Black Annis

For this week's episode, we're heading back over to ol' Blighty and looking at the horrifying Black Annis. How is this monster linked to a nun in the 18th century? How can you stop her from stealing your skin? Find out this week!

Transcript

INTRO:

Hello and welcome to Myth Monsters, my name is Erin and I’ll be your host for these little snack bite size podcasts on folklore and mythical monsters from around the world. 

These podcasts focus on the actual cryptids, folklore and mythic monsters from global mythology, rather than focusing on full stories of heroes and their big adventures.

I’ll also be dropping in some references that they have to recent culture and where you can see these represented in modern day content so you can learn more, and get as obsessed as I am about these absolute legends of the mythological world.

This week we’re heading back over to me over here in the UK and looking at a haunting figure from the Midlands, known as Black Annis or Black Agnes.

DESCRIPTION:

Firstly, an apology is needed! I said this monster was from Birmingham when I said Brummy last week - and that’s because I have a terrible memory. But I have to say that actually, although both count as the Midlands - this monster is instead from Leicestershire, not Birmingham. 

Anyway, let's get on it! Black Annis is a bogeyman figure from Leceistershire folklore. You would think that considering we’re only a tiny island over here, we do have significantly different folklore figures from different regions.

Black Annis however, alongside maybe Jenny Greenteeth is one of the most famous figures from UK scary folklore. She is described as a blue-faced hag or witch, with long fingers tipped with iron sharp claws that tear through flesh. She was sometimes described as having glowing eyes and sharp, massive teeth too. She’s usually depicted as a horrible looking crone, with a black hooded cape, kind of reminiscent of the witch in the Disney classic Snow White. Important addition here was that she’s a hag - so she’s immortal - sorry!

She is said to live in the Dane Hills area of Leicestershire, which if you’re aware of the area - is near Newfoundpool. I’ve not had a chance to visit, so if you’ve been there or live nearby - go check it out and let me know before I meander up there to see for myself. There is apparently a specific cave that she lives in called Black Annis Bower Close - which according to legend, she carved out of the sandstone rock with her own claws. It’s entrance is blocked by a massive oak tree - apparently to keep bigger prey away from her vulnerable self. 

She is an avid human eater - I can’t really call her a cannibal, as she’s not really human. But she especially loves eating children, and sometimes the occasional lamb. She took absolute joy in skinning her victims, hanging their gross husks from her oak tree and then stitching it into her skirt. She would either wait outside windows, or doors to snatch you, or would occasionally pounce like a cat from the tree. Also, a good note here is that she never left the cave in the light - for good reason obviously. 

Now, much like a Banshee from Irish folklore, you could tell she was coming like a bad smell. She would apparently grind her teeth and howl to let you know she was nearby - this could be heard up to 5 miles away, so gave people a chance to sort themselves out. In order to keep her away, they would board up the windows with animal skins- and layer protective herbs around the threshold of the house to dissuade her. Also, really cool architectural fact is that houses in Leicestershire were made with very small windows, apparently so that Black Annis could only get a single, bony arm in, as glass wasn’t a thing back then.

Obviously, you can see how parents could use this story to scare their children into keeping their windows closed in the night or staying out of the woods, or behaving. It was a thing to make sure that children were told not to venture to the Dane Hills alone, otherwise she would eat them. Either way, she’s listed as a ‘bogeyman’ - we’ve covered a few others in this category of monster, and we’re not even scratching the surface with this monster type yet. 

ORIGIN:

Onto etymology - there isn’t much to look into with this name, any use of the word Black in a name usually relates to darkness, malice or evil - and Annis is actually a name, she has many others that are similar such as Agnes, Annie or Anna - so we can imagine it’s just the most old timey of these choices. There’s also the debate on whether the monster was named after the cave that she lives in ‘Black Anny’s Bower Close’ - but some people think this was named in honour of her, rather than before. 

The history of Black Annis goes back as far as the early Celts - which is realistically a first for the podcast. But that's because she’s been linked to the Celtic earth goddess Danu who bore the Tuatha - who we’ll eventually cover in another episode. However, she’s also been linked to the Norse goddess of Death, Hel, the Hindu Kali, the Greek Demeter and the Egyptian Isis-Hathor - all of which are linked to death in their own little ways. 

But the earliest written account of Black Annis is in two title deeds from the 18th century - for a piece of land called guess what, Black Anny’s Bower Close. This was then immortalised in the book County Folklore, which was written in 1895 by the folklore society. This followed with a poem, which I have a little extract of here;

'Tis said the soul of mortal man recoiled

To view Black Annis' eye, so fierce and wild

Vast talons, foul with human flesh, there grew

In place of hands, and features livid blue

Glared in her visage, whilst her obscene waist

Warm skins of human victims close embraced

Not without terror they the cave survey

Where hung the monstrous trophies of her sway

'Tis said that in the rock large rooms were found

Scooped with her claws beneath the flinty ground

Other links are that of mostly witches, but there’s another book that talks about our monstress. This is The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton, who said that Black Annis was actually a real person called Agnes Scott, who was a nun who became completely secular, and lived in the cave to be away from society - which definitely backs up the hag theory, living in a cave.

Speaking of her cave, in the 19th century, it was filled in. Some people think this would bury her, but she’s immortal of course! So from then on, folklore calls her Cat Anna - able to sneak around in a cat form underneath Leicester castle, hunting people there instead.

A really sad point here though, in the modern era - the former caveside has now been turned into a massive housing estate. I mean, maybe that means if you live there, you’re her only potential prey? Who knows - but keep your eyes out for a scary looking cat.

Although, as I said earlier, she’s certainly not the only British bogeyman. She is one of the bigger ones, but other ones linked to her are Jenny Greenteeth, Nelly Longarms, Peg Powler - however, they’re different in the sense that they are all linked to water. Whilst Annis is very much a wandering forest spirit with a very specific location, which is quite rare in terms of monsters. We’ll cover all of these later too, don’t you worry.

If you don’t know English geography, and why would you - Leicestershire is a pretty small county. If we compare this to bigger monsters such as Mothman in the US, which we covered last year, the Appalachian area where he lives is actually a bigger area in land mass. Wild how small the UK is in comparison to these huge world power countries.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: 

Now before we go onto cultural significance in media - I have to note that there are not many. It was a struggle, so I’ve found a lot of things that relate to child snatching crones, witches who kill kids or generally bogeymen who fit that same MO. So don’t be like ‘Erin, Jeepers Creepers doesn’t have Black Annis in’ - I KNOW, NOTHING DOES.

For art - there’s nothing but independent stuff, but some of it is AMAZING. 

In movies, we have a few for the trope here, such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Coraline, the BFG, The Boogeyman, Candyman, Jeepers Creepers, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hocus Pocus, IT and Don’t Look Under the Bed.

In TV, we actually have two that she’s in! That’s Doom Patrol and The Outsider, but others include Grimm, Masters of Horror, Doctor Who, The Outer Limits, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Angels, Torchwood, True Blood and Game of Thrones.

Honourable mention here is that she does feature in the DC comic Doom Patrol as one of the 64 alter personas of Kay Challis or Crazy Jane. 

In video games, we have Drakengard, Fire Emblem, Icewind Drake 2, Pokemon, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Boogeyman, Diablo, Five Nights at Freddies & Bioshock 2. 

My book recommendations this week are very on point, I must say. My first is the book I mentioned earlier, The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton, because it’s a solid read basically. The other is Forgotten Folk-Tales of the English Counties by Ruth Tongue, or you could look into more British folklore books if you fancy, but this is my recommendation. 

DO I THINK THEY EXISTED? 

Now it’s time for, do I think they existed? Do I think a version of the bogeyman exists - probably not, but this one is so ingrained into culture and folklore that actually, it's believed by loads of people across the world, if we’re just looking at the bogeyman in particular. For Annis though, not sure if we have something that specific, but now I’m imagining a bogeyman convention for all of them across the world and I’m liking this idea more. 

However, because this one is so well believed and the whole trope of having a monster in your wardrobe is pretty worldwide known - how can I say no? As much as it being a manifestation of anxiety and fear, amalgamated into a physical form - some people suffer with stuff like this and especially children, with super active and imaginative brains. When I was younger, I was super susceptible to stuff like this, it’s one of the reasons I don’t watch horror movies. Being creative sometimes has it’s downsides, but also how amazing that we can come up with this stuff, you can’t write it!

OUTRO: 

I love covering stuff like this, it’s so interesting to compare what we can imagine as humanity, based on emotion and fear - it’s such a fun topic. As much as I despise the idea of an actual bogeyman or creature of the night grabbing me - the idea of these existing is just so worth it.

Next week, we’ve got one last female figure in our month long appreciation - and we’re heading back over to Japan for one of the more well known ‘monsters’. We’re going to be looking at the wonderful Kitsune next episode, so get your fox tails ready for this one!

For now, thank you so much for listening, it’s been an absolute pleasure. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give it a rating on the service you’re listening on - I’ve got the twitter for any questions, or suggestions on what monsters to cover next and I’d love to hear from you. The social media handles for Tiktok, Youtube and Instagram are mythmonsterspodcast, and twitter is mythmonsterspod. But all of our content can be found at mythmonsters.co.uk - you can also find us on Goodpods and Patreon if you want to help me fund the podcast, ya know if you feel like it.

Come join the fun and share this with your pals, they might love me as much as you do.

But for now, stay spooky and I’ll see you later babes.