Part 3 of this Halloween series where I talk about various different mythical creatures from the folklore of the United Kingdom.

1. Post author By Charlie October 29, 2020
5 Mythical Creatures of the United Kingdom – Part
(3/4) – Halloween Series
theweeklyrambler.com/5-mythical-creatures-of-the-united-kingdom-part-3-4-halloween-series/
Here we are once again moving ever closer to the spooky day of Halloween and once
again we have five more mythical creatures from the legends, folklore and mythology of
the United Kingdom.
Number 1 – The Black Dog
The motif of the Black Dog is normally portrayed as a very bad omen when seen, usually
an omen of death and there are numerous paranormal or folkloric creatures that are
Black Dogs not only in the United Kingdom but also across Europe as well.
Mythical black dogs are seen as spectral or demonic entities and one that may most
often be witnessed during the night. Such creatures are described as larger than a usual
dog, always with dark black fur and often with large glowing eyes. The creature may
often also be associated with the Devil and/or can also be called a Hellhound.
Times or places of witnessing a Black Dog vary, some folklore say that thunder and
lightning storms can be a common time to witness one, or at specific places such as
crossroads, areas that once served as a place for executions or ancient pathways.
Sometimes a Black Dog maybe be witnessed when someone else in the area is soon to
die or is dying and also may appear to witness an execution take place.
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2. Illustration in Public Domain.
One thing for sure is you don’t want to come across one of these as it usually means very
bad luck or that death isn’t far off, these entities are almost always sinister and evil.
Many areas of the United Kingdom have legends of evil and mysterious Black Dog
entities, many of which have their own names.
Number 2 – The Pixie
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3. Illustration in Public Domain.
The Pixie is another well-known mythical creature from British folklore and are
described as tiny humanoid creatures that may be naked or wearing rags that they
would often be happy to discard for an offering of better clothes. Modern day
descriptions tell of them having pointed ears and wearing a tiny green outfit (similar in
style to an outfit of a Christmas elf).
Pixies are seen as neutral creatures that can be mischievous and often act very childlike.
It is described in folklore that they often enjoy gathering in large numbers and either
dancing or wrestling throughout the night. They often inhabit ancient structures such as
ringforts, tumulus and stone circles among other ancient sites.
Some folklore tells of pixies stealing children or leading travelers into getting lost, but
that this may be a corruption from fairy folklore mixing with pixie folklore, with them
being seen in some folklore as separate beings with pixies seen as closer to humans and
fairies closer to spiritual forces. They may bless those who are fond of pixies but punish
neglect.
Folklore also tells of Pixies being fond of horses and that they may even ride them for
fun and make ringlets in the manes of the horses.
Number 3 – The Brag
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4. Image by Ansgar Scheffold from Pixabay. The Brag can often shapeshift into a Donkey or
Horse.
The Brag is a mythical Goblin creature which is said to have the ability to shapeshift into
most often either a Donkey or Horse and will then try and tempt humans into riding
them, of which if they do the Brag will eventually buck them off either into bushes or a
body of water and will then quickly run away laughing as it goes.
Some folklore tells them shapeshifting into other forms as well and that sometimes they
may just cause lots of noise rather than chosen to be seen. It is certainly a very random,
odd and mischevious creature that is lesser known than many of this list.
Number 4 – The Church Grim
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5. Church Grim, painted by Inès Lee and commissioned by Sir John Das. Oil on canvas, 14″ x
18″. 2018. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source.
There are some versions of the Black Dog that is seen as good and one of those is the
Church Grim, which in folklore is said to be a guardian spirit of Christian churches and
comes in the form of a large black dog. Each Church Grim will stick with the single
Church it chooses to guard.
The Church Grim protects against any profane or sacrilege to the Church or its grounds.
The Church Grim will protect against thieves, vandals, witches, warlocks and even the
Devil and probably any other demonic forces as well.
There was even a belief and custom from the 19th Century of burying a dog alive under
the cornerstone of a church as a foundation sacrifice in hopes of the dog’s spirit coming
back to guard the church, personally if I was the dog, I’d come back to haunt those who
did such a heinous thing.
It was also believed that the first person buried at a churchyard would have its spirit
defend against the Devil and so that is why it was decided to bury a dog instead as a
substitute so the human soul could move on.
The Church Grim may also toll the church bell at midnight before a death takes place.
The Church Grim may also appear during funerals as well and the clergyman may
observe the grim in the church tower and depending on what way it is looking could
determine if the person was going to Heaven or Hell.
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6. Number 5 – The Grindylow
Grindylows reside in bodies of water, so be careful and keep away! Image byPeter H from
Pixabay
The Grindylow is a water creature, spirit or demon that is malicious and dangerous.
They are most often said to use their long sinewy arms to grab children who come too
close to bodies of water that the Grindylow inhabits and then the creature will drag
them down into the water and drown them to death.
It is certainly something that is likely used as a bogeyman to keep children away from
the dangers of bodies of water that if they were to fall into, they have a high likelihood of
drowning due to most likely not knowing how to swim yet.
Many likely know this creature from the Harry Potter books as one of its many magical
creatures, specifically in the 3rd and 4th books, in the 3rd the creature is used in a
Defense Against Dark Arts class by Professor Lupin and in the 4th book they are part of
the 2nd challenge of the Triwizard tournament.
And there we have it. Join me tomorrow as we go over the final part in this Halloween
mini-series as we go over five further creatures from the United Kingdom.
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