An Illustrated Bestiary of the British Isles

By Nicholas Peter Blatt

These tales, taken from the spoken word tradition, were passed on either to warn adults of the worst aspects of their fellow man or to guard against the awesome power of nature or as cautionary tales for children to keep them from that which was unsafe. And yet one can't but wonder, did these creatures actually exist, when the natural world ruled supreme? In a time when the country was mostly bog and fen and field and wild wood. Black night would fall and isolated dwellings become surrounded by nocturnal sounds and agency.
Families would have told these tales as they huddled close about the fire, protected from the darkness by the light. And it must have occurred to more than some, as they gazed deep into the flames of their hearth, that there is no smoke, without fire?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicholas Peter Blatt
• Release date: Oct 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9780463456484

Book preview

Introduction

This is a collection, harvested from beyond the memory of man and obscurely perceived through the mists of tradition, of the stranger creatures and more bizarre legends of these ancient Isles.

These tales, taken from the spoken word tradition, were passed on either to warn adults of the worst aspects of their fellow man or to guard against the awesome power of nature or as cautionary tales for children to keep them from  that which was unsafe.

And yet one can't but wonder, did these creatures actually exist, when the natural world ruled supreme? In a time when the country was mostly bog and fen and field and wild wood.

Black night would fall and isolated dwellings become surrounded by nocturnal sounds and agency. Families would have told these tales as they huddled close about the fire, protected from the darkness by the light. And it must have occurred to more than some, as they gazed deep into the flames of their hearth, that there is no smoke, without fire?

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Chapters

1.AWD GOGGIE

2.BAOBHAN SITH

3.BLACK ANNIS

4.BLACK DOGS

5.THE BOGGART

6.BROWNMAN OF THE MUIRS

7.BUCCAS

8.BUGGANE

9.COCKATRICE (BASILISK)

10.DRAGONS

11.DUERGAR

12.FERLA MOHR

13.THE HAND OF GLORY

14.JENNY GREENTEETH

15.THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

16.NUCKLEAVEE

17.ROLLRIGHT STONES

18.SELKIE

19.JAN TREGEAGLE AND DANDO AND HIS DOGS

20.WEREWOLF

AWD GOGGIE

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Around East Ridings in Yorkshire, children who snuck into orchards in search of unripe fruit on the branch, were told to beware Awd Goggie.

She resembled an enormous hairy caterpillar, and laid in wait among the trees, for she was big enough to eat children.

Awd Goggie kept careful watch over the orchards, especially at night, to stop children taking the fruit and putting it into Mellow Holes.

The fruit was covered with a sack, and then buried in the hole to ripen or mellow. This method had the added advantage that the stolen

fruit was difficult to locate, and if found, would not be in anyone’s possession.

Awd Goggie had a relation on the Isle of Wight called the Gooseberry Wife. She too was a large, hairy caterpillar, although she had charge over the gooseberry

Bushes, as her name suggests.

Both of these unlikely creatures were members of the Nursery Bogies. A family of creatures used by parents, anxious of what their

Children got up to when they were out of sight.

The orchards were an important part of early rural life and to protect them from abuse, there were many such creatures of superstition, relied upon by orchard

keepers and parents alike.

Melsh Dick guarded against children going a-nutting in hazelshaws. Churnmilk Peg also protected nuts around the Ridings as well, although the soft middle of the unripe nut the churnmilk from where she takes her name, would cause an upset stomach to a child.

So, it appears, she protects both. 

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BAOBHAN SITH

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Although the Vampire is almost exclusively a European monster, Britain can claim the Baobhan Sith as our version of the fiend.

They too were creatures of the night, an unholy mixture of fairy and succubus, that haunted the Scottish Highlands and preyed upon men and drank their blood.

They occasionally appeared as hooded crows (perhaps were the legend of the crow as a creature of ill omen originates) but usually manifested as beautiful women

adorned with trailing green dress that hid their deer like hooves.

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The Hunters and the Baobhan Sith

A story is told of four hunters who sought shelter one stormy night in a lonely shieling (a hut used to shelter sheep). Tired and soaked, a raging fire beckoned them inside.

On finding the place deserted, they made themselves at home.

As they warmed themselves, their spirits rose and they began to sing, three got up to dance while the fourth sat on the floor and clapped. One of the hunters declared that they should have a female dance partner and at that moment the door opened, and four women walked in wearing long, green dresses, that trailed behind them. Each was coldly beautiful, but none spoke. One sat by the clapping man on the floor while the others joined the men in dance.

Joyous at their good fortune, the men held the women tightly and whirled them with great gusto. As the women swirled and divided, their tresses floated in the air behind them and the seated man saw that they had not feet but were cloven hooved!

As the creature beside him applauded the dancers, he found himself unable to speak, nor take his eyes from the eerie sight. The dancers spun faster as the creature clapped louder, then he saw spots of blood fall to the floor. He looked up to see it was coming from his friends’ neck!

He leapt to his feet and fled out the door, too fast for the beast to seize him with her talons. She gave chase, shrieking Dubbach! an