Category: Legends

The London Stone

Mounted behind an iron grill in the wall of 111 Cannon Street (originally known as Candlewick Street) can be found what could be described as one of London’s most ancient monuments, The London Stone (also known as The Brutus stone).

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The Brahan Seer

The Brahan Seer is undoubtedly the most famous of all Celtic seers although the reality of the 17th Century Coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche or Kenneth Mackenzie is hidden deep in legend. The roots of these legends may have come from a holy man in the 1600’s, about whom legends have grown with the years.

Sheebeg Cairn

Sheebeg Cairn (Sí Beag) is traditionally considered to be the burial site of Gráinne, (daughter of Cormac mac Airt, High King of Ireland ) and the giant hero of Irish legend, Fionn Mac Cumhaill (or Finn McCool), leader of the Fianna warriors of Ben Bulben.

Bleeding Heart Yard and Lady Elizabeth Hatton

There is a Devil legend associated with Bleeding Heart Yard that ends in the horrific death of Lady Elizabeth Hatton. The scene of the legend is a grand ball at Hatton House on 26 January 1626 (though sometimes shown as 1662). Lady Hatton attracted a lot of attention as she danced throughout the night being both a young beauty and very wealthy.

Jersey Devil –The Origins

Over the last 250 years there have been several sightings of a creature that has become known as the Jersey Devil (or Leeds Devil). Described as being bipedal with hooves and wings, the Jersey Devil would apparently dry up the milk within cows by breathing upon them.

The Parish Church of St Michael, Cornhill

St Michaels’ Church in Cornhill is a Grade I listed building, built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1699 and 1672 following the destruction of the earlier medieval church in the Great Fire of London. It was in this now lost medieval building that according to legend a creature was encountered by the bell ringers early in the first half of the sixteenth century.

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The Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman is the most famous example of a phantom ship, although its true origins are now lost in the mists of time. It is the prime folk motif of this type, appearing in various adaptations and in literature, most recently given graphic solidity in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.