed. The places that they were believed to inhabit or haunt were treated with fear and respect because it was known that interference with them could cause misfortune. Certain protocols had to be followed for humans to keep on good terms with the fairies, who at the best of times could be mischievous and were nearly always a little touchy. When traveling, fairies either flew or else trooped along special paths that belonged to them. They could fly on winged insects or plant stalks, as mentioned earlier, or they could simply fly of their volition. Robert Kirk stated that fairies could “swim in the air near the earth.” All in all, sharing the land with the fairies was a delicate and at times dangerous business. Less than 3 miles from Clydach in BLAINA. Folklorist Edmund Jones recorded a curious case of an alleged fairy funeral relating to the old church in Blaina (in the ancient parish of Aberystruth) in the eighteenth century. He reported;“Mr. Howel Prosser, Curate of Aberystruth after seeing a Funeral going down the Church Lane, late in the evening, towards the Church, imagined it was the body of a local man from the upper end of the Parish towards Brecon-shire, whom he heard was sick; and thought was now dead. He assumed he was going to be buried; so he put on his Band to perform the burial office; and hastened to go to meet the burial: and when he came to it … putting his hand on the Bier to help carry the Corps, in a moment all vanished; and to his very great surprise and astonishment, there was nothing in his hand but the Skull of a dead Horse.”The church site is in the centre of the village at SO 201.078, and it is now occupied by the modern church of St. Peter, replacing the “old church” of the same dedication.(Extracts are taken from Claire Barrand’s blog “Fairies Witches and Shakespeare – a guide to the Folklore of Clydach Gorge.”https://www.clairebarrand.com/single-... more at www.cleairebarrand.com

Abergavennys' Red Wedding Style Massacre

Abergavenny is a chiefly peaceful Welsh market town, so visitors may be shocked that here lies the site of one of the most heinous massacres in British history, even preceding the Scottish Black Dinner of 1440. Claire Barrand looks back on one of the bloodiest revenge acts in history which took place in her hometown, and as Christmas approaches so does the anniversary of the Abergavenny Massacre.Established in 1087, by the Norman Lord Hamelin de Ballon, stands the remains of Abergavenny Castle. The Welsh borders were a treacherous place to live and by in 1100’s they were endless battle scenes between the English and the Welsh and the Castle changed hands more than once. When the Lord of Abergavenny, Henry FitzMiles was killed along with his only son and heir, his nephew, the 4th Lord of Bramber William de Braose inherited the Castle.What followed has astonishing parallels to the Game of Thrones “Red Wedding” scene, as in 1175, William reached out to his uncle’s suspected murderer, Lord of Gwent Seisyll ap Dyfnwal, with a peace offering in the form of an invitation to a grand Christmas Day feast. The offer extended to Seisyll, his son Geoffrey and a great many Welsh Princes and leaders, declaring that he intended to build bridges and reconcile the differences between the English and the Welsh sides.Seisyll was glad to make peace, and he arrived at the castle with all his family, followers and allies, and they customarily stacked their weapons outside and happily proceeded to eat drink and be merry.However, at the height of the meal de Braose made a signal to his men who were lying in wait and the unsuspecting guests were all brutally massacred in a violent act of bloody slaughter. His act of revenge was heightened by the fact he had not forgiven Seisyll for his uncle’s death and blamed him.Dozens of men, women, and children were ruthlessly murdered that night. Furthermore, he then went on horseback with his men to locate the seven-year-old surviving son of Seisyll named Cadwalladr and brutally butchered him in the arms of his mother too. The act did nothing to appease the hostility between Wales and England, and he earned his nickname “The Ogre of Abergavenny.”The label seemed appropriate given his taste for particularly brutal acts of torture towards his prisoners even considering the times they were in; his actions were shocking to most. Favoured by King John of England de Brouse was exonerated for the atrocious act by Gerald of Wales who cited his generosity to local priories, and he went on to become the Sheriff of Herefordshire until 1199, then Justice Itinerant for Staffordshire.His luck ran out though, as in 1882 the Welsh Lord of Caerleon took retribution by seizing the castle and burning it to the ground. De Braose’s wife and son were captured and thought to have starved to death in the dungeons of Corfe Castle, while he escaped and fled Wales to Ireland where he was pursued after he eventually fell out of favour with King John. Finally in 1210, disguised as a beggar he fled to France where he died in exile and never fulfilled his desire to be buried in Brecon.The castle was destroyed further in 1233 and eventually rebuilt in the following decades and its original wooden structure replaced with stone. Centuries later in 1813-14 the Castle held 200 French prisoners of war within its walls. And on Friday 13th, 1874 shoemaker John Nicholas was brutally murdered, and his bloodied corpse was found on the Castle walk. His killers were found guilty of killing John by viciously bludgeoning his head with a blunt object and suffocating him.Tragedy further struck at the Castle in 1882 during an Easter Monday Fete, when a wooden platform collapsed during a fireworks display, crushing poor unfortunate local girl Kate Grieves to death.The likelihood will be that there is a mass grave nearby on the grounds of the castle, which today is a favoured picnic spot.The tranquility can fool you, but I have no doubt that the grounds still hold profoundly shrouded scars. Such heinous and brutal scenes and a past full of betrayal, lies, tragedy, and murder will have undoubtedly left a trace. Maybe the ghosts of the slain murdered men and women perhaps even the wicked Ogre of Abergavenny himself still haunt the Castle grounds as he did not get the Welsh burial he wanted?Haunting echoes of the past are inevitable, and yet this is a place which, to date, has remained primarily uncharted territory by paranormal experts.article originally written by Claire Barrand for www.spookyisles.com see herehttp://www.abergavennymuseum.co.uk/

Abergavenny's "Red Wedding" style Massacre

Abergavenny is a chiefly peaceful Welsh market town, so visitors may be shocked that here lies the site of one of the most heinous massacres in British history, even preceding the Scottish Black Dinner of 1440. Claire Barrand looks back on one of the bloodiest revenge acts in history which took place in her hometown, and as Christmas approaches so does the anniversary of the Abergavenny Massacre.Established in 1087, by the Norman Lord Hamelin de Ballon, stands the remains of Abergavenny Castle. The Welsh borders were a treacherous place to live and by in 1100’s they were endless battle scenes between the English and the Welsh and the Castle changed hands more than once. When the Lord of Abergavenny, Henry FitzMiles was killed along with his only son and heir, his nephew, the 4th Lord of Bramber William de Braose inherited the Castle.What followed has astonishing parallels to the Game of Thrones “Red Wedding” scene, as in 1175, William reached out to his uncle’s suspected murderer, Lord of Gwent Seisyll ap Dyfnwal, with a peace offering in the form of an invitation to a grand Christmas Day feast. The offer extended to Seisyll, his son Geoffrey and a great many Welsh Princes and leaders, declaring that he intended to build bridges and reconcile the differences between the English and the Welsh sides.Seisyll was glad to make peace, and he arrived at the castle with all his family, followers and allies, and they customarily stacked their weapons outside and happily proceeded to eat drink and be merry.However, at the height of the meal de Braose made a signal to his men who were lying in wait and the unsuspecting guests were all brutally massacred in a violent act of bloody slaughter. His act of revenge was heightened by the fact he had not forgiven Seisyll for his uncle’s death and blamed him.Dozens of men, women, and children were ruthlessly murdered that night. Furthermore, he then went on horseback with his men to locate the seven-year-old surviving son of Seisyll named Cadwalladr and brutally butchered him in the arms of his mother too. The act did nothing to appease the hostility between Wales and England, and he earned his nickname “The Ogre of Abergavenny.”The label seemed appropriate given his taste for particularly brutal acts of torture towards his prisoners even considering the times they were in; his actions were shocking to most. Favoured by King John of England de Brouse was exonerated for the atrocious act by Gerald of Wales who cited his generosity to local priories, and he went on to become the Sheriff of Herefordshire until 1199, then Justice Itinerant for Staffordshire.His luck ran out though, as in 1882 the Welsh Lord of Caerleon took retribution by seizing the castle and burning it to the ground. De Braose’s wife and son were captured and thought to have starved to death in the dungeons of Corfe Castle, while he escaped and fled Wales to Ireland where he was pursued after he eventually fell out of favour with King John. Finally in 1210, disguised as a beggar he fled to France where he died in exile and never fulfilled his desire to be buried in Brecon.The castle was destroyed further in 1233 and eventually rebuilt in the following decades and its original wooden structure replaced with stone. Centuries later in 1813-14 the Castle held 200 French prisoners of war within its walls. And on Friday 13th, 1874 shoemaker John Nicholas was brutally murdered, and his bloodied corpse was found on the Castle walk. His killers were found guilty of killing John by viciously bludgeoning his head with a blunt object and suffocating him.Tragedy further struck at the Castle in 1882 during an Easter Monday Fete, when a wooden platform collapsed during a fireworks display, crushing poor unfortunate local girl Kate Grieves to death.The likelihood will be that there is a mass grave nearby on the grounds of the castle, which today is a favoured picnic spot.The tranquility can fool you, but I have no doubt that the grounds still hold profoundly shrouded scars. Such heinous and brutal scenes and a past full of betrayal, lies, tragedy, and murder will have undoubtedly left a trace. Maybe the ghosts of the slain murdered men and women perhaps even the wicked Ogre of Abergavenny himself still haunt the Castle grounds as he did not get the Welsh burial he wanted?Haunting echoes of the past are inevitable, and yet this is a place which, to date, has remained primarily uncharted territory by paranormal experts.article originally written by Claire Barrand for www.spookyisles.com see herehttp://www.abergavennymuseum.co.uk/

The Devil, The Giant, and The Shattered Great Mountain ~ Skirrid Fawr Folklore

Claire Barrand looks into the folklore of the Skirrid Mountain, where a curiously crooked hill is etched onto the landscape of the Black Mountains, overlooking the notoriously haunted Skirrid Mountain Inn which was named after the legendary ancient hill.Standing less than five hundred meters tall on the border of Herefordshire and South Wales U.K, the Skirrid is situated at the east end of the Black Mountain range in Wales near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. The strangely misshapen mountain is called Skirrid Fawr, (taken from the Welsh, Ysgyrwd Fawr. Ysgyrwd means split or shattered, and Fawr means great). The mountain has a distinctive chunk “missing” from its side, and it is because of its strange shape that it has many legends attached.There is another mountain – its little sister called Little Skirrid which lies to its south thought to be caused by a landslip during ice ages times.Locals, however, have a very different take on how the great mountain came to be broken. It has long been told that during the crucifixion of Christ, God created an immense storm, such was his anger. The mountain was caused to shiver and tremble, and a bolt of lightning struck, causing it to break off a chunk from the great Skirrid creating the little Skirrid. As with all folklore, there are often other varieties of the same story, and in another version, it has been said that the mountain itself was so angry at the crucifixion that it shook with fury and broke.The mountain was often referred to as the Holy Mountain or Sacred Hill because of these connections with Christ via legend. It is thought that the land, therefore, is particularly fertile and blessed and why locals used to take handfuls of the earth to scatter onto crops, the foundations of new houses or churches for good luck and protection as well as scattering the precious soil onto coffins of loved ones. It was custom at the burials of Catholics up until the 19th century to sprinkle coffins with the earth brought from the chapel of St Michael. One writer from those times said that its soil was “so holy that no snail or worm could live in it”; Some of it is said to have been moved to America. Many pilgrimages were made thereon Michaelmas Eve to the summit.Another legend that differs from the holy connection, however, suggests much darker reasons for the hill to be shaped as it is. Some folk tell of the tale when Satan tried to seduce the Archangel Michael into evil ways, but when he refused, Satan stamped on the Skirrid mountain causing the huge piece that’s missing from the top.On the peak of the mountain, there are the ruins of an iron age hill fort and a ruined medieval chapel called St Michaels. Services were held there until around 1680, and it was used by Roman Catholics during and after the reformation. There is a distinctive stone there which is known as “The Devils Table.” At the end of the 19th Century, a wizard-like wise man lived there, and folk would seek him out placing their money on the stone in exchange for his advice and magic. It was believed to be him that could be heard roaring like a bull at night!Finally, there is yet another tale of the Skirrid Fawr mountain being damaged by a local giant, or some say Wizard by the name of Jack O’Kent or Jackie Kent. His chief joy was to make the Devil look foolish. One day he had an argument with the devil over which mountain was more prominent, the nearby Sugar Loaf or the Malvern Hills. In one version of this story, Jack jumped off the Sugar Loaf onto the Skirrid, creating the vast footprint in the side with his heel. In another version, because Jack was correct that the Sugar Loaf was the larger of the two, the Devil gouged a chunk of the Skirrid to add on top of the Malvern Hills to make them higher, as he did so he tripped and dropped the earth creating the smaller one. There are three standing stones at nearby Trelleck which are said to have been thrown there by Jack O’Kent during a game of quoits, having tossed them from the top of the Skirrid. Whatever the truth behind the shattered great mountain is, we will never know, but one thing is sure, there does seem to be a great deal of mystery and magic about the area in which it stands. I have no doubt that the ghosts that haunt the Skirrid Mountain Inn would have a tale or two of their own to tell of the stories they once exchanged many centuries ago over tankards of ale about the mysterious mountain that shadows them.Originally written for www.spookyisles.com see original article here