Ludlow Castle and the ghost of Marion de la Bruyere.

Ludlow Castle is a stunning and imposing ruin that sits high on a perfect vantage point overlooking the River Teme. It is thought to have been founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman Conquest and is one of the most impressive Medieval castles in England as well as being one of the first stone castles built here.

It is a very popular tourist destination being open for most of the year, it plays host to several events in the town including Ludlow's famous food festivals and it's Medieval Fayre each November. However for those of us with an interest in the darker side of things, Ludlow Castle also has it's fair share of haunting stories, the most famous being that of Marion de la Bruyere - a favourite tale to school children in the area who were all taught it...me included as it is my home town.

She dates right back to the 12th century when she was resident in the castle, at the time there were some soldiers imprisoned there from the enemy's side, one of these was Arnold de Lys with whom she fell in love. Following his exit from the castle they continued their affair in secret as he was on the side of the enemy, she would lower a rope from the battlements for him to climb and their visits continued. However one night he purposefully left the rope hanging down so it was available to his comrades who entered the castle and murdered many of it's inhabitants.

Marion was so distraught by his betrayal she grabbed his sword and killed him with it, then overcome by grief and guilt she threw herself from the top of Pendover Tower and fell to her death.

There have been since - right up to the present day - reports of her ghost at dusk. Some say it is seen reenacting her fall to death, screams have been heard and others recount that they have seen the ghost wandering at the base of the tower, whichever way, she still seems to be present in the ruins after all this time.

Ludlow Castle at dusk.

Poveglia Island.

Poveglia Island - it is a place you can’t visit, it isn’t open to tourists or the public, nobody local wants take you, in the rare event that people have been to the island, most have come away wishing they hadn’t tried except for some paranormal investigators.  It is considered one of the most haunted places on the planet, and its history explains why. 

Situated between Venice and the Lido area in northern Italy, Poveglia Island looks like an innocuous place, green, wooded, with a large building to one side and a generally tidy, peaceful place, but it has a past that makes one shudder.  It started out well enough, in the year 421, people from the surrounding Padua and Este fled to the island to escape barbaric invasions that were occurring in Italy, these people were the first inhabitants of Poveglia and by the 9th century the island became fully populated and stayed that way for many years, until Venice came under attack from the Genoan fleet in 1379 and the people were moved off the island leaving it abandoned. It remained uninhabited for centuries and it began to promote an ominous feeling in local people. It is said that in 1527 the Chief Magistrate of Venice and Genoa offered the island to the Camaldolese monks, but they turned down the offer, then in 1661 the descendants of the original inhabitants of Poveglia were given the chance to rebuild their village on the island, but they also flatly refused. 

This however, isn’t the only history of the Island; there is a much more disturbing series of events related to the plague or ‘black death’. Dating right back from Roman times Poveglia Island was used to contain thousands of plague victims, and then again during the times when the disease spread through Europe - it was considered an efficient way of keeping the infected people physically separated from the healthy.  At first it was just the dead bodies that were taken there for burning, but as the plague spread, living people infected with the disease were taken, dumped and left to die mixed in with the bodies of the dead.  

In the 1700s when the island was under the control of the public health office and became a useful checkpoint for ships, goods and people visiting Venice, until two ships arrived with the crew infected with the plague. At this point, the large, imposing buildings seen today were built and the island was again used to confine those with the plague. Those who have visited the island say that it is still possible to read the writing scratches onto the walls of the building by people who were confined there. Over 160,000 people have died on Poveglia Island during its history. 

The disturbing legacy of Poveglia Island doesn’t stop there; more horrific records exist from much nearer today. In 1922, the island and it’s buildings were used as a mental hospital, people give accounts that the doctor in charge supposedly tortured and killed many of his patients there, eventually becoming mad himself, legend has it that he either jumped or was thrown to his death from the bell tower, and according to that same legend, he survived the fall, but was 'strangled by a mist that came up from the ground'. 

There are plans that the Italian government may open up Poveglia Island to the public, but it will be interesting how many people will actually visit, and what the opinion of the local people will be. A place with as much evil history and recorded haunting will certainly attract many people, but how many will leave wishing they hadn’t gone in the first place? 

Thoughts on Paranormal Perceptions.

The world of the paranormal conjures many feelings in us, curiosity, fascination, amazement, but more often than not it is fear, and this is usually a fear of the unknown, mixed in with influences of the movies and horror stories.

There are many positive, even happy experiences within the realm of things classed as paranormal. To see a loved one in a dream, to catch a glimpse of a departed pet in the corner of your eye or small a waft of scent someone used to wear. But positive experiences often have to be hunted out from behind the easier to believe and more ‘interesting’ scary accounts.

As with many things in life, especially with a subject as diverse and personal as paranormal experiences, we are often told only the negative, scary, unsettling things. Due to the nature of paranormal happenings there is usually a factor to expand upon for effect - to set the scene, such as things happening in the dark of night or in an old, cold, damp building.

Tales of ghosts and spirits were often used as tools to keep people away from certain places or to deter children from being naughty. These almost ingrained feelings are naturally passed down to each generation - the supernatural is something scary and unpredictable and must therefore be feared. Add to this the more recent influence of Hollywood. Stories such as the Amityville Horror or The Blair Witch Project, based on ‘true’ events have been transformed into blockbuster movies by artistic licence leaving scores of people hypersensitive to strange happenings or the slightest bump in the night. This kind of movie mania isn’t just restricted to films of this type of course, a good example is the fear that 'Jaws' has struck into the hearts of those who have seen it for example. Sadly as a consequence an irrational fear of sharks the world over resulted, animals persecuted due to a horror story and a very effective theme tune.

It is a natural reaction of self-preservation of course, to fear that which we are told to be afraid of, and feelings of fear should not be ignored, but there has to be some rationality too. Fear of most things can be overcome or at least eased by learning – knowledge really is power. Research and information is the best defense against feelings of fear getting out of control. The paranormal is a vast and varied area of experience, it cannot all be frightening. By looking up positive tales of protector spirits, helpful entities and friendly ghosts for example, one can realise that nothing is all bad, and that there is so much to be gained from thinking about the paranormal in a different way.
For those who have had paranormal experiences, they may well be unsettling or confusing, but are they to be feared? Some undoubtedly will be yes, and fear is an instinct that is within us for a reason, but the paranormal as a whole need not be tarred with the same brush. Culture, media and these days social media has an undeniable impact on every aspect of our lives, but how you react to a deeply personal experience is your business and nobody else's.
Just my thoughts!

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The Lost Souls of Aokigahara Forest.

There are few places in the world that conjure up feelings of sorrow, pity, fear, and ultimately fascination as Aokigahara Forest in Japan. Also called the ‘Sea of Trees’, this dense woodland at the base of Mount Fuji has the unfortunate fame of being one of the most well-known places to commit suicide in the world. It is known to be haunted by the ghosts of the hundreds who have died there. 

Aokigahara Forest is the most popular place to commit suicide in the whole of Japan; in fact it is only second to the Golden Gate Bridge in the world. Since records began being taken in the 1950’s, over 500 people have taken their own lives amongst its trees, most by hanging, some by overdoses or other methods. The gruesome trend supposedly began after the publication of Seicho Matsumoto’s novel Kuroi Kaiju (Black Sea of Trees) where two of his characters commit suicide at Aokigahara, however the history of suicide predates this and the forest has had an association with death for a long time. 

Due to the high numbers of incidents, the unenviable task of an annual body search began in 1970, consisting of a small collection of police, volunteers, and a few journalists. These groups follow official and unofficial forest trails as well as going off the beaten track to recover bodies and mark the places with tape – this tape is never removed. They have found over 100 corpses per year in recent times, but who knows how many they never find? The first kilometer in is where most of the bodies are found, and some people are saved from their attempt, but those who are determined tend to walk a long way into the woods. 

These lost souls are said to haunt the forest, which is in itself a very eerie place. The densely packed trees mean that there are parts that are in continual darkness, the light blocked out by the foliage. Due to the closely growing trees there is hardly any wind and an odd absence of wildlife gives the forest a silent, foreboding atmosphere. The ghosts of people who took their own lives are likely to be troubled, unable to rest, and there have been many reports of spooky encounters.  

Due in part to its reputation, the Aokigahara Forest is a popular tourist destination as is Mount Fuji itself. People have talked of the feeling of being watched, followed and taunted by unseen entities as well as hearing sounds which can’t be explained. 

The trend of suicides at Aokigahara doesn’t seem likely to diminish any time soon. The Japanese government has tried to dissuade people by employing officials to position signs, in both Japanese and English, urging those who have gone to the woods in order to commit suicide to seek help, think of their families and not kill themselves. Whether it is due to folklore, the draw of a novel or the fame that precedes it, the lost souls of Aokigahara Forest will most likely continue to grow in number for the foreseeable future. 

The Tarr Steps, Exmoor.

The Tarr Steps is a 50 metre long clapper bridge situated on the River Barle in the Exmoor National Park. It is the largest example of its type and is a well known landmark and tourist attraction. The bridge is designated as a grade 1 listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage. 

The exact age of the Tarr Steps is unknown, many theories say the bridge dates from the Bronze Age whilst others claim is was built from 1400 AD onward, however most clapper bridges were erected in medieval times. The word ‘clapper’ comes from the medieval Latin word ‘claperius’ meaning ‘pile of stones’ which is descriptive of this style of bridge, they are constructed from large slabs of rock, commonly granite or schist which weigh between one and two tonnes each, these are supported by stone piers if the bridge is placed across a river, or the slabs rest on the banks of smaller streams. Clapper bridges are mostly found on the moors of Devon and other upland areas of the UK. 

There are several local legends associated with the Tarr Steps, it is said that the devil placed the bridge across the River Barle and would kill any person who tried to cross over, he was eventually confronted by a brave local parson who challenged the devil, he finally conceded and agreed to let people cross the bridge, except when he was sunbathing upon it. It is said he still has the right to sunbathe on the bridge to this day. 

Another legend states that the Tarr Steps will only be damaged in years ending in the number two, and this seems to be eerily true. It was partially ruined by flooding in 1952, and again in 1982, however the worst harm in living memory happened in December of 2012. Cables had been installed upstream of the bridge to protect it from raging flood water, but these were themselves broken by fallen trees. Following weeks of heavy rain, the River Barle had swollen dramatically and the fast flowing waters, filled with debris washed around a third of the bridge away. Some of the slabs travelled a long way downstream, luckily however all the stones had been numbered following previous floods so they can be retrieved and put back into place to keep the bridge in situ. 

The bridge was again damaged during Storm Angus in 2016 however, several thousand pounds had been spent on repairs prior to the storm, with winter coming, and more storms on the way lets hope the bridge stays put for the foreseeable future.

Doom Bar.

Doom Bar - a very nice bitter with a background in folklore.

On this day, November 19th in 1911, The Doom Bar in Cornwall claimed two ships, the Island Maid and the Angele, for the latter the entire crew was killed except the captain.

The Doom Bar is a notorious sandbar in Cornwall where the River Camel meets the Celtic sea, and it has posed a danger to shipping for centuries being responsible for over 600 beachings and wrecks since records began in the early nineteenth century, large boats trying to enter Padstow were often given assistance, sometimes by air to guide them in safely. The Doom Bar is now regularly dredged to keep access to Padstow clearer, but it is an endless task as the sediments accumulate rapidly.

Folklore tells us that a mermaid created the bar as a dying curse on the harbour after she was shot by a local man. Tristram Bird (who had bought a new gun) went out to find seals to practice his aim on, but when he saw the mermaid sitting on a rock brushing her hair he was entranced, he wanted her to marry him, but when she declined he shot her, realising after the event that she was in fact a mermaid. She sadly died and cursed the place with a 'bar of doom'. A bad storm raged that night, and when morning came, the sandbar was there, 'covered with wrecks of ships and drowned men'.

Black dog of Luskentyre - Outer Hebridies.

Reported in recent times, a hound is said to leave large paw prints on the wet sand of the beach at Luskentyre which disappear half way across, no dog is seen.

Weekend of storytelling.

We were lucky enough to be able to attend the wonderful Festival at the Edge again this year, a whole weekend of storytelling including lots of folklore and fable. I wish there were more events such as this, it is such a simple thing but so important, storytelling goes back through the ages as a method of keeping tales alive and engaging people as a group, well done again FatE.

The Aberdeen Witch Trials.

(Taken from my original article http://www.spiritualliving360.com/index.php/the-aberdeen-witches-4200/) 

Many have compared the ‘Aberdeen Witches’ era of history to the famous Salem Witch Trials in America, it was a time of persecution, accusation and terror for women who were practitioners of healing, those who had lived to an old age or those that simply ‘looked like a witch’. 

From 1563, it became a criminal offense to practice witchcraft. King James had an obsession with witchcraft, so much so he wrote a book on the subject which he called  ‘Daemonologie’, he developed a compulsion for hunting witches and rallied groups of witch finders to help in his quest, they consisted of ministers and elders of the reformed church along with general citizens who became embroiled in the craze. Many of these so called  "witches" were nothing more than elderly women, people did not generally live long in the 16^th century and longevity was seen as being achieved by magic, other women such as midwives and village healers were also taken for trial. The charges they faced ranged from casting spells on animals, turning milk sour and using enchanted foods to entice young men, it was very much a case of ‘your word against theirs’ when it came to the trials, who would the public believe – a highly respected minister or an old woman?

Many of the accused women actually "confessed" to the charges of witchcraft, simply because the punishment was easier to take than the methods of torture the witch hunters used to get the information, thumb screws, the ducking stool and red hot leg-irons were some of the reputed instruments they had to face. Even if someone was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft and was eventually found not guilty the damage would have been done, they would still be branded with the mark of the witch and be banished from Aberdeen. The ones found guilty by whatever bogus methods the witch finders could exploit were first hanged and then burned on the renowned ‘Heading Hill’ where many criminals came to their end, in fact there is still an early version of a guillotine there today.

A total of at least twenty-three women and one man - Colin Massie who was accused of being a warlock - were charged and executed for witchcraft during this time, countless others would have been captured if they hadn’t been able to escape into the surrounding area. It is a famous and dark period in Scottish history, but gives an insight into the mindset of the day. 

Lych Way, Dartmoor - The Way of the Dead.

Ghostly funeral processions travelling through the Dartmoor mist have sometimes been seen along this ancient pathway. Lych Way is a track along which people used to have to carry the dead for burial at nearby Lydford where interment of the deceased was compulsory, so for people living on the far side of the Moor, this was an arduous task especially in the winter months. Things became slightly easier in the 1200's when Widecombe was permitted for use, however the ghostly site has still been reported in modern times.