myth

Adder � An omen of misfortune, or if found on a doorstep a harbinger of death. Good luck could be gained from killing the first Adder found in Spring, whilst failing to kill one brings bad luck. Placing the shed skin of an Adder in your hat isa cure for headaches, or wrapped around a limb will cure rheumatism. Adders fear Ash, hence carrying a stick from that tree will ward them off

Angledown Copse � A barrow in Hampshire that contains a golden effigy. The last people who attempted to retrieve the treasure were scared off by a headless horseman

Arundel Castle � Dating back from the reign of Edward the Confessor, the castle is home to the Fitzalan family and also to many unhappy spirits. Legend has it that if ever a white bird flutters against the window, a member of the family will die

Ascapart � The name of Giant slain by Sir Bevis in Hampshire, the mound outside of the city is where they buried the corpse

Auld Hornie � The devil

Bache pool � A lake in Cheshire and home to a dragon. Sir Thomas Venables fought the dragon by firing an arrow into its eye making it release the child it was about to devour. A furious fight ensued in which Sir Thomas was the victor

Banshee � Spirits that haunt the Irish folk, she weeps and wails as prediction of a death in the family. She appears as a woman, dark of hair and pale of face with deep bloodshot eyes from her tears

Barnacle Geese � Strange birds that hatch not from eggs as other geese, but develop from rotting driftwood. These geese can be eaten on Fridays as they are not flesh, nor born of flesh

Bean Nighe � A Scottish fairy, seen washing the blood from the shirts of those who are about to die. Her breasts are so long that she throws them over her shoulders as she bends down to work

Black Annis - An evil hag known to haunt a cave near Leicester. She flays children alive, before eating their flesh and tanning their skins on nearby trees

Blue Burches - A mischevious hobgoblin who played tricks on a cobbler in Somerset. He would play practical jokes such as making the house glow and appear to be alight. The local priest declared the spirit to be a demon and exorcised it

Boggarts � Sometimes malevolent, sometimes helpful; these fairy creatures are known to help a farmer thresh his wheat. Be sure to leave a jug of milk out as a reward, otherwise the spirit will turn to bad

Boneless � A creature seen around Oxford, this is reported as being a mass of squirming flesh, which although has no limbs can move at great speed and devour a man by engulfing and digesting him slowly

Bullbeggar � A shape-changing spirit, known to appear as a person collapsed at the side of the road. When a passer-by came to help, the spirit would leap up, changing size and taking on a terrifying form. The good Samaritan would be chased to his death

Chanctonbury ring � An old hill fort where the devil can be summoned by running roung the site backwards seven times. This must be done at midnight on Midsummer�s eve, adn upon completion, the devil will arrive to present food to the supplicant

Changelings � Fairy folk are attracted to beauty more than anything else and have been known to abduct mortal babes, substituting one of their own kind. They can only take an unbaptised child and would leave one of their old or dying kinfolk in the cradle. The fairy would slowly die, leaving the parent to bury what they believed was their own child

Cockatrice � A deadly creature born of an unholy union of a cockrel and a lizard, with four legs, the wings of a bat and the tail of a dragon. It has the power to kill with a gaze

Cunning man or woman � These are seen in every village these days. Not only do they possess the power to detect a witch, they also possess secret knowledge and talents. Seek them out for cures, curses and augury

Devils Dando Dogs � Often called Yeth Hounds, the name comes from a priest called Dando who was so keen on hunting he would even do so on the Sabbath. One Sunday, Dando and his companions found that their flasks were empty �If no drink can be found on earth, I�ll go to Hell to get it� At that instant a stranger rode up and offered them his flask. �If they have drink like this in Hell, I�ll willingly spend an eternity there�
The Devil granted Dando�s wish and he and his dogs have been heard in full cry as they raced across the countryside

Duddo Stones � This circle of stones was originally five farmers who were so eager to hoe their turnips they did so on the Sabbath, and were instantly turned to stone. Four stand upright whilst the fifth farmer fell on his back in amazement at their fate, where his continues to lay

Elf Fire � Elf fire is a faintly luminous flame that sometimes appears over marshes. Sometimes called Will�o�wisp, it should be avoided as it is known to lead night-time travellers to their deaths in the treacherous bogs

Elves � Elves are small faerie creatures who are capable of shape changing, though the females are normally young and beautiful whilst the males look like old men. These woodland fey folk live in hollowed logs or barrows, their chief pleasure is dancing by the moonlight in faerie rings

Faerie Ointment � Faeire ointment when rubbed into the eyes give the ability to see into the normally invisible of the fey folk.

Fetch � The Fetch has a likeness of a living person but appears to their family at the moment of their death. They are considered an omen of death

Foxgloves � Foxgloves are a sure way of attracting Faeries, even the name is a corruption of �folksglove� or the glove of the faerie folk

Gnomes � Gnomes dwell below ground where they are the guardians of gold deposits and precious metals, these creatures are known to be able to move through the ground as though they were travelling above it

Goblins � Small, malevolent and extremely ugly in appearance they delight in tormenting the defenceless traveller. They are cowardly and will rarely been seen alone

Green Children � In a village near Wolf-Pits, two green children were captured. They appeared human expect for the their skin colour, and though they spoke no English they communicates with each other in an unrecognisable tongue. Though the boy suffered a decline in health, his sister remained well, though her colouring declined with time. In time she learnt to speak English and spoke of her own land where it was perpetual night. She was taken into the household of Sir Richard de Calne, who had her baptised, though he described her as being �rather loose and wanton�

Handale Serpent � The serpent or dragon lived in woods near Handale, bringing terror to the local monastery and local maidens (its staple diet). A young man named Scaw, faced the fire breathing serpent, and fighting through smoke and heat in red-hot armour plunged his sword deep into the throat of the creature.

Hemlock � Witches use this plant to summon the devil and its a major ingredient in their flying ointments

Hobgoblin � A helpful household spirit, akin to the Brownie

Incubus � A demon in the guise of a man who has intercourse with a woman whilst she is asleep. Their female counterpart is the Succubus. It is thought that the Succubus steals the seed of sleeping men and after tainting it, the Incubus uses it to impregnate a woman with a demon-child

Jenny Greenteeth � An evil entity that dwells in stagnant ponds and scum covered pools. She drags small children with her fangs and drags them to their watery deaths

Knockers � Also known as Tommyknockers, these subterranean creatures were the souls of those of those involved in the crucifixion of Jesus. They are most common in Cornwall, where miners consider them to be lucky. They can turn vindictive especially if reminded of their sins. The sign of the cross displeased them as did any cross markings or jewellry

Knucker Hole - A bottomless pond near Lyminster chruchyard, this was once the home of a dragon called the Knucker. The Knucker was slain by an unlikely hero called Jim Pulk, who killed it not with sword or spear, but with an enormous pie, the size of a cart, but laced with poison. The greedy beast ate the whole pie and died, whereupon Pulk decapitated it with his scythe. The tale has a tragic end, as Pulk went to the local inn to celebrate his victory, and upon downing his first ale wiped his mouth, little realising that there were still traces of poison on them

Lutey and the Mermaid � Lutey was a Cornish fisherman who came across a mermaid trapped in a rock pool after the tide went out. In return for rescuing him she offered him three wishes, whereupon he asked for healing powers, powers of spirits and that these powers be passed to his ancestors. Failing to entice him back to the sea with her, she made a vow that in 9 years she would return. Lutey gained fame as a great healer, and true to her word the mermaid returned nine years later, whereupon Lutey agreed to join her

Malekin � This tale of a faerie changeling tells that a childish voice calling itself Malekin was heard in Dagworthy Castle. It told of how she was a mortal child who was abducted from a field by faeries whilst her mother was working. She claimed that she was to remain a prisoner of the fey for fourteen years. She was able to converse in Latin with the castle�s chaplain and spoke in a Suffolk accent with the other servants.

Mandrake � The root of this plant is used by wizards in their spells. It has a human shaped root, which when pulled from the ground issues a shriek that can kill.

Mermaids � Beautiful half woman, half fish creatures, they were regarded as harbingers of doom by sailors though were known to assist sailors on occassion. Mermaids were commonly sea creatures, though some are known to inhabit inland lakes

Merry Maidens � A stone circle in Cormwall said to be a group of young women who were turned to stone as punishment for dancing on the Sabbath

Mitchells Fold - A stone circle in Shropshire which was once home to a magical cow, whose milk was available freely to all

Nightshade � A major ingredient of witches flying potions, and some wisewomen use it to invoke visions

Orford � Where a �wild man� was caught in a fishing net. He was small and bald with a long beard and never spoke. He was taken to Orford castle, where he was presented with various foods, though he would only eat raw fish. He was taken to the shore several times, as this seemed to be his natural habitat. After several months he eluded his keepers and was last seen swimming out to sea

Overlooking � Some witches have to power to cause crops to fail or to cause disease in animals merely by looking at them. This is known as Overlooking

Parsley � The plant is known as a powerful antidote to poisons, but has associations with death. Wherever parsley grows in a garden a tragic death is imminent, and the plant can only be planted on Good Friday or this will bring bad luck on the household

Piers Shonks - The squire of Pelham in Herts who slew a dragon in a fierce battle. Though vicotrious he was mortally wounded and as he staggered away, the devil appeared and demanded the squire�s body and soul as payment for the destruction of his creature. Shonks replied that his soul belonged to God and that his body would lie where his arrow fell. He drew back his bow and fired his last arrow, which passed through the window of the church, striking the north wall. His body was entombed in that wall, and the devil went home empty handed

Piskies � Cornish sprites that delight in leading travellers astray, though occasionally they will lead them home instead. They are also known to help farmers with their tasks such as threshing or chopping wood. They are akin to the northern Brownies

Pixies � Like Piskies, Pixies enjoy playing tricks on the wandering traveller. Not only do they play practical jokes on mortals, they are also feared for their love of mortal babies, and are known to kidnap them and replace with changelings. Pixie glamour can be overcome by wearing outer garments inside out

Pottons - These ugly beings live in subterranean caves, or beneath the roots of trees. Though they rarely cause any harm to mortals, their glowing red eyes have frightened many a night-time traveller.

Redcap � This fearful goblin like creature makes its home in those places where murderous deeds have taken place. They get their name from their practice of dying their caps in human blood. There appearance is that of an old man with a cruel mouth and talon like fingernails, and though very tough are known to fear the power of God

Rosemary - Charms made from rosemary are useful as for protection against harm and witchcraft. Also a maiden who places a sprig of rosemary and a penny under her pillow will see the face of her future husband as she sleeps

Sabbats - A witch or warlock can either work alone with their familiar, or as part of a coven. Four times a year the coven meets for an orgy of lust, drink and much eating of meat, culminating in an attempt to summon the devil himself

Scrap Faggot � The name for witches in Essex

Selkies � Seals by day, and beautiful humans by night. A man can ensnare them at evening time by stealing their seal skins which they shed. Female Selkies are known to be excellent wives

Sheep - Sheep had a number of superstitions attached to them, primarily as cures for various ailments. The lungs of a sheep tied to a mans feet would cure pneumonia, whilst the dung when boiled with milk was a cure for gallstones. A witches curse could be lifted by piercing a sheep�s heart with pins then roasting it at midnight

Shrieking pits � The woods near Aylmerton hold large pits from which can be heard form time to time, unearthly screams. It is thought that they are the souls of those sacrificed to Gods in more primitive times

Sluagh � These beasts are known as the most terrible of all faeries, though whether they truly belong to they belong to the faeries realms is debatable These spirits fly in groups like birds, and are though by some to be the souls of deceased sinners. They come flying from the west and therefore, when someone is dying, people keep the windows on the west side closed. This way, the soul of the deceased can not be intercepted before it reaches heaven

Spiders � A spider is considered to be lucky and should never be wantonly killed. To have a spider fall of you from a ceiling meant that you were to receive money, or inherit a legacy. To place a money spider in one�s pocket would ensure that it was never empty, and to eat a live spider covered in butter was a certain cure for ague

Spriggans � Spriggans are the traditional guardians of hidden treasure who wait in lay for treasure seekers. Although small these creatures have the ability to grow in size and more than often were in a group
Thomas the Rhymer � �Thomas the Rhymer� or Thomas Rimor de Ercildoun wrote how he saw the Queen of the Fairies in the Eildon Hills and returned with her to her kingdom under the hills. He thought he had been there three days but when he returned to the surface, he found it was for three years.
The Queen gave Thomas the gift of prophecy - and amongst his successful predictions were the death of King Alexander III in 1286.

Urisks � Children born of a union of mortal and faerie parents are Urisks. Large and often deformed, these cross-breeds are at home in neither the mortal world, nor the unseen realms of the fey.

Vampires � There has only been one reported case of a Vampire in England, though there are numerous stories from the continent. This case involves a wicked man who moved from Yorkshire to work for the Lord of Alnwick castle. despite his evil ways, it seems that his wife was not much better and he suspected her of adultery with a neighbour. One night, whilst spying on her from the rooftop, he fell and died.
The man was given a Christian burial but soon after returned to wander the streets after dark. People locked themselves indoors but this did little to halt the plague which the vampire was spreading.
On Palm Sunday, the priest and other townsmen marched on the cemetry and dug up the dead man. They struck the body with a spade and drew fresh blood even though it had been dead for many weeks. The group realised that the corpse really was a vampire and was responsible for the plague. They took the body far away and burnt it up; whereupon the epidemic ended.

Vervain - Vervain was used to treat the wound of Jesus whilst he was on the cross. It has the power to cure wounds, and protects against overlooking.

Whooping cough - Often thought to be a curse placed on child by faeries, or a witch, there is a cave nearby inhabited by a hob (hobgoblin) who has the power to cure the illness

Widdershins � To widdershins (anti clockwise) is to move in a direction opposite to the sun and is considered unlucky. When witches dance they move widdershins

Wild Hunt � The devil and demon hounds race across the skies looking for unbaptised children to take to Hell with him. The Wild Hunt derives from the Norse myths of Woden

Witch Hazel � The forked twig of this tree acts like a dowsing rod when pointed at a witch

Jenny Greenteeth