Some creatures exist twice: once in the flesh, once in the imagination. Wolves, lions, demons, politicians - take your pick. In the wild hills of Gévaudan between 1764 and 1767, one such double-lived beast stalked the countryside. To the peasants it wasn’t simply a wolf, but la Bête - a monster, a terror, and an … Continue reading The Beast of Gévaudan: Folklore in Fur, Politics in Fangs
Tag: Myth
The Phantom in the Linen: On the Ubiquity of White Ladies, Grey Ladies, and Other Draped Nonsense
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in Blanchland, Northumberland - a village so theatrically atmospheric it looks like it was designed by a heritage-obsessed monk with a fondness for mist. I was holed up in The Lord Crewe Arms, one of the North’s most famously haunted pubs - though frankly, the prices gave me … Continue reading The Phantom in the Linen: On the Ubiquity of White Ladies, Grey Ladies, and Other Draped Nonsense
Bones, Branches, and Bad Omens: The Twisted Tale of Bella in the Witch Elm
The mystery of Bella in the Witch Elm - a tale as twisted as the gnarled branches of the tree itself. In the grim year of 1943, while the world was busy tearing itself apart in the throes of World War II, four boys stumbled upon something even more ghastly than the Luftwaffe’s finest. They … Continue reading Bones, Branches, and Bad Omens: The Twisted Tale of Bella in the Witch Elm
Wording 