Scuttler's Cove

by David Barnett

And when man fails to understand something, or wishes it to not exist, he takes its name and gives that name to some other thing, something he has created, something he can manage and control and which is not as fearsome as the thing whose name he has stolen. But

‘The story goes that Avallen was the lord of the orchard, and Endellion the lady of the sea. They were in love, but Avallen spurned her. She was furious and vowed to destroy Scuttler’s Cove, which was the domain of Avallen, and which he brought prosperity to. The Fish Festival every year is held to appease Endellion and to thank her for the bounty of the sea. In olden times everyone would have an Eye of Avallen in their window during the Festival, to ward off the vengeance of Endellion.’

I think what we like about folk horror is the moral ambiguity of the genre; there are often no easily identifiable heroes and villains. Just people trying to get on with their lives, some in a different way to others. The horror comes when different worlds – usually the modern and the older ways – clash, and are found incompatible. But which one is ‘right’ is a matter of personal choice and belief.