Man-Monkey Coverage

Check out the blog of New Page Books - under their "Creature of the Month" banner - where you will find a new article from me on England's Man-Monkey and its strange and unearthly antics at Bridge 39 on the Shropshire Union Canal...

Here's the link.

Woodwose and Wild Men

Over at her website, Kithra has a new post on Woodwose and Wild Men - phenomena that play an integral role in the British Bigfoot controversy.

Here's the opening words of Kithra's article:

"In its depiction the Woodwose, sometimes called the Wild Man, is very similar to the Green Man. Both appear in ancient mythology and have their origins in ancient paganism. And, since they became subsumed into Christianity in medieval times, both can often be found as decoration in Churches.

"Whilst the Green Man, a pre-Christian fertility symbol, is usually depicted with the face half-covered in leaves and vines emanating from the mouth, the Woodwose is usually shown as a complete, part human, figure carrying a club with the limbs being leafy. It also often shows a thick beard and wears a cap. The Woodwose may also be shown holding the club in different positions. Sometimes this is on its side and sometimes it is raised. There is a theory that a raised club depicts the figure before it was converted to Christianity, but it’s probably more correct to believe that it was raised to ward off evil spirits."

And here's the link to the complete paper.

The Warrington Wild-Thing

At his Monster! blog, Neil Arnold tells the strange story of the Warrington Man-Beast, and begins thus:

"The town of Warrington, which sits on the banks of the River Mersey, is also a borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire. According to an obscure story from the 18th century, later repeated in Wally Barnes' 1990 book Ghosts, Mysteries & Legends of Old Warrington, a terrifying man-beast once stalked a farm in Warrington. One such farm, once known as Peggy Gronachs Chicken Farm harboured a bizarre story which Wally Barnes was told of in the 1940s. According to Barnes, Peggy Gronach was '...the most evil, ugly and haggard old wretch ever seen in the vicinity.'"

And here's the link to Neil's complete article.

The Spectral British Bigfoot

Exposed, Uncovered, and Declassified: Ghosts, Spirits, & Hauntings, Am I Being Haunted? - which has just been published and is now widely available - includes a paper from me on ghostly creatures, some of a definitively monstrous nature, including the phantom-like Man-Monkey of England's Shropshire Union Canal and the local old villages of Ranton and Woodseaves. For more information, here's the link.

A 19th Century Scottish Monkey

Richard Muirhead has uncovered a truly fascinating case of a distinctly out-of-place monkey shot dead in Scotland in the 19th Century! Weird, indeed! Here's the link.

Spectral Bigfoot - Coming Soon

Exposed, Uncovered, and Declassified: Ghosts, Spirits, & Hauntings, Am I Being Haunted? is a soon-to-be-published collection of writings that includes a chapter from me on spectral animals - some of a distinctly cryptozoological nature, including the ghost-like Man-Monkey of England's Shropshire Union Canal. For more information, click right here!

An Irish Wild-Man

Over at his Gralien Report site, Micah hanks delves into an enigmatic tale of a 13th Century Irish Wildman. Here's the link to the article, which begins thus:

"Within various Medieval literature detailing history and folklore throughout Europe, one who looks hard enough won’t have to struggle to find references to hairy, manlike beasts, variously referred to as orcs, ogres, trolls, woodwoses, and wild men in various documents from England and its surrounding countries."