Well here we are on the final part of this Halloween mini-series and only one more day to go until the spooky day of Halloween is upon us. I have already carved a couple of Jack-o-lanterns ready for the occasions and I have a bunch of sweets and chocolates (including things to make s’mores) ready to stuff my face with tomorrow while watching some spooky things on the internet and also on Netflix.
It really is one of my absolute most favourite times! Now let’s get on to five more mythical creatures of the United Kingdom.
Number 1 – The Dunnie
The Dunnie is a creature similar to a Brownie and of which can disguise itself as a horse which it would do to cause a bit of mischief by trying to tempt a rider on to its back where it would then take them to the muddiest part of a road and vanish, leaving the rider in a bit of a pickle.
The Dunnie may also pretend to be a plough-horse as well for more trickery fun as it would then choose to vanish away after the worker takes them to the horse stalls to shut them away for the night, thinking that it is safe and secure there and would be there the next day.
As can be seen the creature has some similarities to the Brag from the previous post.
Number 2 – The Puck
The Puck is a folkloric mythical creature that some may know from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s plays where it is known as Robin Goodfellow. The Puck or as otherwise called Robin Goodfellow has also been featured as a fiendish character in a number of other popular culture books and TV shows, such as in season 3 of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (which I have seen).
In English folklore the Puck is either believed to be a domestic/nature sprite, a demon or a fairy. The Puck is not to be fully trusted as it may choose to play knavish tricks or annoying jests on those who are foolish or that manage to offend the creature.
It was possible to get a Puck to do a small level of housework such as churning butter or needlework, but the Puck could easily and instantly undo its chores if it feels displeased or offended and may then go on to play other tricks in the household, such as by ruining beverages.
Some folklore also talks of Pucks as being lonely creatures that are on a quest to find a friend. Pucks have been described variously, sometimes looking similar to a satyr or more human like but with unpleasant faces, among other descriptions. They may be naked or dressed in rags.
Number 3 – The Fairy Queen
The Fairy Queen is a folkloric fairy being or character from Irish and British folklore (such as from Shakespear plays such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Romeo & Juliet where the names Titania and Mab come from, which have been used as other common names for Fairy Queen’s.) The Fairy Queen often appears in much popular culture and plays/pantomimes.
There are also numerous folklore stories that contain a Fairy Queen as an integral part of it. Basically, the Fairy Queen is a character that rules over the fairies. They can either be good or evil and sometimes demonic, especially as portrayed in original stories of folklore. Modern adaptions though have them almost always being good natured and fighting for the good side, that helps the hero character with powerful aid.
Number 4 – The Penhill Giant
I want to include the Penhill Giant as it is not only just a legendary creature and part of folklore but there are some that also even believe there might have been truth to some huge terrestrial figure living in the area, such as what the author Ian Taylor believes, who wrote a book on the giant.
The Penhill Giant, as its name suggests, is a legendary figure from a prominent hill called Penhill found in Wensleydale, Yorkshire and there are many folkloric stories from ages old that center around it. It was said that the giant lived on a giant fortress on the hill and that he would come out to devour flocks of sheep and scare maidens.
Number 5 – The Gytrash
Now for our final British mythical creature we shall head back to the Black Dogs with Gytrash. It comes from the folklore of Northern England and it is said to have the ability to shapeshift into other animals, such as a horse, mule, other breeds of dogs, and even most randomly cranes, which is a large type of long-legged long-necked bird.
The Gytrash is said to haunt lonely and solitary pathways and will often attempt to lead travellers astray and get them lost off of their usual path. Sometimes though they have also been portrayed as good and may instead lead lost travelers on to the correct path.
Some folklore belief says that Gytrash is actually a ghost or phantom in the guise of a large black dog that can also change into other animals. Sometimes it may also appear as a large black cow which may herald death to those who lay eyes on it.
Thank you for reading and I hope you found this Halloween mini-series both interesting and insightful to British and some Irish folklore, legends and mythical creatures and I hope that this has helped get you into the Halloween mood. Have a great Halloween!
And next week I shall be taking a week off and so blogposts will return from the 9th November, where I shall go over the results of the US Presidential Elections including on how my predictions that I also made this week faired out.
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