Skeleton of 'Black Shuck' Uncovered

Archaeologists claim to have found the skeletal remains of a large dog that may have belonged to a legendarily fearsome creature known as "Black Shuck" in the ruins of Leiston Abbey in Suffolk, England.

'Black Shuck' was the name given a gigantic, 7'-tall canine that is said to have roamed the Suffolk countryside in the 15^th Century. While there are numerous legends of such "hellhounds" or "devil dogs" throughout the British Isles, Black Shuck is probably the most famous. The beast was said to have had a black coat and glowing, red eyes. The word Shuck actually comes from the word scucca, which means demon.

In its most famed encounter, recorded by the reverend Abraham Fleming in 1577, it killed a man and a boy in a church, legendarily leaving scorch marks on the doors when it fled. To this day, people claim to see the beast roaming the area. The legend is so pervasive that the name of the Bungay soccer team is the Black Dogs.

© The Weirding, 2014

Ghost Sightings Highest in 25 Years

Lionel Fanthorpe, widely considered an expert on the Unexplained in Britain, has concluded that not only are ghost sightings in the UK at their highest in the last quarter-century, encounters with evil spirits, dæmons, and Elementals are "as widespread today as in medieval times."

Fanthorpe conducted his research online, as well as in various archives and his own reports. He sought to identify all decidedly Supernatural sightings with evil aspects, and decided upon 968 reports of "dæmonic activity" over the last 25 years.

Fanthorpe further identified Yorkshire as the heart of the sightings, with 74 reports of sightings - including "hell hounds," ghouls, and werewolves - dæmonic possession, water dæmons, and more. The sightings of a "water dæmon" in Filey Bay, with a serpentine body and glowing eyes, may be sightings of a cryptozoological specimen, though.

Devon rated second on the list, most well-known (here, especially) as the home of the Devil's Footprints. But a dæmonic form dubbed "Stephens" merited special note: A hideous, skeletal apparition clothed in dingy, gray robes, it i s thought to be the specter of a man who committed suicide in Dartmoor. Fanthorpe noted 57 reports from the area.

Somerset landed in third, with 51 sightings, but had the highest number of "monster" sightings. Wiltshire is close behind, with 46 reports, most of which were of "hell hounds." Not surprisingly, a "big, black dog with eyes like hot, red coals" has been frequently spotted at Black Dog Hill near Black Dog Woods.

Also unsurprisingly, Inverness - which lay at the mouth of the infamous Loch Ness - leads the list in "water dæmons," with 13 sightings over the last 25 years. Most of these are of "kelpie," a type of water spirit which attempts to lure victims to their death by drowning.

Dorset, Norfolk and Lancashire¹, Sussex and Derbyshire¹, Essex and Suffolk¹, and Lincolnshire rounded-out the top ten list.

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¹: Tied.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Britain's Black Fox Haunts Graveyard

What is possibly Britain's first black fox - and certainly the first photographic evidence of any such creature - has been photographed. Experts are baffled by its color and are unable to explain it. A photographer caught these images of the mythical creature roaming (where else) through a graveyard.

While the black fox may be a species, however rare, which accounts for the legendary devil dog, most accounts say the devil dogs are far larger than any fox could grow to be. The disturbing eyes seen in the photos do match the descriptions given by devil dog witnesses, though.

Could this "new" species be the cause of all the devil dog ruckus over the years? Or is this just an anomaly amongst the red fox species? Swamp gas, anyone? Anyway, a little more foxy news for you this afternoon.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Phantom Dogs

Now this is why I say a firm background in folklore is more important to ghost hunting than one in science:

I knew that, back in Medieval and other times, when a new graveyard was fashioned, a living person was often buried alive in a fresh grave to create a guardian spirit that was supposed to protect the area. If not, the first person buried there was thought to return as a ghost to perform these duties. Basically, the ghost protected the graveyard from the Devil and was hoped to dissuade grave robbers. These ghosts were thought to possess special powers which helped them serve their position. Many times, a living person was walled-up alive in new structures for the same reasons. This was a particularly common practice amongst the Celts.

What I did not know is that it was also common practice to bury large, black dogs!

Why is this important? Large, black, phantom dogs have been reported more or less worldwide, but are a particular phenomena in Europe. In fact, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery, Hound of the Baskervilles, is based on accounts of these dogs. Sometimes they roam in packs, but just as often, they are said to be encountered singly. They are said to be huge, black dogs with glowing red eyes, and are sometimes called Devil Dogs or Hell hounds.

We know that there are ghostly apparitions of animals - could this be the explanation of these phantom, "Devil" dogs? Other possible explanations are far less reputable, such as that these dogs are part of the Devil's hunting pack.