Beowulf & Grendel
In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is a monstrous, demonic creature, a descendant of Cain, who terrorizes the Danes by attacking their mead hall, Heorot, and is ultimately defeated by the hero Beowulf in a battle of strength and courage.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of Grendel's story:
Grendel is presented as a monstrous figure, a descendant of the biblical Cain, who is cursed to wander the earth and is driven by envy and hatred.
Grendel, disturbed by the joy and celebration within Heorot, the mead hall of King Hrothgar, attacks the hall, killing and devouring the Danes.
Beowulf, a Geatish warrior, hears of the Danes' plight and travels to their kingdom to aid them in their struggle against Grendel.
Beowulf, with his bare hands, confronts Grendel, and in a fierce struggle, rips off Grendel's arm, mortally wounding the monster.
Grendel, weakened and wounded, retreats to his lair in a swamp, where he eventually dies. Grendel's mother, a sea-hag, seeks revenge for her son's death and attacks Heorot.
Beowulf confronts Grendel's mother in her lair, and after a fierce battle, kills her with a giant's sword. Beowulf's victory over Grendel and his mother establishes him as a great hero and brings peace to the Danes.
Blodeuwedd
Blodeuwedd is a character from the stories of the Mabinogi. The Mabinogi is a collection of mythical Welsh tales divided into four parts or ‘branches’. Blodeuwedd’s story is told in the fourth branch of the Mabinogi, ‘Math fab Mathonwy’ (Math, son of Mathonwy).
A woman named Arianrhod places a ‘tynged’ (fate) on her son, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. The fate meant that Lleu could never marry a human woman. But Lleu had an uncle named Gwydion, a legendary wizard. Upon hearing Lleu’s fate, Gwydion created him a wife made of flowers and named her Blodeuwedd. She was created from the flowers of the oak, the flowers of the broom, and the flowers of the meadowsweet.
Blodeuwedd and Lleu got married, but trouble was soon on the horizon. Blodeuwedd had fallen in love with Gronw Pebr, a warrior and hunter from Penllyn. To solve their dilemma, Blodeuwedd and Gronw decided to murder Lleu so that they could live happily together. But killing Lleu was no easy task.
Lleu could only be killed in certain circumstances. He had to have one foot on a bath and one on a goat. He would then have to be stabbed with a spear—but not any old spear. It had to be a spear created over a year during Mass.
Faced with such conditions, Blodeuwedd and Gronw were almost hopeless—until Blodeuwedd had an idea.
She asked Lleu to show her exactly how he had to stand in order to be killed. Lleu would have no suspicions about Blodeuwedd’s plan—after all, he and Blodeuwedd were happily married and in love.
As he stepped to stand on the bath and placed his other foot on a goat, Gronw appeared from nowhere and stabbed him. Suddenly, Lleu transformed into an Eagle and flew off into the night.
Blodeuwedd and Gronw lived happily for a while after Lleu’s departure. But soon, revenge was had on the insidious couple. Lleu and his wizard friend Gwydion returned and killed Gronw Pebr.
Blodeuwedd was turned into an owl, thus never being able to show her face in the light of day ever again.
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as "Nessie," is a legendary cryptid said to inhabit the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland, with the first written account appearing in a 7th-century biography of St. Columba, detailing a monster biting a swimmer in 565 AD. While numerous sightings and searches have occurred, no definitive proof of its existence has been found, and it's widely considered a myth.
Here are some key facts about the Loch Ness Monster and its lore:
The earliest known account of a creature in Loch Ness dates back to 565 AD, when a monk named Columba encountered a "giant water beast".
Modern interest in the monster was sparked by a sighting on July 22, 1933, when George Spicer and his wife saw "a most extraordinary form of animal" cross the road in front of their car.
The most famous photograph of the Loch Ness Monster, known as the "Surgeon's Photograph" from 1934, was later revealed to be a hoax involving a toy submarine with an attached neck and head.
In 1987, a large search for the Loch Ness Monster called "Operation Deepscan" involved a flotilla of boats scouring the depths of Loch Ness with solar equipment.
Loch Ness is a very long and narrow loch that has never been known to freeze
The famous photograph of the Loch Ness Monster, decades later debunked as a hoax, seemed to show a head and neck coming out of the water.
Despite numerous sightings and searches, no definitive proof of the monster's existence has ever been found, and it's widely considered a myth.
Cornish Piskies
Cornish piskies are mischievous yet helpful fairy folk from Cornish folklore, often depicted as small, childlike beings who can be found near stone circles and ancient sites, sometimes leading travellers astray but also bringing good luck.
Cornish piskies are described as small in stature, with wrinkled faces and red hair, often dressed in natural materials like moss, grass, and lichen. They are known for their prankish and mischievous nature, sometimes leading travellers astray on the moors, but also for being helpful and bringing good luck to those who treat them with respect.
There are many legends about their origins, including theories that they are the souls of pagans who could not transcend to heaven, or the un-christened souls of babies. Piskies are said to dwell in areas like stone circles and barrows, which were often avoided by people due to their association with piskies.
Piskies are sometimes compared to spriggans and brownies, as they share similar characteristics of being helpful but also mischievous. Not so long ago almost every Cornish household had some kind of Pisky charm to attract the luck that the good will of the Piskies was thought to bring.
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn Mac Cumhail or Finn MacCool was the legendary Irish warrior/hunter who led the band of Irish warriors known as the Fianna and created the Giants Causeway.
Fionn is connected to many of the legends of the Fenian Cycle. He first came to prominence after catching and eating the Salmon of Knowledge. Another important legend tells how Fionn met his first wife Sadbh while hunting. She had been transformed into a deer by a druid and after Fionn, caught her she turned into a beautiful woman. She bore Fionn a child, Oisin, before being transformed again into a deer and separating Fionn from his son for many years. Another tale tells of how Fionn in a jealous rage, pursued the lovers Grainne and Diarmuid across Ireland after they had eloped together. But the most famous legend of Fionn Mac Cumhail surrounds the Giants Causeway in County Antrim.
The story goes that Fionn built the causeway to get to Scotland and battle with a rival giant called Benandonner. When he got there he found that the Scottish giant was asleep but also far bigger than himself, so Fionn returned back across the causeway. When Benandonner woke up he came across the causeway intent on fighting Fionn. Fionn's wife dressed up her husband as a baby and when Benandonner arrived she said Fionn wasn't home and to be quiet not to wake up the baby. When Benandonner saw the ‘baby' he decided that if the baby was that big, Fionn must be massive. So he turned tail and fled back across the causeway ripping it up as he went. All that remains are the ends, here at the Giant's Causeway and on the island of Staffa in Scotland where similar formations are found.
Black Shuck
The Black Shuck is a legendary, ghostly black dog from East Anglian folklore, said to roam the coastline and countryside, often associated with death and sometimes appearing as a large, demonic-looking hound.
The legend of the Black Shuck, also known as Old Shuck, Old Shock or simply Shuck, originates in East Anglia, specifically in the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk. The name "Shuck" is thought to be derived from the Old English word "scucca" meaning "devil".
The Black Shuck is described as a large, black dog, sometimes as big as a horse or a cow, with shaggy fur and fiery red or yellow eyes. Some accounts depict it with a single, flaming red eye in the center of its forehead.
The Black Shuck is often seen as a harbinger of death, and a sighting of it is believed to be an omen of impending death.
A prominent legend involves the Black Shuck bursting into St Mary's Church in Bungay during a violent storm on August 4, 1577, and killing some of the congregation.
In addition to Black Shuck, the dog is also known by other names such as Shock, Old Scarfe, Owd Rugman, Old Shep, and The Hateful Thing.
Grindylow
In English folklore, a "Grindylow" (or "Grundylow") is a water spirit, particularly from Yorkshire and Lancashire, described as a diminutive humanoid with scaly skin, sharp claws and teeth, and long, wiry arms, believed to grab and drown children in ponds or marshes.
Grindylows come in three main forms, the swamp, water way, and lake varieties. Despite a considerable variation in appearance, these three can each bred with one another, and do on occasion, creating curious hybrids often considered to look similar to Clabberts. The most basic description of a Grindylow tends to hold to three specific points - long spindly-but-strong fingers, needle sharp teeth, and small yellowish horns atop its head. They are often described as being green, though this can be influenced by the water they live in, and they are, as a species, good swimmers.
While the majority of Grindylow specimens have been found in lakes (although increasingly they are being found in waterways in Yorkshire) this is due to the willingness of Lake Grindylows to swarm swimmers in attempts to drown them for their dinner. Swamp and Waterway Grindylows are more subtle, and, due to the difference in appearance, are not always immediately identified as Grindylows, and instead are misidentified as variants of Imp or even a Kappa, escaped from a magizoologists menagerie.
Selkie
In Scottish and Irish folklore, selkies are mythical creatures that can shapeshift between seal and human form by shedding and regaining their seal skin, often depicted as beautiful and graceful in human form, and sometimes as mischievous or even dangerous.
Selkies are known for their ability to transform between seal and human forms, typically by shedding and regaining their seal skin. In human form, selkies are often described as being exceptionally beautiful, with women having flowing dark hair and deep soulful eyes, and men as irresistibly handsome and charming.
Selkies can be portrayed as both friendly and helpful to humans, but also as dangerous and vengeful. The seal skin is crucial to their transformative ability; without it, a selkie is trapped in human form and unable to return to the sea.
Many stories involve humans stealing or hiding a selkie's skin, forcing them to remain on land and potentially marry the human, leading to tragic outcomes as the selkie yearns for the sea.
Selkies are particularly associated with the Northern Isles of Scotland, and their stories are prevalent in the oral traditions and folklore of Celtic and Norse cultures. Selkies continue to be a popular topic in modern culture, referenced in literature, music, and film. Selkies are sometimes referred to as selkie folk (Scots: selkie fowk), meaning "seal folk".
Some theories suggest the selkie myth stems from ancient peoples' encounters with Finnish or Sami travellers who wore sealskin clothing, or from the belief that selkies were the reincarnations of people lost at sea.
Resources: Eryri.gov.wales - Discoveringirelent.com - Themonsterblogofmonsters.com