Goblin Tales of Lancashire

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

Goblin Tales of Lancashire

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Rooted in Celtic and Scandinavian folklore, this collection transports readers to the wild moors and valleys of Northern England. Featuring goblins, fairies, witches, and the Wild Hunt, these eerie tales explore the supernatural beings that haunted the unlettered peasant's imagination against a backdrop of bleak fells and desolate wastes.

Summary up to 500 words

James Bowker's *Goblin Tales of Lancashire* presents a rich anthology of regional ghost lore, blending Celtic and Scandinavian influences with local superstitions. The introduction establishes the setting as a landscape of towering bluffs, swampy moors, and dark pools where the unlettered peasant feared invisible beings. Bowker weaves these legends with historical context regarding witch trials, devil lore from stage performances, and the enduring power of rural superstitions that warned against wrong-doing and explained human misfortunes. The collection features vivid narratives such as 'The White Dobbie,' a weary wanderer accompanied by a spectral white hare with blood-red eyes who patrols the coast during storms. This figure is believed to be a murderer expiating a sin, with the hare serving as the spirit of a basely-murdered friend. Another tale, 'The Little Man's Gift,' involves a handsome little man in green who offers miraculous ointment to a blind child's mother. However, her curiosity in testing the salve on her own eye leads to a confrontation where the fairy reveals the gift was intended solely for the child, striking her when she admits to the transgression. The book delves into regional customs, including the 'leeting' of witches at Malkin Tower, where carrying a steady candle from eleven to twelve o'clock at night was believed to triumph over evil powers. It also explores the belief that dogs can foretell death, noting that strange dogs would howl at sick persons' windows before departing after three peculiar yelps. Bowker further examines the efficacy of fairy ointments across various English counties and the belief in the 'Jinny Greenteeth,' a water-spirit nymph. The text highlights how the scenery of the county, with its bleak fells and desolate moorlands, fostered a mind prone to seeing supernatural shapes. Additionally, the book discusses the influence of Miracle Plays and Moralities on local devil lore, where the stage devil was often a foolish figure, shaping popular traditions of the Evil One being easily overreached. Ultimately, Bowker argues that while these legends may fade before the light of knowledge, they often conceal moral warnings and testaments to the beauty of goodness hidden beneath a rude fable.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/james-bowker_goblin-tales-of-lancashire.epub

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Categories

• Short Stories
• Folklore
• Horror