The Afanc
The terrible Afanc
The terrible Afanc is a water monster from Welsh mythology. He has many different descriptions, sometimes being described as a Nessie-like creature, while other times he is said to have a crocodilian form, others say he resembles a great beaver, and there are even descriptions of him looking like a gnome or goblin.
It was considered very unfortunate to have such a creature living close to your community, quite apart from its fearsome appearance (well maybe not the giant beaver one, which I can’t help but see as being rather sweet) its chief danger was believed to be the flooding it caused when it was angered, ruining peoples homes and damaging their valuable crops.
So if your community found itself close to a lake, river or pond, that was said to be home to one of these supernatural nuisances, the likelihood is that they would want to get rid of it. But that was easier said than done. Firstly anything described as a ‘monster’ has usually earned that name for a good reason, because it is unpleasant and probably rather dangerous. Secondly it was believed that feats of arms could not slay the beast, as its hide was immune to swords, spears or arrows.
Betws-y-Coed is a Welsh village in the county of Conwy, and many years ago they had a problem with an Afanc that dwelt in the local Conwy river, He was said to resemble a giant beaver (Now I have already spoken about my felling’s on the beaver versions, in short, I would probably have given the cute ‘furry fella’ a pass, but to be fair it is not my home he is flooding.)
The villagers designed a plan, if they could not slay the water monster they would lure it away. They got a rather brave, local maiden to sing sweetly by the river, luring the beast out of the water, and such was the power of the girl’s voice that the creature fell asleep at her feet. Quickly it was bound with great chains and then the pulled away by the villagers, it was taken to a lake under the summit of Yr Widdfa the highest mountain in Wales.
Its new home was Llyn Glaslyn - which means ‘lake of the blue spring’ and being high up in the mountains, and alone, with no one to hassle it, I imagine it lives quite a peacefully now.
So in the end everyone was happy.
A less pleasant version of an Afanc appears in my book ‘Fireside Horror,’ if you like folklore or enjoy creepy tales why not get a copy, links below.
The Erlking
The Erlking is an entity from European folklore, the word ‘Erlking’ comes from the German: Erlkönig literaly meaning alder-king. He is/was/maybe a lord of the forest and King of the Faeries. He was believed to lurk in ancient woodland, there he would stalk any unfortunate children who linger too long beneath the boughs of his realm, it was said he could kill mortals with a single touch.
The Name was first used in the poem ‘Erlkönigs Tochter’ (1778) by German romanticist Johann Gottfried Herder. The poem tells the tale of a boy being carried on horseback by his father through the night, the purpose of their journey isn’t explained, I can only imagine that it was an urgent one. As they travel the boy becomes fearful, complaining that they are being followed by an unnatural being. The father, clearly a sympathetic man, totally dismisses his sons complaints, putting down the odd sights and sounds to nocturnal shadows, and the wind in the trees. I don’t know about you but I have a feeling this ‘father of the year’ will come to regret this!
As they continue their journey, The Erlking tries to lure the boy using riches, clothes and his daughters, I have no idea whether the poor daughters agreed to be bait, and if they didn’t I can only hope they fully expressed their disproval when they next get together for a family dinner. Finally a little bit annoyed, the Erl-King declares his intention to take the boy by force (I suppose at this stage his thinking ran something like this; If I’m going to have an ear-bending at the hands of my irate daughters, I might as well have something to show for it.)
When the father finally arrives at his destination he finds that his beloved son is dead!
So a bit of a grim poem really, but an entertaining one never-the-less, The ‘new Oxford American Dictionary describes the Erl-king in the following way: a bearded giant or goblin who lures little children to the land of death.
Anyway here is a translation of the poem from German, by Edgar Alfred Bowering. Hope you enjoy it, stay spooky.
Who rides there so late through the night dark and drear?
The father it is, with his infant so dear;
He holdeth the boy tightly clasp'd in his arm,
He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm.
My son, wherefore seek'st thou thy face thus to hide?
Look, father, the Erl-King is close by our side!
Dost see not the Erl-King, with crown and with train?
My son, 'tis the mist rising over the plain.
"Oh, come, thou dear infant! oh come thou with me!
For many a game, I will play there with thee;
On my strand, lovely flowers their blossoms unfold,
My mother shall grace thee with garments of gold."
My father, my father, and dost thou not hear
The words that the Erl-King now breathes in mine ear?
Be calm, dearest child, 'tis thy fancy deceives;
'Tis the sad wind that sighs through the withering leaves.
"Wilt go, then, dear infant, wilt go with me there?
My daughters shall tend thee with sisterly care;
My daughters by night their glad festival keep,
They'll dance thee, and rock thee, and sing thee to sleep."
My father, my father, and dost thou not see,
How the Erl-King his daughters has brought here for me?
My darling, my darling, I see it aright,
'Tis the aged grey willows deceiving thy sight.
"I love thee, I'm charm'd by thy beauty, dear boy!
And if thou'rt unwilling, then force I'll employ."
My father, my father, he seizes me fast,
For sorely, the Erl-King has hurt me at last.
The father now gallops, with terror half wild,
He grasps in his arms the poor shuddering child;
He reaches his courtyard with toil and with dread,
The child in his arms finds he motionless, dead.
Ratmen in Folklore
In ‘Fireside Horror,’ the English City of Birmingham, one of the centres of British production during the industrial revolution, has a problem, and from the title of this particular blog, I imagine you can take a healthy guess at what kind of problem that is.
But are there really any Ratmen to be found in British Folklore, well actually yes, albeit a relatively modern piece of folklore. So I present to you dear reader: The South-end-on-Sea Ratman.
The story goes that an old tramp took shelter in an underpass one wintery night. unfortunately for this rambling hobo, he was discovered by the town drunks, who gave him a beating, and stole his blanket. (I have to say, the beating is bad enough, but to steal the poor chaps blanket too, well I’m lost for words…..) Anyway it was a cold night, and the chill, combined with his injuries was enough to finish this poor drifter off. However, before the body was discovered the rats had taken to gnawing his remains. From then on the underpass became haunted, but it was not merely the ghost of an old man that troubled this place, Oh no, it was the ghost of rat, walking on two legs like a man, squealing and scuttling in the dark!
Ratmen also appear in Dungeons & Dragons, where they are called Wererats, as the name suggests these beings are akin to werewolves, transforming from men and women, into human-rat hybrids. though whether this change is induced by the full moon or simply the sight of a full wheel of cheese I cannot say for certain.
Games Workshop also created a wonderful race of Ratmen for their miniature wargames system, they are marvellously fun models, I actually own an army of the ratty ne’er-do-wells, photos of my army can be seen below, they fight in mighty hoards, over-whelming their opponents.
Interview on ‘Novel Kicks’
A few weeks ago I was kindly asked by Laura if I wanted to be interviewed for her Blog ‘Novel Kicks’, I was a little nervous but Laura was very friendly and guided me through the whole process. The interview has now been put up on her website, here is the link NK Chats To… P. A. Sheldon | Novel Kicks
#booklover #bookstagrammer #book #bookworm #books #wendlelow #FiresideHorror #pasheldon #blog #horrorbooks #horrorblog
What is ‘Book Sprout’
So what is ‘Booksprout’ - Booksprout lets you find and discover ebook review copies from your favorite authors! It's completely free for reviewers; all you need to do is provide your honest feedback on the books you download.
‘Fireside Horror’ is currently available on ‘Booksprout’ Link. - https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/173491/fireside-horror
This review campaign is open to up to 25 people, the campaign will end 22nd August 2024.
Happy reading Sproutlings.
Crom Cruach
The first time I came across Crom Cruach was in an episode of the classic show ‘Robin of Sherwood’ the episode was titled (perhaps not surprisingly) Cromm Cruac. I thought he was a very interesting antagonist, so I put him in my pocket. Years later I ran into this supernatural wrong ‘un again, this time in the excellent movie ‘The Secret of Kells.’
Crom Cruach is a Celtic deity, a hunched, bloody god, who promises fine harvests and healthy cattle, but relishes in blood and destruction. He is usually described as a giant wyrm or serpent sometimes with just one great eye.
Historically he was worshipped in Ireland, until that fine country drove his followers from their shores. He seems to have demanded the sacrifice of his worshippers first born children. So not a very nice fellow.
He is an antagonist in ‘Fireside Horror’ but detecting his presence in some of the stories will require an observant reader.
If you would like a copy of ‘Fireside Horror’ click on one of the links below.
#CromCruach #Folklore #Folkhorror #firesidehorror #Horror #Welshmythology #Book #paulsheldon #horrorbook #Wendlelow
Crom Cruach the Hunched God
Editing ‘The Crow’s Scream.’
Well ‘The Crows Scream’ returns to me for the third round of editing. Some stories have been added, some removed. There has been much reading, till my eyes boggle, but slowly I am getting there, probably one more round of editing after this. Hopefully this book will have some internal illustrations, I am in talks with a talented artist.
In the meantime don’t worry I have Lily the dog standing guard over the book, though she is not allowed to read it, it is too scary for her.
