Folklore: Eerie Tales From North Yorkshire

England is a country rife with legends and myths, popular ones involving witches, fairies and the infamous black dog or black shuck. Today we are going to explore some of the eerie folk tales from the the north of England.

North Yorkshire is an area of the UK that is particularly abundant in spooky history and, being part of the inspiration behind Bram Stoker's Dracula, it is no surprise that there are associations with creepy monsters and ghostly encounters. Keep reading to submerge yourself in the history and legends, if you dare.

The Hand of Glory

The hand of glory of history refers to the severed right hand of a criminal that has been executed by the gallows. A burglar would use the carefully preserved or 'pickled' hand to doom the sleeping members of a household into a temporary coma. The hand has it's outstretched fingers lit like candles and if a finger does not set alight it is said to mean that one of the members of the home is still awake. You cannot extinguish the flame by water, only blood or milk will do the job. Only once the flames are extinguished, will the comatose victims be able to wake up.

There are other versions of the use of the hand that states a clenched hand is used and a candle is fashioned with human fat, but that is not consistent with findings in Whitby, North Yorkshire. There have been tales of the use of such hands all over Europe for 400 years or so. The interesting thing about Whitby in particular, is that you can still find a mummified hand of glory in the museum to this day, and it is considered to be the only one of these gruesome hands to still exist.

The Fairy of Hob's Cave

Jeannie the fairy is said to reside in Hob's Cave within Mulgrave Woods. There is a story that details a farmer in the 1800's entering the woods on horseback and intentionally provoking the fairy when drunk. This roused her and she began to shout and chase the farmer. Knowing that the fairy cannot pass over running water the farmer made haste towards a stream and leapt over it. He may have saved himself but his horse was not so lucky, being cut in two by Jeannie. If you go down to the woods today, be respectful of the fairies.

Unfortunate Mermaids

Although mermaids of legend are said to be manipulative and murderous yet beautiful creatures, the mermaids that were unlucky enough to end up in Staithes were victims to the cruel measures taken by scared humans. It is said that a couple of mermaids were thrown onto the land there by a storm and when they awoke the locals had captured them in nets, and kept them prisoners for months. Some would throw things at them while others would act out of kindness and provide the creatures with food. After locals became more comfortable with their presence they were able to charm a fisherman into releasing them. Mermaids were never seen in local waters again.

Gytrash

Gytrash is said to be a frightening phantom dog that haunts roads throughout North Yorkshire and leads travellers to their doom. The tale of the canine is similar to that of the legend of the black dog that is not only prevalent in English history, but other countries in Europe and America.

Giant Wade

Nestled in the North Yorkshire Moors there is a large stone that is said to be the gravestone of the giant Wade who is believed to have resided in the area with his wife, Bell. It is said that they ruled the area with kind souls. Wade and his wife have been linked to many features of the local landscape.

Submerged Bells

When Henry VIII created the Church of England and went on a spree to rid the county of Catholic sites of worship, his men took to the destruction of Whitby Abbey and removed the bells. It had been arranged that they would be transported to London and sold, much to the local's dismay.

Residents of the area willed the men to fail at their task of the removal of the bells and their prayers may have been answered. Although the bells were successfully transported down the 199 steps, they sank in the ship they were meant to be transported in. Some say you can still hear the bells ringing in the North Sea.

Dragon

In the village of Slingsby it is said that there resided a dragon who feasted upon passing travellers. A brave Knight from the Wyville family battled the beast with his dog and won, but not without sustaining a fatal injury. In the Church of All Saints, you can see the tomb of a Knight with the Wyville crest.

St Mary's Graveyard

In the yard of St Mary's Church, a stones throw from the ruins of Whitby Abbey, it is said that there are a few headstones belonging to names that you may recognise.

There lies a headstone shaped like an oval laying face down, this grave is said to belong to Humpty Dumpty. Far from the egg of nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty was the name given to a war cannon that sat atop a defensive wall that was blown up, causing the cannon to 'have a great fall.'

It is also thought that the graveyard is home to the tomb of Tom Thumb, the famous character of English folklore.

Dracula

Perhaps the creepiest grave said to be situated in the historic yard is that of Dracula. There is a grave with no notable inscription that is broken straight down the middle, and has the image of a skull and cross bones on the side of it. Tales suggests that this is the final resting place for Dracula himself.

Whitby is known to be heavily connected to Bram Stoker's vampire story. While staying in the area the writer researched Vlad the Impaler, inspiring the title character of the tale. Also, while taking a stroll through the aforementioned graveyard he noted the name on a grave of a man named Swales, who became the vampire's first local victim in the story. There are also references in the book to Whitby Abbey and the 199 steps.

Whitby has fully embraced it's connections to the classic vampire tale and is even home to a Dracula Experience where visitors can experience the novel brought to life. The gift shop at the ruins of the Abbey is also full of vampire items and contains editions of Dracula.

North Yorkshire is full of interesting and unsettling folklore but are any of the tales that of reality? It is impossible to ever know, and although we can be sure that, being a fictional character, Dracula's grave doesn't reside in the grounds of St Mary's church, that isn't to say that all of the tales are total fabrications. It is important to remember that historically, fact is often stranger than fiction.

I would love to know about your favourite folklore tales! Is there an area you would like me to focus on for my next folklore story? Let me know @curiouslycreepy on Twitter and @creepyandcurious on Instagram.

Stay creepy and curious, ghouls.