10 Mythical Creatures of the British Isles
The British Isles have been around for years, like potholes and queueing. Many stories and cautionary tales have evolved over time among its population, spawning strange creatures and ghouls.
Many would say these stories are based on real monsters, otherwise where else would these tales have come from? Others see these monsters as nothing more than ancient people making sense of the more bizarre and naturally found wildlife of Britain, where stories have morphed and become exaggerated over generations to evolve into the legends we know today.
This article will dive into some of the weird and often alarming creatures that creep through the shadowy parts of the UK, waiting for an unsuspecting buffoon to stumble into their lair of bones and despair.
1. Marool
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/charliescreatures/art/Marool-900642765
We shall start at the northernmost part of the British Isles: the Shetland Islands of Scotland. A breathtaking place where, during the winter, the islands receive just over 5 hours of sunlight each day. With all that darkness, it’s no wonder stories of strange entities traversing the shores grew over time.
One such abomination is called the Marool. A malevolent demonic fish with a head covered in eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth; they would lurk around under the water, waiting for ships to capsize in storms. Their excited singing could be heard for miles while they eagerly waited, for their ‘packed lunches’ of drowning men would topple into the murky sea.
With a crest of fire and as large as a human, if not a little bigger, they are a formidable creature with an unyielding hunger. Other names for these are devil-fish, anglerfish, toad-fish, shoemaker, monkfish, and keddle-man.
2. Bregdi
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Bregdi-927254820
Staying within Shetland waters is the Bregdi. Just when you thought the Marool was bad enough, along comes this horror. As big as a ship, this creature had a more proactive approach to obtaining its prey (that’s us, btw).
A Bregdi would chase a ship or boat and when it caught up, it would wrap its colossal fins around the vessel to drag it down beneath the surface to dine in peace. This monster resembles a cross between a dragon and a sea serpent. Lacking legs and having two large clawed fins, a row of sharp spines along its back and a thick, strong tail, the sight of it would surely sober up the most well-oiled sailor.
However, unlike the Marool, you can prevent an attack. The Bregdi hates the feel of steel, so a knife or sword is an excellent weapon. It also hates amber, so lobbing a few pieces of this will scare it into leaving.
So, next time you’re due to go on a cruise around the North Sea, don’t forget to pack your amber beads and cutlass. If anyone questions why you’re packing a sword, just look at them without blinking and say, ‘when the Bregdi attacks, you’ll be glad of this’, and walk away.
3. Cu Sith (coo-shee)
Moving further south, we find ourselves on the island of Tiree, off the west coast of Scotland. Besides the famous Greyfriars Kirkyard and the walled-up plague victims of Mary King’s Close, we have a malevolent fairy dog. Huge and nasty, it stands as tall as a human, on four legs. The fur is shaggy and dark green and the tail is depicted as either braided and flat or coiled over the body.
These are the pet dogs of fairies who are left to roam during the night. They are known to emit three barks: the first two are warnings; the third is game over. The fairy dog will appear and rip you to shreds. Islanders have learnt to hurry inside and lock their doors if they hear such a bark. Though, if you live near a boarding kennel, that can lead to a lot of confusion.
On the plus side, a Cu Sith tooth is considered a lucky find and can be found in obscure places.
Let’s leave Scotland and head into England. There are many more mythical creatures, including the infamous Nessy, but that, in all honesty, has been done to death. I’m only exploring the more obscure and unheard-of creatures.
4. Tiddy Muns
Source: www.susansorrelhill.artspan.com
A Tiddy Mun is a bog spirit with an ability to control water and mists. Don’t be fooled by the cute name. These little critters can bring about droughts and pestilence if angered.
One such occasion where they were left raging after human interference, when the Dutch drained the Fens in the 17th century. Furious, the Tiddy people cursed the village with disease. They only lifted said curse when the people poured buckets of water into the Fens and apologised.
They are no bigger than a three-year-old child with the appearance of an old man. Their hair is long and white, while the beard is matted. The limbs are spindly and topped with large hands and feet. So, won’t be winning any beauty contests then.
They are also called Yarthkins, Strangers and Greencoaties. Locals would leave offerings of the first crops, bread, and salt to keep these little guys happy and ensure a good harvest. So, if you fancy growing some prize-winning King Edwards, you know what to do.
5. Peg Powler
Source: https://mjwesolowskiauthor.wordpress.com/tag/peg-powler/
Lurking in the depths of the River Tees is a horrid hag of green skin and long, grasping fingers. Known as Peg Powler, she lies in wait for children to wander close enough to grab and drag down to her watery lair.
Similar to Jenny Greenteeth, Nelly Longarms and Grindylow, she loves nothing more than chomping on the fresh bones of errant children and even adults that stray close to her home.
Did you know that the foam, often seen floating on parts of the Tees, is known as Peg Powler’s suds or Peg Powler’s cream.
This myth was no doubt used as a way to scare children from getting too close to the water’s edge and risk drowning. In other stories, Peg is depicted as a beautiful woman with long green hair who lures men and boys to their doom by pretending to be drowning herself.
6. Fad Felen
Source: https://marvellousmaps.com
Heading further south and toward the west side, we enter Wales. A land also rich in mythology, we are spoilt for choice. So, staying the ugly hag vibe, a manifestation of the Yellow Death or Yellow Plague, is a grotesque creature possessing yellow eyes, hair, and teeth. To look upon it meant instant death.
The reasons behind this were due to an actual sickness in Wales that came in the form of a yellow column of cloud. Called the Y vad velen (yellow plague), it occurred in 526AD, 537AD and 547AD. It captured the imaginations of various poets at the time to be personified into Fad Felen, where victims would develop a bloodless complexion if they breathed in the toxic pestiferous cloud and died.
No one knows where this yellow pestilence came from and where it has gone since. Throughout the years, the strange toxic air has taken on a personality and body to become a foul yellow hag who kills anyone who dares set eyes on her… or gives her a sniff.
7. The Coblynau or Knocker
Source: https://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/coblynau
No, not a door knocker, but a small underground creature resembling a gnome. There are various versions throughout the British Isles in areas like Cornwall and Devon. Their names vary from the above to Tommyknockers, Kobolds and Knackers.
Their appearance is that of a wizened, bearded dwarf of around 2 ft that wears clothing similar to a human miner. They can be both mischievous and helpful. Their main purpose was to warn miners underground of impending cave-ins by issuing knocks on the tunnel walls. The miners could then retreat to safety, keeping their lives intact.
They were also known to hide packed lunches and tools if they were in a not-so-helpful mood. To ensure a less prankster mood, miners would throw the last bite of their food into the mine as an offering to the Knockers.
8. Pig-Man
Source: UFOs Werewolves & The Pig Man by Lee Brickley
Travelling back into England, there are strange things going on in Cannock Chase. Besides an infestation of werewolves and UFOs, a curious creature known locally as the Pig-Man has become a bit of a legend around that way.
As the name implies, said accursed creature is a humanoid figure bearing a snout and face of a pig. According to one story, after World War II ended, the UK and US scientists got together to perform some freaky experiments. Stay with me on this; it just gets weirder.
One of these involved kidnapping a woman, apparently hypnotising her and impregnating her with human-pig DNA seed. Reasons for this was to create a creature they could perform further experiments on.
If you’re still with me on this, several months later, after everyone thought it was a failure, apparently, she gave birth to a monstrous pig-baby. It’s not confirmed why the scientists did not then keep the creature as intended, but many years later, it ran away into the woods to hide away from the judging eyes of people (and possibly their pitchforks too).
Many locals have reported seeing the creature lurking in the shadows, and one author by the name of Lee Brickley even wrote a book about Cannock Chase and all its strange happenings. He was sent an email by two locals who apparently saw the odd creature with their own eyes:
“Dear Mr Brickley,
I’ve seen something rather odd on Cannock Chase that I think may be of some interest to you. In October 1993, whilst walking around Castle Ring, myself and the wife heard some strange noises coming from the surrounding trees. Thinking it was likely to be a local couple enjoying an illicit liaison, we quickly moved away from the sound and headed back in the direction of our car. Upon reaching the steps down to the car park, I happened to turn around and lay my eyes on the strangest creature I’ve ever seen. This thing was seven feet tall, from the neck down it looked like a man, even wearing clothes, but its head was far too big for a human and it had an elongated face with a snout-like nose. When I pointed it out to my wife, she became terrified, so we started walking more quickly towards our car and got inside. That’s when we started to hear this really high-pitched squealing noise that sounded like a pig being killed. That really spooked us….
Have you ever come across anything like this before?
Regards,
John & Anne”
Now, there is a part of me that wonders if the local lads were having a laugh at the expense of these two. I mean, you know, why wouldn’t you? Plus, where is this pig-bloke getting his clothes from? Is there a charity shop targeted at such monstrous creatures? Does he have a Matalan club card?
We shall never know. But, needless to say, somewhere in Cannock Chase, a Pig-Man who wishes to remain anonymous, calls the woods his home and is fond of scaring middle-aged couples out for an evening stroll.
9. Alan the human salmon
Heading further south, we discover an oddity in the form of a humanoid salmon. So, its name wasn’t Alan (I made that up), but according to reports, in the year of 1737 (that well-known era when science could go and suck eggs) two fishermen caught a strange creature off the coast of Exeter.
On closer inspection, they discovered the creature had human legs complimented with webbed feet, the eyes and mouth of a human, and a flattened nose. It had a fish’s tail and stood at around 4 ft tall. There’s no mention of arms or flippers.
I couldn't find any artists' impressions of this one, so this GIF will have to do.
The little fella apparently leapt up and scuttled away at breakneck speed. So fast, in fact, the two men struggled to keep up. Like good sports, they threw sticks at it and chased it. When they finally caught up to it, the weird thing was in its death throes, apparently groaning like a human.
They missed a trick by not getting it stuffed. RIP, Alan.
10. Shug Monkey
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/shadeofshinon
In Cambridgeshire 1954, a creature known as the Shug Monkey haunted Slough Hill Lane. It had the body of a black sheepdog and the face of a monkey with haunted eyes. Many thought it to be a demonic entity.
A local policeman called Constable A Taylor heard stories regarding this curious critter in his younger years. He related it was often seen either shuffling on its hind legs or seen whizzing past on all fours. Apparently, local children would avoid Slough Hill after dark because of this weird entity.
So, there you have just a few introductions to some of the mythical beasts that call Britain their home. There are many, many more, and to put them in this article would mean a book’s worth and several hours of reading.
I plan to include a further article listing some of the lesser-known hauntings in the UK just so the ghosts don’t feel left out.
Have you had any encounters with any of these creatures? Or new ones not even mentioned yet? Mention it in the comments below so others can discover more about the weird and wonderful!
Further reading:
Brickley, L (2013), UFO's Werewolves & The Pig-Man: Exposing England's Strangest Location - Cannock Chase, Self-published, Amazon
Marvellous Maps, (2020), Great British Folklore & Superstition Map | Folklore Map & Guide | Marvellous Maps | Mythology | Funny Gift | British Mythology, Marvellous Maps
Want to be updated on the latest blogs?
Then subscribe to my email list now, otherwise you'll be missing out on the wonders of the strange and unusual.
That's the kind of stuff you don't want to miss out on!