Why I love Dark Fantasy, Horror and Urban Fantasy.

Growing up I read books that were ‘darker’ than other kids my age would read. My love of dark fantasy stems from my belief of good and bad. I find that we all have a little bit of good and bad inside of us, and incorporating my love of fantasy and the thrilling edge of your seat horror together is something that everyone should read. Ask yourself, if you read a book that had nothing but good in, wouldn't it bore you? Seem too good to be true? The truth is that darkness is excitement. Even our most beloved book heroes have darkness inside of them. It moulds them into who they are.

We all fight our inner demons, and it teaches us about who we are as people. When reading these books the suspense, the build-up and the tortured pasts connects you to those characters on a deep level. I love the fantasy side of things as it is an escape from reality, and I believe that everyone needs that sometimes. Unfortunately our own realities can never match up to what we read in books and that is why we obsess over reading and writing. That is why we indulge ourselves in the idea of other worlds with much more excitement happening than we experience.

Then there is urban fantasy which is brilliant, as it gives the idea that in the world we live in, the place we call home there is supernatural elements and mythical creatures running around. It plants the possibility that the characters we relate to in those stories, the excitement we feel when reading them is really happening all around us. And that maybe one day it could happen to us.

This is why people read these genres, I think. I know I definitely do. Everyone loves a bit of suspense in a book and to feel something. After we read these books we wish it didn’t have to end. That the book could have gone on forever. We feel sad that it has ended, but elated that we experienced it. And the best part is, it all came from someone’s mind. Reading a book and throwing yourself into someone else’s world can leave you breathless and questioning yourself, your morals and what type of person you want to be. Personally I love books which are unpredictable, there are too many books these days where you can foresee the twists and turns, and worst of all you can predict the ending. We are all searching for that one book that can shock us.

When it comes to a horror, I prefer to read it than watch it. It leaves me feeling empowered and more aware of how irrational my fears are. Everyone loves the adrenaline rush (whether they admit it or not). Every day we are bombarded with reality and these genres take us away from that. They help escape the mundane, the fear that there will be nothing more than what we already know.

Ten of the most terrifying female creatures of all time

Here are ten of the most frightening female mythical creatures of all time, in my opinion.

Pontianak:

It is essentially a vampire ghost. It comes from Indonesian mythology, there is even an entire city named after it, which was claimed that the Pontianak haunted the first settlers there. They are said to be the spirits of women who died whilst they were pregnant, they should not be confused with the Lang Suir, which is the ghost of a woman who died giving birth.

So what do they look like? Well they are depicted as pale skinned with long hair and dressed in white. However they are said to take the appearance of beautiful women because they prey on men.

How can you tell when one is near you? It usually announces its presence through a baby’s cry, if the cry is loud then it is far away, however if the cry is soft then it is close and you should run.

It is the same with a howling dog, if the howl is loud you’re ok, if it is quiet or like a whimpering, then run.

You can sometimes smell a sweet floral smell when one is close, followed by a horrid stench.

So what makes it so frightening? Well it kills its victims by digging its long sharp fingernails into their stomachs and devouring their internal organs. They have also been known to rip out the sex organs of men with their hands.

So how can you fend one off? Well if you have an iron nail handy, you can plunge it into the hole in the nape of her neck and it is said to turn her back into what she once was, a beautiful kind woman, until the nail is taken out.

Danger rating 7/10

Succubus:

A succubus is a female demon in folklore that appears in dreams and takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. Religious traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with a succubus may result in the deterioration of health or even death.

In modern fiction, a succubus is often depicted as a highly attractive seductress or enchantress. Whereas, in the past, succubus were generally depicted as frightening and demonic. The first mention of the Succubus was in the 1300’s. The incubus is the male counterpart. It is said that the Succubus and Incubus is the same shape shifting demon, the succubus collects the semen then the Incubus uses that semen to impregnate women. It has been thought however, that they are two separate demons. They have been said to possess the bodies of their victims.

They are demons though and are only out to cause pain. There has been stories of the Succubus pining her victims down to the bed and strangling them, killing them and breaking up marriages.

Danger rating: 10/10 because there doesn’t seem to be a way to fight this demon that has worked, not even an exorcism. And seeing as we all need to sleep, it can get any of us at any time. It is attracted by negativity, so if you are afraid of it then it will come after you.

Black Annis:

She has sported many names over the years, such as Black Agnes, Black Anna, Black Anny and Cat Anna. She is from English folklore and was said to live around the Dane hills in Leicester. It is said that she dug her cave with her long claws in the side of a sandstone cliff. It was called Black Annis’s Bower. At the mouth of the cave grew a tall oak tree in which she hid behind so she could pounce on unsuspecting children. She had a delight in eating human flesh and drinking their blood, particularity children and she was also partial to Lamb. Once dead it is said she hung their skins on the branch of the tree then wore their skin as a skirt. Her cave was filled mainly with earth by the 19th century. A housing estate now covers the area. An eye witness said the cave was 5 feet wide and around 8 feet long, it was said to connect to Leicester castle, in which she had the free run of the length.

So what does she looked like? It is said she only has one eye with long white teeth and a blue face. It was also said she was very tall.

People said that her howling could be heard from miles away and the sound of her grounding her teeth was so loud that people had to lock themselves inside. Also people used to hang witch herbs above their windows to stop her from reaching in with her long arms and grabbing their babies (they didn’t have window glass then).

Danger rating 9/10

Empusa:

Empusa is a demigoddess in Greek mythology. It said that she was the beautiful daughter of Hecate.

What makes her so terrifying? It was written that she seduced young men as they slept, before drinking their blood and eating their flesh. She was also said to cause sleep paralysis.

What did she look like? She had flaming hair and had a brass prosthetic leg. The other leg was said to be that of a donkey and she was also said to have long pointed nails.

In later mythology she was told as a species called Empusa who were send to guard the roads and devour travellers by Hecate (who was also the goddess of roadsides).

So how to repel one, easy just insult it to which it would run and hide and utter a high pitched shrill.

There has been many references to them being shape shifters, hobgoblins, and vampires.

Danger rating: 7/10

Gorgons:

A Gorgon comes from Greek mythology. They were depicted as having live venomous snakes for hair and that their stare can turn you to stone. Their skin was also covered in scales and they had fangs. Two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale. The other was not, Medusa was the most famous of them all and was slain by Perseus.

They were the three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto.

It is said that the two immortal Gorgons guard the entrance to the underworld to this day.

Danger rating: 8/10

Lamia:

In Greek mythology it is said that she was the queen of Libya and very beautiful, she was a mistress to Zeus therefore making his wife, Hera, extremely jealous. It is said that Hera killed Lamia’s children and transformed Lamia into a child eating demon. Another myth said that Hera stole all Lamia’s children which drove her mad with despair and grief, so much that she devoured the children of others out of envy.

She was the daughter of the Greek god Poseidon and was said to be the mother of all sea monsters.

Her appearance is usually depicted as having the body of a serpent and the torso of a women. She is also said to have no eyes, due to Hera cursing her with inability to close her eyes, so she would always obsess over her dead children. Zeus later gave her the ability to rip out her own eyes to give her a small amount of peace.

She is very dangerous, although it is a sad story, she does hunt and devour children which is terrifying. To this date there is nothing that has worked to repel Lamia making her terrifying.

Danger rating 10/10

Sirens:

They originate from Greek mythology as handmaidens of the goddess Persephone. When she was abducted they were given wings by Demetero so they could search for Persephone. Their song is a continuous song to Persephone.

Although they were depicted as half birds, half women, in recent culture they were shown to have their upper body human and their lower body fish, this is said to be because their feathers were plucked making them unable to fly, so there lower half of their body turned into a fish tail.

Their song “the sirens call” is famously known to lure sailors to their island and make them crash into the rocks and drown. Because they are known as carnivorous monsters, they would then drag the bodies out and eat them. The island they lived on was called Anthemoessa , an island between Sicily and Italy.

Although they are very beautiful, have the gift of being able to sing in a very seductive voice and can kill you easily, it is said that sailors should put wax in their ears so they are unable to hear them.

However it does make them probably the most dangerous creature in this list. In mythology there were only three of them, although they are quite unheard of now, apparently there are hundreds living on small islands and in caves .

I found a song called the Siren’s song on you tube and it sounds like what you would imagine the sirens actual song to sound link. Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujAfhLLVM7E

Danger rating 9/10

The Aswang:

So, apparently even the Filipino people who do not believe in ghosts, do believe in the Aswang. They even have a saying “better an Aswang than a thief” as according to myth, the Aswang will not harm its neighbours. So what is this creature? Many seem to have their own interpretations of this creature, but it is a vampire-like mythical creature. It is the most feared creature in the Philippines to this day, and is especially popular in the regions of Capiz, Negros, Bohol and Masbate. They are depicted as females whom can shape shift. It is said during the day they can look and act as regular people, and are quiet and shy. At night they transform into creatures such as a bird, boar and mostly a dog.

So why are they feared so much?

Well the Aswang hunts children and eats them, and finds pregnant woman and sucks out the unborn foetus. They most favour hearts and livers. (Very gruesome). They are said to be very fast, and silent. However sometimes they make a ticking noise, they say if the ticking is loud, it means the Aswang is far away. However if the sound is faint then it is very close. They do that to confuse their victims (I have Goosebumps). These creatures are not harmed by sunlight, they also have emotions and you can even befriend one. They are also said to be vulnerable during the day, and have less strength than the average human.

Aswangs can be repelled by garlic, crosses, holy-water, silver etc. You can spot one of these creatures by looking into its eyes, if your reflection is upside down, then bingo. It is an Aswang. Another sign is the bloodshot eyes (from the Aswang staying up all night looking for victims.) They only hunt far away from their homes, to avoid detection. Also it said if you marry this creature, you will also become an Aswang.

Danger rating: 9/10

Dziwozona (Mamuna):

This creature is said to be a swamp demon from Slavic mythology. She would live near thickets, streams and rivers. Some say she took the form of an ugly woman covered in hair with big breasts, others say she can shape shift into a beautiful young woman so she can lure young men to their deaths.

So why is she frightening apart from the luring men to their death part, oh, she used to kidnap new born babies and replace them with her own offspring, changelings. This offspring would usually have some form of disability, a huge abdomen and an uncommon appearance as-well as a developing long claws and having hair that grew all over its body. It would also be very wicked, like its mother. They rarely reached adulthood.

To discourage abductions mothers used to tie a red ribbon around the child’s hand, this is still practised in some cultures today. However, there is a way to get your child back. They say you take the changeling to a waste heap, whip it with a birch twig and pour water over it, then say “take yours and give mine back!” To which the Dziwozona would feel sorry for her offspring and give yours back.

She is also said to be very spiteful and jealous.

Danger rating: 7/10

Lilith:

The main legend about Lilith is that she was the first wife of Adam who demanded equality, when she didn’t get it she left Adam out of anger and God created him a new wife, Eve. It was said that she was the first Succubi. She looks for new born infants to kidnap or kill.

She also seduces men as they sleep and makes their future off spring demon children. Her attraction to children comes from when God supposedly took away her demon babies when she refused to return to the Garden of Eden with Adam. When God sent three angels to take her back to the Garden of Eden she cursed them, but in return they made her swear that of she ever saw their face that she would have to leave the child alone. To this day people wear amulets with their faces on and out them around the crib of their new-born child. She was also said to be the wife of Satan himself.

Danger rating: 10/10

What is Dark Fantasy? And how does it differ from Horror?

I was recently talking to a group of people about my book, when I told them it is a dark fantasy I was surprised to see the puzzled looked spread across their faces. Then one of them said ‘Oh, it doesn’t look like a horror’

I realise that a lot of people look at dark fantasy as horror with fantasy and paranormal elements. Although both have similarities, they are not the same.

Horror, I believe, is written primarily to scare. Dark fantasy, isn’t. It will have horrific elements in, the main character is usually an anti-hero of sorts, complex, dark, murderous even but also good, kind, caring, heroic. As long as the horrific elements are only the secondary element in the book, and the adventure and goal is the primary element then I think it can be defined as dark fantasy. The villains in the book, unlike some other fantasies, aren’t bad for the sake of being bad, they have a twisted dark past perhaps that made them like that, they have a little goodness inside of them.

In short, Dark Fantasy doesn’t shy away from the darkness inside the characters. But the focus of the book isn’t to scare the reader.

This is my favourite genre to read and write, I like other genres but in this one it seems more realistic. We all have darkness inside of us, whether we like to admit it or not. In Dark Fantasy, it doesn’t shy away from that, it doesn’t portray the villain as simply bad and the protagonist as a Mary-Sue.

Some examples of Dark fantasy are:

• American Gods
• Coraline
• The Graveyard book
• Pans Labyrinth
• Lord of the rings.

There are many more, but these are my best examples. Although Dark fantasy does seem to overlap other sub-genres, I don’t think any one book can be part of just one sub-genre. My novel has been described as primarily dark fantasy, but also as urban fantasy, psychological horror, Gothic and paranormal.

The best quote to describe dark fantasy I found is:

‘It is a fantasy that is bleak, pessimistic, brutal, gritty and graphic. The dark side of human nature is not off limits and protagonists are not necessarily sympathetic.’

Of course, this is only my opinion and I welcome your comments below on what you think defines Dark fantasy and how it differs from horror.

Eight Places you wouldn't venture to alone.

Eight places you wouldn’t want to venture to alone.

I do a lot of research into the paranormal for my books and I would like to share with you, my top eight list of places that you wouldn’t want to venture too alone.

STULL CEMETERY

Number one on my list is the infamous Stull Cemetery. Stull is a small town, with only around twenty residents and a church. It was originally named ‘Deer Creek’.

Its first tragedies were recorded in the early 20th century. A young boy was found burned to death after his father had finished burning a field. The second was a man who was reported missing, he was found hanging from a tree.

In the 21st century the old Evangelical church was torn down in 2002 by a local resident after the church had been subject to occult rumours.

The cemetery of Stull has gained a diabolic reputation. According to urban legends, the old church was built on top of one of the gateways to hell, and it is impossible to reach the bottom of the steps to the basement. This legend has been tried by many people, who have all said that after hours of walking down the steps they never reached the bottom, but it only took minutes to get back up to the top.

The devil, apparently appears in the cemetery twice a year. One of them is on Halloween, local police discourage visitors especially on Halloween due to vandalism.

When visiting, some have reported unexplained memory loss, and a strong howling wind that has come from out of nowhere. Satan’s son is said to be buried at the cemetery. The child of him and a witch. There is in fact a tomb stone bearing the name ‘Wittich’ is located close to the church.

Another rumour is that there was an old tree, which has now been cut down, which was a gallows from condemned witches.

A town riddled with tales of black magic, Satanist activity and strange happenings, it’s a place that you wouldn’t want to visit alone, especially after dark on Halloween.

Creepy rating 8/10

AOKIGAHARA (THE SUICIDE FOREST)

Number two on my list is Aokigahara in Japan, but you may know it as ’the suicide forest’.

The forest lies in the shadow of Mount Fuji in Japan. The forest contains a number of ice caverns, the forest floor consists of primarily volcanic rock, it is very quiet due to the absence of almost all wildlife and its dense thick sea of trees make it very dark, even during the day. Compasses don’t tend to work there due to the rich deposits of iron in the areas volcanic soil. If a dark, quiet forest to which you will probably get lost isn’t enough to creep you out then perhaps the corpses hanging from the branches and the hauntings of the forest by the Yurei (Angry spirits of those left to die,) will be enough.

Even though the police and volunteers do body sweeps of the forest, many corpses still remain, hidden within the density of the forest. It is now the second most popular suicide spot in the world. Due to that, the forest is littered with uplifting signs, such as ‘your life is a precious gift from your parents’.

In fact, during the period leading up to 1988, around 100 suicides occurred there every year. In 2003, 105 bodies were found and 247 suicide attempts were made in 2010, 54 of whom completed the act. The local government has stopped publicizing the numbers of bodies found in an attempt to downplay Aokigahara’s association with suicide.

Japanese spiritualists believe that the suicides committed in the forest have permeated Aokigahara trees, generating paranormal activity and preventing many who enter from escaping from the forest’s depths.

The homemade nooses hanging from the trees, bodies, angry spirits and the dark quiet paths of the forest, make it number two on my list of places you wouldn’t venture to alone.

Creepy rating 10/10

BHANGARH FORT

Number three on my list is Bhangarh fort in India. The fort is situated on a hillside in the deserted town of Bhangarh, Rajasthan. It is said to be one of the most haunted sites in the world. It’s famous for its historical ruins. At the edge of the fort is Sariska tiger reserve.

There are two well-known legends, one being that the city of Bhangarh was cursed by the Baba Balanath. He had sanctioned the construction of the town, on one condition. ‘The moment the shadow of your palaces touch me, the city shall be no more.’ A prince raised the palace to such a height that it cast a shadow upon Balanath’s forbidden retreat, so he cursed the town. Balanath is said to be buried there to this day.

The second legend is of princess Ratnavati. On her eighteenth birthday she began to receive marriage offers from other regions. In the area a tantrik (wizard), who was well versed in the occult called Singhiya, who was in love with the princess. He knew that the match was impossible, so one day Singhiya saw the princesses’ maid in the market and used black magic on the scent she was purchasing, so that when the princess would touch it she would surrender herself to him. The princess, upon seeing the Tantrik enchanting the scent, poured it on the ground. As the scent touched the ground, a boulder appeared and crushed Singhiya. Dying, he cursed the town to death.

It is believed that the entire township was obliterated within one day. Locals say that whoever stays there after sunset has never been found, and that girls are at particular risk. Visitors often feel a strange feeling in the atmosphere.

There are signs telling you not to stay there after sunset, there are wild animals such as panthers and tigers prowling the area and lots of paranormal activity. With the promise of not returning from the fort once you stay there at night, it is a place you really wouldn’t want to venture to alone, especially between sunset and sunrise.

Creepy rating 5/10

SHADES OF DEATH ROAD

Number four on my list is the appropriately named Shades of death road. Located in Central Warren County, New Jersey, the road is only around 7 miles long. The road is the subject of folklore and legends.

In the roads southern half, the ancient trees provides much shade from the sun even on the sunniest days it is fairly dark. Highway men and other bandits would lay in wait for victims amongst the trees, in the shadows. They would cut their victims throats after taking their things. It is said, that in revenge, the local populace would kill them and leave their bodies dangling on the low branches as a warning to other bandits.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s there were three brutal murders along the road. The first was a robbery in which the victim was hit over head and killed over gold coins. The second was a woman who beheaded her husband, burying the head and body on different sides of the road. The last was a local resident was found shot and buried in a mud pile.

Because of the roads twists and turns, there has been an inordinate number of fatal car crashes.

Also, in the 20th century, packs of wild cats that lived nearby frequently attacked and killed those travelling down the road.

Ghost sightings and other supernatural phenomena are said to have been reported along the road. Some people claim to see the deceased walking along the road in the mist. Others say there was a curse on the road many years ago. To this day there are hundreds of sightings that have been reported of people having paranormal encounters whilst travelling down this road.

Just off the road, is the infamous Ghost Lake which occasionally has pillars of mist rising from the water. This is apparently due to the legend that early settlers killed Indians and threw them into the lake.

A dark winding road, next to a haunted lake, with figures being spotted along the road and many car crashes happening there, it’s somewhere where I would be very cautious when travelling alone.

Creepy rating 6/10

HELL FIRE CLUB

Number five on my list is the hunting lodge on Montpelier Hill, which is commonly referred to as the Hell Fire Club. It was built around 1725. On the slopes is also a forestry plantation known as Hell Fire Wood. Stones from the Cairn were used in construction of the hunting lodge, and it was built on the site of a prehistoric tomb.

Shortly after construction a storm blew the roof off of the lodge, locals believe that this was the work of the Devil, as punishment for interfering with the Cairn.

Members of the Irish Hell Fire Club used the hunting lodge as a meeting place. The club was active between 1735 and 1741. The club was revived in 1771 and was active for a further thirty years. This new incarnation was known as ‘The Holy Fathers’. Meetings once again took place at the lodge.

There are many stories of the club including murder, occult practices, demonic manifestations and wild behaviour.

One story about the club concerns a young farmer’s daughter who was kidnapped, murdered and eaten by the clubs members. Another story is of a dwarf who was sacrificed and buried under the kitchen. Another was of a priest who happened across the members sacrificing a black cat, he uttered an exorcism upon it, in which a demon was released from the corpse. Other stories of the devil visiting the club, members seeing a man with a cloven hoof, and another of a man who was taken in my the members to show him what they did at night. He couldn’t talk, or even remember his own name for the rest of his life after that night.

It is claimed that Satanist activity still takes place there, and many accounts of people still experience paranormal happenings when visiting. The club actually left a chair vacant at their meetings for the Devil himself.

Dogs whimper and turn around when they get near the lodge, and locals refuse to go near there after dark.

CREEPY RATING 8/10

NORTH BROTHER ISLAND

North Brother Island is located in the East River, between Queens and the Bronx, NYC. I was so fascinated by this Island that it actually features a major part in my next book.

The Island is currently abandoned and off limits to the public. The Island was home to a tuberculosis hospital, which was later used as a place to treat adolescent drug addicts. Most believed they were being held there against their will, it was later closed due to staff corruption.

Tragedy struck off the shores of the Island in 1904, the passenger ship, the General Slocum caught fire. An estimated 1,021 people perished.

The most well-known story is that of Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon). She was a carrier of Typhoid and passed it to others when working as a cook. She was later isolated on the Island in 1915 where she worked as a nurse until her death.

The buildings are now heavily deteriorated and in danger of collapsing. The Island is heavily overgrown and said to be haunted by the spirits of the thousands who died there.

CREEPY RATING 9/10

HOIA BACIU FOREST

Situated in the vampire capital of the world, Transylvania, is the Hoia Baciu Forest (The most haunted forest in the world.)

It is often referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of Romania. Electronic devices are known to malfunction when in the area. It is known for its UFO sightings, where pictures were taken of flying discs above the forest (the pictures were judged to be authentic). It’s also famous for its reputation of intense paranormal activity and unexplained events. Reports have included of people just disappearing when in the forest, ghost sightings, memory loss, physical harm such as scratches and unexplained apparitions. Visitors report feelings of anxiety and constantly being watched.

Most locals won’t go near the forest as they believe it is a portal to another world. It looks like something out of a fairy tale with its unexplained charring on the stumps and branches and strangely shaped trees.

One story standing out above the rest was of a five year old girl who disappeared into the forest, five years later she emerged in the same clothes as if no time had passed. People say they hear giggling and disembodied voices when in the forest. I would definitely not venture into this forest alone.

CREEP RATING 10/10

WAVERLY HILL SANATORIUM

A now closed Sanatorium, it is privately owned and there is no trespassing aloud, however, you can phone ahead and make a reservation. Located in Kentucky, the original building opened in 1910 as a two story hospital to accommodate tuberculosis patients. When the hospital became overcrowded, a new building was opened in 1926.

It is suggested that an estimated 63,000 deaths occurred within its walls. On the first floor there is a tunnel known as ‘death tunnel’ or ‘body chute’ as it was used to carry the dead from the hospital. Due to seeing the constant deaths, it lowered the patient morale, causing them to lose the will to live. Many suicides happened here due to this.

People say they have seen an apparition of a man in a white coat walking around the kitchen area of the sanatorium. Ghost researchers are drawn to the fifth floor of the former hospital. Especially room 502, a medium sized nurse’s room. This is where people have jumped to their deaths. It is believed the mentally insane tuberculosis patients were housed on the fifth floor, explaining the inordinate number of suicides on this particular floor. In 1928, the head nurse in room 502 was found hanging from a light fixture. Then in 1932 another nurse, in room 502, had jumped from the roof patio and plummeted to her death.

Visitors say they have seen shapes by the windows, voices, cold spots and an eerie feeling when walking around.

CREEPY RATING 9/10

The Myth surrounding Wistman’s Woods

Wistman’s woods is riddled with myths about ghosts, druids and hell hounds. About a mile from Two bridges hotel, the enchanted woodland is not a long trek from civilization.

It is said that Wistman’s woods was placed by druids. People say that the woods is the most haunted place on Dartmoor. It is also home to a host of adders, their bites are apparently more venomous than any other adder on Dartmoor.

The biggest legend is the hell hounds, or ‘wisht hounds’ as they are more commonly known. The woods is said to be the kennel to these creatures. They resemble huge black dogs, with red eyes, fangs and a hunger for human flesh and souls. The old Crocken, or the Devil are said to release them at night and a rides a skeleton horse in pursuit of lonely travelers and unbaptized babies.Some locals even say that they often hear the hound howling out, in bay of blood.

‘A farmer was riding home from a fare, when the pack of hounds, and a dark huntsman whisked past him. He asked him how the hunt had gone, hoping he would share with him some of his game. ‘Here’ said a sinister voice, and threw him a bundle.

The farmer picked up the gift and hurried home. When he returned home, upon opening the bundle, he discovered that it contained the body of his own infant son.’

Near the northen edge of the woods is the ancient Lych Way, or as it is commonly known ‘Way of the dead’. It was along this route that the corpses were carried for Burial. Along this route, a group of white clad figures have been observed following the path of the once well used funeral route.

Local’s refuse to go near the woods as the sun sets. The oaks grow barely taller than 5.5m (18ft) high. Their tangled branches and uneven rocky floor make it impossible for the Dartmoor ponies and cattle to enter. This is the reason that the woodland still exists on the moor, as it has been safe from the destructive grazing.

The legend of Black Mere Pool (Mermaid Pool)

 

The Mermaid Pool

For those of us living in Britain, especially Staffordshire, has probably heard of the ‘Mermaid pool’.

It is between Leek and Buxton. It is a small irregular shaped pond, lying in a hollow on the high hill of Morridge.

Strangely enough, even in the coldest of winters, the pool never freezes. The water level never changes, and animals refuse to drink from it, there are no fish to be found in it, and birds refuse to fly over it.

It was said to be bottomless, this has been proved wrong. It measure nothing more 6ft in the deepest parts. Not far from the pool, is the appropriately names Mermaid Inn.

The pool, is naturally dark, and it appears, as black as night. This is because of the peat rich soil that gives it, its dark colour.

It is said that the pool is inhabited by a mermaid/siren.

Who, according to legend, lure unwary travelers into the watery depths – apparently only single men.

So what does she look like? There isn’t much on record, apart from that she is extremely beautiful with dark green eyes.

It is said that the mermaid, was originally accused of witchcraft by a man named Joshua Linnet in the medieval times. It is said that after refusing his advances, he convinced the town folk that she was a witch, and they drowned her in the pool.

With her last breath she cursed that she would haunt the pool forevermore and drown Joshua Linnet. Three days later he was found floating in the pool, dead with strange slashes across his face.

The pool has had many drownings here, and even a murder. In 1676 a woman peddler was dumped in the pool by a local serial killer. This can be in conjunction with anther story that apparently took place in 1979. A woman was overheard by a man names Andrew Simpson who worked in a local Inn, he heard of her talking about how much money she had made from selling her lace and wool. He followed her home and drowned her in the pool, for her money. A few days later he corpse was found and he was hung.

There has been many stories of people seeing a white hand luring them into the lake, a woman with dark green eyes enticing them towards the waters edge and strange mist the appears above the lake.

A fire engine once pumped the water from the pool for hours, during a moorland fire, but the water level did not change. There was talk of a tunnel linking this pool, and another pool not far from it, Doxey pool. This was proved improbable because of the geometry.

The pool itself is 50 meters wide, but apparently it was much bigger in medieval times. It is 1600ft above sea level, and is home to the only inland mermaid on record.

I’m not sure what to believe,it does however sound very creepy, I hope I one day will get to pay it a visit.

Tell me what you think :)

Witchcraft Museum

I recently visited a witchcraft museum in Boscastle, and it was by far one of the most interesting places I have visited in years!

It had a creepy atmosphere, I have to admit, and slightly frightening. It gave me a whole new outlook when it comes to witchcraft, I even brought some spirit candles afterwards. I don’t intend to use them, but thought why not.

It didn’t look that big in the outside, but on the inside you realize how big it is, Magic maybe? I’m joking, but anyway here are some photos of the museum and little bit of information. The things I found the most, disturbing, was the actual human skull on display from a woman who had her head dipped in tar, and a host of Satan worshiping things. Creepy.

I think the highlight of the trip for me was my dad telling me to stop staring into the crystal ball, just in-case something bad happened.