In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
At the edge of Oslo’s historic square stands Stortorvet Gjestgiveri, a building whose walls have witnessed centuries of human excess, celebration, and secrecy. Long before it became a beloved restaurant, the structure traced its origins back to the 1600s and has served many lives since then.
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With such a long and turbulent past, it is perhaps no surprise that many believe something has refused to leave.
A Building That Remembers
Stortorvets Gjæstgiveri in Oslo is an18th -century apartment building located on the corner of Stortorvet and with the cathedral are the last remaining remnants of the building environment that grew up at the city’s new square outside the ramparts around 1700.
Over the centuries, the building has been many things, including a wine monopoly and later a strip club, before finally becoming the restaurant it is today. Each transformation seems to have left an imprint behind. Staff and management alike speak of an atmosphere that shifts once the doors are locked and the lights are dimmed, as if the building awakens after closing time.
Tables That Will Not Stay Set
Daily manager Igor Kalcic has personally witnessed some of the strangest activity. On more than one occasion, he carefully set long dining tables before leaving as the last person in the building. When returning the next morning as the first to arrive, he found the table settings disturbed, chairs moved, and the room left in disarray. Tools and furniture have also been known to change position overnight, despite the building being securely locked.
Several employees have reported encounters with what appears to be a ghostly boy around fifteen years old, seen wandering the restaurant after closing hours. Others have told of lights turning themselves back on after the staff had already locked up for the night, forcing them to return and check the premises. These moments are often accompanied by an uneasy feeling of being watched by unseen eyes.
A Partial Calm After Investigation
Stortorvet Gjestgiveri later took part in the Norwegian paranormal television series Åndenes Makt. According to the staff, the activity lessened after the investigation, but it did not disappear entirely. Strange sounds, subtle movements, and unexplained changes still occur from time to time, reminding everyone that whatever lingers here has not fully moved on.
During filming, an entire cutlery drawer was kind of pushed out of the shelf. It didn’t fall straight down, but flew a bit into the room before ending up there, according to the tv-presenter.
Dining With the Unseen
Today, Stortorvet Gjestgiveri remains a popular place to eat, drink, and gather in the heart of Oslo. Yet behind the warm lights and lively atmosphere, there is a lingering sense that some of the guests never leave. As you dine, you may feel a presence at the corner of your eye, or notice a chair slightly out of place. If so, you may be sharing the room with customers that only the building itself can see.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
If you take a walk up Jones’s Road in Drumcondra, Dublin after midnight, when the crowds are gone and the hum of the city fades into a low, uneasy silence, you might feel the ground tremble beneath your feet. A faint, rhythmic thudding like the distant echo of ghostly hooves.
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Dubliners know that sound well. They say it belongs not to any living horse, but to a ghostly rider who has haunted the area for centuries: the headless ghost of Buck Jones.
The Fall of a Dublin Sheriff
Frederick E. Jones, or Buck Jones as he was mostly known as, was once a man of considerable standing in the city. As Dublin City Sheriff, he held influence, wealth, and status, living comfortably in the grand Clonliffe House north of Dublin city. The house is also known as The Red House on Clonliffe Road today.
Red House: His former home on Clonliffe Road. // Source
He was considered one of the most handsome men and well mannered with an interest for culture and theater. But his success was undermined by a dark addiction. Gambling became both his pleasure and his ruin. Night after night, Jones would wager more than he could afford, chasing luck that never turned in his favor. Eventually, his debts caught up with him, stripping away everything he owned.
Disgraced and destitute, the once-proud sheriff was imprisoned in a debtors’ jail after his theater failed. After serving time, he ended his days in a small cabin provided by his last remaining friends. It was there, among the stench and sorrow, that Buck Jones met his miserable end in 1834. Some say he died cursing the men who had ruined him, swearing that his spirit would not rest until he had exacted revenge.
The Headless Horseman of Jones’s Road
Not long after Jones’s burial, the first sightings began and continued into the 1900s. A phantom horseman, a well known ghost motif in Irish ghost lore. They say that on certain nights, when the wind rolls in off the Liffey and fog thickens over the streets, the air along Jones’s Road grows unnaturally cold. The lamps flicker, the silence deepens, and then the hooves. Fast, furious, and unrelenting.
He is headless and cloaked in shadow, galloping atop a great white steed along Jones’s Road near Croke Park that is named after him. Witnesses described how the rider held his severed head beneath one arm, though others claimed the head was nowhere to be seen at all.
Some say Buck Jones rides still, searching for the men who betrayed him. Others believe he is bound to the road that bears his name, cursed to wander for eternity as penance for his own sins. Whatever the truth, few Dubliners care to test the legend.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Dublin is a city where history and hauntings often sit shoulder to shoulder, and few places capture that atmosphere more vividly than John Kavanagh’s, the pub most known as The Gravediggers. John Kavanagh The Gravediggers is famed for great pints of plain and its ghost stories.
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Standing right beside Glasnevin Cemetery, Ireland’s largest burial ground, this family-run establishment has been serving locals since 1833. For nearly two centuries it has welcomed mourners, rebels, poets, and, if the legends are true, more than a few lingering spirits.
Glasnevin Cemetery
The Gravediggers from the Cemetery
The nickname The Gravediggers comes from the cemetery workers who would slip into the pub after long days among the dead. Tradition tells that they signaled their arrival by throwing a shovelful of earth against the wall, as if knocking in the language of the grave.
Some say the sound of dirt hitting stone still echoes on quiet nights, even when no one is outside. It’s also rumoured that some of the million-plus Irish souls buried next door regularly frequent the pub.
The most enduring tale concerns a silent man in a tweed suit who sits quietly with a pint. He never speaks, never stirs, and when finished, he does not walk to the door. Instead, he fades into the wall itself, returning to the cemetery on the other side. Many believe he is one of the countless souls buried at Glasnevin, unwilling to give up the comforts of his favorite haunt.
The neighboring Glasnevin Cemetery is also said to have some ghost of its own, where particularly the ghost of a Newfoundland dog is said to haunt the place after his master was lost at sea.
Today the pub is famous for its stout, hearty food, and authentic atmosphere with no music and focus on the conversation. Yet beneath the warmth of conversation there lingers an unease, as if the weight of more than one and a half million graves presses against the walls.
If you find yourself in Dublin, raise your glass at The Gravediggers. Listen carefully. The laughter of patrons may mingle with whispers from Glasnevin, and the man in tweed might be seated not far from you.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
In the landlocked mountains and valleys of Armenia, where silence stretches across cracked earth and night falls with a cold, empty wind, a bloodthirsty creature is said to live the mountain range around Yerevan. Known as the Dakhanavar, this entity occupies a unique place in Armenian myth.
The Dakhanavar, or դախանավար, is less a revenant of human death and more a vampiric guardian of the wild, protecting the valley from intruders. It is said that he never killed the locals living there, and only those trespassing were at risk.
The Armenian Vampire Dakhanavar of the Mountain Valleys
Unlike many spectral legends that haunt graveyards or ruins, the Dakhanavar stalks the empty spaces between settlements in the south Caucasus region, particularly where water is distant and the stars are bright. It is a creature of the open night, roaming the lonely roads that connect villages across the Armenian highlands.
The Highlands of Armenia: The ancient Armenian kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires around the early 5th century. The area has also been under the rule of Ottoman and Persian empires as well as the Russian Empire. The average elevation of the country is tenth highest in the world and it has 85.9% mountain area, more than Switzerland or Nepal. From its many influences and its secluded mountains, Armenia has amassed a very unique mythology and superstition.
From the Library of Apollodorus, an Armenian superstition tells about the fear of wakening the undead: In Armenia, when a person falls sick soon after the death of a member of the family, it is supposed that the sickness is caused by the dead man, who cannot rest in his grave until he has drawn away one of his kinsfolk to the spirit land. To prevent this catastrophe, the body of the deceased is disinterred and decapitated, and to make assurance doubly sure the head is smashed or a needle is stuck into it and into the heart.
Bloodthirsty Monsters from Armenian Mythology: The Nhang was a river-dwelling serpent-monster with shape shifting powers, often connected to the more conventional Armenian dragons. The creature could change into a seal or lure a man by transforming into a woman, then drag in and drown the victim to drink its blood. The word “Nhang” is sometimes used as a generic term for a sea-monster in ancient Armenian literature.
Some of the first and only writing we have of the entity was reported by Baron August von Haxthausen in his mid-19th century account of Armenia and Russian Transcaucasia, the book Transcaucasia: Sketches of the Nations and Races Between the Black Sea and the Caspian. The tale was told to him by his travel guide, Peter Neu when they were travelling by the glaciers of Allagas and at two miles from Erivan (Yerevan) by the mountains of Ultmish Altotem as he calls them in his writings. It is not really known what specific mountains he is referring to. There were said to be 366 Valleys there, and the domain of the Dakhanavar.
The Legend of the Vampire and the Travelling Brothers
There once dwelt in a cavern in this country a vampire, called Dakhanavar, who could not endure anyone to penetrate into these mountains or count their valleys. Everyone who attempted this had in the night his blood sucked by the monster, from the soles of his feet, until he died.
The vampire was however at last outwitted by two cunning fellows: they began to count the valleys and when night came on they lay down to sleep, taking care to place themselves with the feet of the one under the head of the other. In the night the monster came, felt as usual and found a head: then he felt at the other end, and found a head there also.
‘Well,’ he cried. ‘I have gone through the whole 366 Valleys of these mountains, and have sucked the blood of people without end, but never yet did I find any one with two heads and no feet!’ So saying he ran away and was never more seen in that country; but ever after the people have known that the mountain has 366 Valleys.”
The Ale and Tpgha Spirits: According to folk superstitions, pregnant women and newborns were most vulnerable to evil spirits and demons. the ale (Alk) could enter the womb of a pregnant woman and drink the blood of the child or blind it. The alers, who took the form of young or old women (often with snake hair and fiery eyes), mainly stole the lungs, liver, or heart of newborns, or abducted a healthy newborn, leaving her fragile demonic offspring in its place.
Even today some travelers in Armenia, particularly those going into the region of Mount Ararat, generally take precautions against evil beings such as Dakhanvar. Often, they put small cloves of raw garlic in various pockets or mash it up and rub the paste on their shoes. At night, if camping out of doors, these travelers build a large fire and toss garlic bulbs into the flames. The combination of garlic aroma and a blazing fire will drive almost all of the world’s many species of vampires away.”
Survival and Legacy
The Dakhanavar represents a fear older than towns and roads. It is the fear of being alone in the dark. A reminder that in the vast spaces of earth, where water is scarce and night arrives fast, the unseen may still watch. Its name could come from the Armenian word dajan, meaning cruel.
The Only Primary Source: August Franz Ludwig Maria, Baron von Haxthausen-Abbenburg (February 3, 1792, in Bökendorf, Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn – December 31, 1866, in Hanover) was a German agricultural scientist, economist, lawyer, writer, and collector of folk songs, best known for his account of conditions in Russia as revealed by his 1843 visit. He was also friends with the Brothers Grimm, and the only primary source for the tale of the Dakhanavar vampire legend.
But where did the story really come from? As mentioned, the travel stories from Haksthausen are basically the only written source,and there is absolutely no data on this in Armenian sources, as well as in modern research. The part about people protecting themselves with garlic when going through the Mount Ararat era comes from American writer Jonathan Mayberry.
No one knows where the story really comes from, and no one really knows where it’s going. Perhaps it is as the legend said, the vampire was vanquished and never returned to the valleys. Or perhaps it’s still there, in the isolated highlands of Armenia.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Connolly Station, one of Dublin’s busiest gateways, carries thousands of travelers each day through its historic halls. Yet when the last trains have departed and the lights dim, the old station in North Dock becomes a far quieter, more unsettling place.
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Long after midnight, doors are said to open on their own, echoing footsteps are heard along the empty platforms, and security cameras have captured movements where no one should be.
Although most of the haunted tales surrounding the train station are more vague than your usually haunted place with a story, there is a particular recount of something seemingly paranormal that seems to have made its rounds online.
In 2011, a night guard watching the monitors spotted a figure moving along one of the disused platforms. The man appeared to be wearing the faded uniform of a soldier, walking with a slow, weary gait before vanishing into the shadows. When the guard rushed to investigate, the platform was deserted. The building was locked, and no trace of the visitor could be found. It was as if the soldier had never been there at all.
The Tragedy of the Dublin Bombing
What could the figure be from? Although the location has a very modern interior today, the place is actually very old, and was first built in 1844. Some have made the haunted link to the tragic Dublin bombing from World War Two.
The apparition may trace back to the station’s own tragic past. On the 31st of May, 1941, during the Dublin bombing, four German bombs fell over north Dublin North Strand Road, where the bombing damage was heaviest, killing twenty-eight people only meters from the station.
North Strand Bombing: Image/Maria McGrane Courtesy of The NPA
Though Ireland remained neutral, the explosions tore through homes and streets, and it is said that one of the dead was a young man in military dress who had been on his way to the coast. Since then, travelers and staff alike have reported the sense of a watchful presence near the platforms, as though someone is still waiting for a train that will never arrive.
Other Ghosts Rumored to Haunt the Station
Some also say that Connolly Station’s platform 5 is the home to a spectral soldier and a man in a grey suit. There have also been accounts of a woman that are seemingly from the Victorian era close to the staircase.
In the Bus Area there is supposedly a woman wearing a 70s sun hat appearing to people, especially in the ladies toilets, appearing in the mirror to the women entering.
Today, Connolly Station stands modern and busy above its haunted foundations, its ghosts drowned out by the sound of rolling trains and hurried footsteps. Yet on quiet nights, when the city stills, the faint clatter of boots and the creak of an unseen door remind Dublin that not all of its passengers have gone home.
Madigan’s Bar: Spirits Beside the Tracks
Just steps from the ghostly corridors of Connolly Station sits Madigan’s Bar, a place where travellers pause for a drink before their journey and where some never seem to leave. The pub has earned its own haunted reputation over the years, although it is unclear if it is the same haunting as the station, or something else.
Staff have told of strange happenings when the last trains have departed and the station falls silent. Glasses rattle behind the bar without cause. Cold drafts sweep across the floor, even when the doors are firmly closed. In 2011, the Irish Ghost Hunters carried out an investigation at Connolly Station and Madigan’s Bar after countless reports of paranormal activity.
Could it be that the victims of the Dublin bombing are also haunting this place? Some believe the spirits are those who died tragically on the railway and it is the ghost of passengers, soldiers, or workers tied eternally to Dublin’s great hub of departures and returns. Or could it be something else entirely that we are yet to know the full story of?
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
The Ruffinihaus is a commercial building on Sendlinger Strasse in Munich’s old town, made up of three connected sections arranged around a triangular courtyard. It rises four stories and features bay windows and stucco decoration across its street-facing facades.
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It doesn’t look like it now, but once, it used to be an execution ground. And from this, ghost stories come out at night.
East corner facing the Rindermarkt, with the Ruffiniturm fresco.
The Raven Stone Executions
Gabriel von Seidl designed the Ruffinihaus between 1903 and 1905, building it on the site of the medieval Ruffiniturm, a tower that had been part of Munich’s old city defenses. The tower was demolished to make way for the new building, which kept the name of the structure it replaced.
Diagonally opposite the Ruffinihaus , at the corner of Sendlinger Straße and Färbergraben, is a relief of a horse with the inscription “Rappeneck”. However, according to older records, it is actually the “outer Rabeneck” – a name that refers to the raven, a bird of death associated with gallows sites.
In the Middle Ages, execution sites were often called “Raven Stone” because of the ravens that swarmed around them. The house at what is now Roseneck was called the “inner Raven Corner” as a counterpart to this. After the city expansion in the 13th century under Louis the Strict, the execution sites were placed outside the new city walls.
Raven’s Stone Execution Grounds: The name Rabenstein (Raven’s Stone) derives from the phenomenon of ravens and other carrion birds regularly circling execution sites. This phenomenon can be found in many cities in Germany.
Next to the house at Rappeneck, the executioner’s house is said to have once stood on Sendlinger Straße, with the execution site behind it, in an open field. Indeed, old documents also refer to the houses at the corner of Färbergraben and Hofstatt as “am Rabenberg” (at the Raven Hill). The execution site is believed to have been located precisely where the Hofstatt (farmstead) now stands.
The Skeletons Haunting the Night
Over the years, the ground has been disturbed several times as the city grew and buildings were built on top of it. Bones were found during excavations, as those hanged were usually buried on the spot. Some claim that the area is haunted, and the executed are supposedly seen there at night, carrying their heads in their arms.
Today, strange beings are said to appear at the site every few months and then crumble to dust back to the earth, translucent figures with gaping mouths, as their final scream and words.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
At the edge of Könizwald, a wooded hill ridge in Bern, where the woods breathe with ancient wind and twilight clings to crumbling stone, there are no residences registered but ghosts. And one of the ghost said to have lingered here, are said to have watched over the city in turbulent times.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Switzerland
Once there was a country estate both serene and somber—Campagne Mon Repos, or “My Rest.” Though the grand house has long since been demolished, the legend that haunts the land remains very much alive: the spectral vigil of General Robert Scipio von Lentulus, who still guards Switzerland’s fate from beyond the grave.
The Former Manor in the Woods: The former Campagne Mon Repos estate, once home to General Robert Scipio von Lentulus, now a haunting memory in the woods of Könizwald.
The Sleeping General in Könizwald
Born in Vienna in 1714, Robert Scipio Freiherr von Lentulus was a man of distinction. He was first an officer in the Austrian service, then a lieutenant general under the Prussian flag, and eventually an influential figure in the Swiss military and political scene. People often went to him for advice and intelligence. It was said that he was from an originally Roman family who had had ties in Bern since the 1500s.
When he retired, he purchased a peaceful estate near Bern in 1779, a place meant for reflection and final repose. But even in death, the general would not find peace and his concern for the city he was put to protect seems to have lingered into his afterlife.
Portrait of a Ghost: Portrait of Robert Scipio von Lentulus (1714–1786), General, of the Grand Council of the City of Bern in 1745.
After Lentulus died in 1786, he was buried at the estate and his grave is located on the highest point of the Lentulus Hill, which bears his name.
After his death however, strange occurrences began to stir around Mon Repos. The estate passed through generations of noble Bernese families until its demolition in 1955. The solitary garden pavilion with its shutters perpetually closed was said to have been haunted by the ghost of Lentulus.
Lentulus, the Phantom Advisor
As legend has it, whenever Switzerland teeters on the brink of turmoil, brave souls gather outside the locked and weathered pavilion. They perform a solemn ritual: three times they must call out, “General Lentulus, General Lentulus—is Switzerland in danger?”
Silence is the usual reply. But not always.
On a particularly ominous evening in a time of political unrest, a group of men performed the ritual, as others had before them during the Sonderbund War, a civil war in Switzerland in 1847. The night air was thick with dread. They waited, and waited—until at last, the groaning sound of furniture scraping echoed from within the house. Shuffling footsteps followed. Then the creak of ancient hinges, as the shutters flung open.
Silhouetted in the window, stood a tall, spectral figure and it was unmistakably the ghost of General Lentulus. Pale-faced and still bearing the stoic expression of a military commander, he answered grimly, “No. Not yet. Let me go back to sleep.”
With that, the shutters closed once more, and the forest swallowed the silence again.
Though Campagne Mon Repos may be gone, the haunting of General Lentulus is said to be lingering in the woodlands of Bern. On misty nights when the country’s future feels uncertain, some claim to hear the subtle shuffle of boots and flickering light from where the pavilion was.
“Not yet,” he once said and Switzerland has been spared for many of the wars in modern time. But what if the day comes when his answer is no longer so reassuring?
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
Before Munich expanded into the modern metropolis it is today, Alter Südfriedhof served as the city’s primary burial ground a few hundred meters south of the Sendlinger Tor (Sendlinger Gate) between Thalkirchner Straße to the west and Pestalozzistraße to the east.
Read More: Check out all ghostly legends fromGermany
The Old Southern Cemetery in Munich was established in 1563 as a plague cemetery, then known as the “ferterer Freithof” (outer cemetery), outside the city gates. Thousands of plague victims, soldiers, and notable citizens rest beneath its weathered gravestones. From 1788 to 1868, it was the sole and general burial ground for the dead from the entire city.
Visitors often describe an unsettling silence that seems to swallow every sound. Reports of ghostly silhouettes drifting between monuments and unexplained cold spots have made this cemetery one of Munich’s most enduring paranormal hotspots.
Among the most famous ghosts are nine students and actors who burned to death in their Eskimo costumes at a carnival ball on February 18, 1881 that was remembered as the Eskimo Tragedy.
That evening, the Munich Academy of Fine Arts held its 1881 carnival celebration at Kil’s Colosseum. The theme was “A Pub Crawl Around the World.” The students had created various scenes from around the world, which were displayed throughout the hall, and dressed up accordingly.
Before the Fire: German photographer circa 1881: “Living Pictures” from the artists’ costume party of the Academy of Fine Arts “Knee Prizes Around the World” in Kil’s Colosseum, before the fire on February 18, 1881
The sculpture class were dressed up as polar bears and inuits, although their theme was Antartica. There was a papier-mâché igloo, as well as icebergs made of wood and plaster and herring fried over tallow candles.
Around midnight, one of the costumed figures got too close to a candle flame. The others rushed to his aid, but the flames quickly spread to their costumes. The tubs of water that had been placed inside the set for safety were forgotten in the spreading panic.
Startled by the screams of the burning Eskimos, the neighboring “Indians” wearing long coats tried to extinguish the flames, but were unsuccessful. Several of the festival-goers also tried to help the performers, dousing them with their drinks, but most did not recognize the seriousness of the situation or mistook the flames for a planned performance.
The incident was over after four minutes. While the carnival celebration continued for another hour, the twelve seriously injured were taken to the general hospital.
Seven of the nine deceased were buried in a mass grave at the Old Southern Cemetery in Munich.
The Ghosts of the Cemetery
Following this incident, all carnival events in Munich were cancelled in 1881. As a consequence, the city of Munich tightened fire safety regulations and security measures. Seven of those burned were buried in a common grave in the Old Southern Cemetery (today section 20). Their cries of pain are still said to be heard in the cemetery on that night.
During the bombing raids of World War II, the Southern Cemetery resembled a battlefield. Eyewitnesses reported open graves, broken headstones, and exposed, half-decomposed body parts. And even today, it is said that every year on February 18th, shortly before midnight, cries of pain can be heard. These are the laments of nine art students who, in the winter of 1881, were burned alive in their Eskimo costumes on their way home from a carnival ball.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the folklore of the Germans living in former Bohemia and Silesia, places that are now part of Czech Republic and Poland, a forest spirit was warned about. Particularly in the regions shaped by dense woods, marshes, and old trade routes, the spirit known as the uhaml prowled. This entity is something between ghost and monster that no one can describe how it looks like.
Lore described the uhaml as a formless figure, often glimpsed only in fleeting moments or seen more as movement in the shadows than a solid body. It was not a spirit tied to a specific grave or location, but a presence that could appear anywhere in the darkness.
Bohemia and Silesia:A lot of old folklore from these parts were often germanic because of the german settlers from medieval times, especially for mining. At times, certain settlements far outnumbered the Czech and Polish speakers. During the 1900s, there were less and less until world war two when all the Germans were expelled.
The Forest Spirit
The uhaml was not merely a scary story told to discourage children from wandering at night. It served as a cultural explanation for tragedies that the people of earlier centuries could not otherwise explain. Carriages that overturned, travelers who disappeared between towns, hunters who never returned from the woods, and people who died suddenly in the dark were all sometimes attributed to the presence of the uhaml.
The exact nature of the uhaml varied by region and storyteller. In some tales it resembled a disembodied shape moving just beyond the sight of the observer. In others it was more like a presence that could not be seen at all, only felt. Although there is no description for the creature, it is often said to be female.
The spirit is sometimes described as some sort of a demonic bird, although it is said to have horse feet. The call of uhaml is what is most prominent of the spirit, sounding something like Uhuhu, like an owl. People imitating the spirit are in danger of being chased by it.
The Uncanny Owl:The name Uhaml can be explained as a Silesian dialectal form of Standard German “unheimlich”, meaning “eerie” or “uncanny”, or can more likely be connected to the Eurasian eagle-owl, called “Uhu” in German with regard to its call. According to historians, people of olden times believed that when the eagle owl let its sinister scream sound in European forests or along the coast, it was a sign of ghosts, accidents, or other terrible things to come. In Asia, especially for the Mongolians and the Turks, the owl is seen as sacred instead.
A Folkloric Warning
But how do you save yourself from a danger you can’t see? To protect oneself of the uhaml, people were said to sometimes leave three chips of wood or a loaf of bread in the parlor. The uhaml would enter and cut the bread in two and take one of the pieces with her. If you were being chased by her, the only way to escape was to reach the border of the forest and home and to seek cover of the eaves of the roof, hoping she would pass by.
Another similar creature is found in Lower Austria close to the historical territories that had tales of the uhaml, there is the Udl. This is a demonic kind of bird dwelling in the woods covering the slopes of the castle mountain in Mödling. The screeching and nightly call of the Udl is an omen for war or other disasters.
So what was the uhaml? Some connect the legends as a sort of cousin to the German Aufhocker, another unidentifiable shapeshifting spirit of the forest, jumping on the back of other people, wearing them down. The victims often die of exhaustion because the Aufhocker cannot be shaken off or killed. As the Uhalm, the only way of getting out of the situation is by making it back home in time.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
In the old valleys of Wales, where the mists cling low to the rivers and the stones whisper beneath ancient oaks and deserted crossroads, there drifts a figure called The Gwrach y Rhibyn or the Hag of the Mist. She is a monstrous spirit of death and sorrow, an omen said to visit the doomed in the hours before their final breath.
She is not merely a ghost, but something far older and more primal, a remnant of forgotten gods or cursed fae, whose wails echo through the Welsh night like the cries of the damned. Sometimes mentioned as a witch, vampire or a Welsh Banshee.
The Legend of the Gwrach y Rhibyn
The Gwrach y Rhibyn appears as a withered crone, her skin corpse-pale and drawn tight over sharp bones. Her tangled hair hangs like seaweed over her sunken eyes, and her blackened teeth glint when she opens her mouth to scream. She sometimes is said to have leathery, bat-like wings that stretch from her arms, and her fingers end in claws long enough to rake through the soul. The sight of her alone is enough to drive men to madness.
So ugly is she that there is a Welsh saying that goes: Y mae mor salw Gwrach y Rhibyn, meaning: She is as ugly as the Gwrach y Rhibyn.
She is often heard but seldom seen, for the Gwrach y Rhibyn moves through the mists unseen, brushing past her victims as she follows them along lonely roads or beside dark waters and rivers she is said to linger around. She is often mixed with the legend of the Canwyll Corph, or corpse candles, like will-o-the-wisps orbs of bluish white light seen around graveyards or places where people died.
The Harbinger of Death
Her arrival is always heralded by the rising of mist—dense, choking vapors that seep across crossroads and riverbanks. It is said she calls out to the living by name, her voice a shrill cry that freezes the blood. She is a death omen and the one seeing her, will either die soon, or someone close to them will.
“Fy ngŵr! Fy ngŵr!” She wails for a husband soon to die. “Fy mhlentyn bach!” she shrieks for the innocent whose time has come. Sometimes, her cry is that of a man, “Fy ngwraig!” echoing through the blackened air. No matter the form her voice takes, it is always followed by death.
Those who claim to have seen her say she hovers at windows, her wings brushing against the glass as she calls to the doomed inside. Others tell of meeting her at the crossing of streams, where she kneels to wash her hands, not in water but in the memory of blood.
Like the Irish Banshee, the Gwrach y Rhibyn is said to only warn about the death of only those with pure Welsh blood or bloodline.
Haunting for Blood
Although she is mostly known for just warning people about a near death, she’s not particularly known for taking their lives.
There is a lore about her enjoying hunting down children though and takes a fair bit of blood from them. Terrified, they come home, pale and sickly. She is even said that she is sometimes feeding on babies blood straight from their crib.
For a long time, it was said that when a healthy baby grew to be a sickly child, it was the Gwrach y Rhibyn who had been taking their blood. This part of the lore is also why she sometimes is said to have stained black teeth and that her mouth is dripping with blood. Sometimes she is even said to have hollow and long vampiric fangs she drinks the children’s blood with.
Another lore linking her with the European vampiric myths is that she is said to come back to feed on the same victim again again, causing them to wither away in the end and die.
Encounter with the Witch at the Cow and Snuffers in Llandaff
There seems to be not too many specific encounters with Gwrach Y Rhibyn that have been written down and preserved, but one of them comes from Wirt Sikes in his book British Goblins from 1880, and perhaps one of the most retold in collections of folktales about the Hag of the Mist:
The book tells the tale of a respectable farmer that Mr. Sikes met while on a walk close to Cardiff in 1878, who told the author of his encounter on the night of November 14th, 1877 with the terrible Hag of the Dribble. While visiting an old friend in Llandaff, the farmer was sleeping soundly in his bed when he was abruptly awakened “by a terrible screeching and shaking of my window. It was a loud and clear screech, and the shaking of my window was very plain, but it seemed to go by like the wind.” Excited more than frightened, the farmer jumped out of bed, ran over to the window, and flung the thing open.
“Then I saw the Gwrach Y Rhibyn,” the farmer said, “a horrible old woman with long red hair and a face like chalk, and great teeth like tusks, looking back over her shoulder at me as she went through the air with a long black gown trailing along the ground below her arms, for body I could make out none.” The hag gave out another ungodly shriek while the farmer stared at her, completely dumbfounded by what he was seeing. Then he heard the creature buffeting her wings against another window on a house just below the one he was staying in. And then, she finally vanished from his sight. The farmer stared into the night, and swore that “as I am a living man, sir, I saw her go in at the door of the Cow and Snuffers Inn, and return no more.” He watched the inn’s door for a long time after the incident, but he never saw her come back out before he drifted off into sleep once again.
The next day, the farmer was told that the innkeeper of the Cow and Snuffers, who went by the name of Llewellyn, had passed away during the night. The man had kept the inn for seventy years, and his family for three hundred years before him, at the exact same inn. The farmer, having sworn that all of this was true, left Mr. Sikes with one final thought: “It’s not these new families that the Gwrach Y Rhibyn ever troubles, sir, it’s the old stock”
The Vampiric Gwrach y Rhibyn in Llyn-y-Guelan-Goch
One of the stories that makes the Gwrach Y Rhibyn more vampiric though is from Bob Curran’s vampire books. Although the research of his books has been under much scrutiny, here it is. It is also worth noting this story doesn’t seem to appear anywhere else except in his book, although it is quite a detailed one.
In the small hamlet of Llyn-y-Guelan-Goch near Llanfor, villagers lived in fear of an ancient burial ground known for ghost lights and terrible noises after dark. A retired minister, Reverend Elias Pugh, was known locally for his knowledge of witchcraft and spirits, which brought some comfort to the community. One night, an elderly woman named Ann Hughes passed the cemetery and saw a strange stooped figure among the graves. Soon after, she sensed something following her. At a crossroads, the presence revealed itself as a bluish flame that transformed into a hideous hag in a green cloak stained with blood. Ann collapsed and later awoke with a bleeding wound on her wrist, certain the creature had fed on her blood.
In the small hamlet of Llyn-y-Guelan-Goch near Llanfor, villagers lived in fear of an ancient burial ground known for ghost lights and terrible noises after dark. A retired minister, Reverend Elias Pugh, was known locally for his knowledge of witchcraft and spirits, which brought some comfort to the community. One night, an elderly woman named Ann Hughes passed the cemetery and saw a strange stooped figure among the graves. Soon after, she sensed something following her. At a crossroads, the presence revealed itself as a bluish flame that transformed into a hideous hag in a green cloak stained with blood. Ann collapsed and later awoke with a bleeding wound on her wrist, certain the creature had fed on her blood.
Places where the Gwrach Y Rhibyn is said to have haunted in Wales:
St Donats Castle
This ghost heralds a death in the family very much like a banshee – wailing pierces the night air, and scratching is heard at windows. The entity was named as Lady Stradling, murdered by another member of her family. The apparition is also seen, some writing at it resembles an old, haggled woman, while others claim the figure wears high heels and a gown made of fine silk. If this was not enough, the castle is also reported to be home to a large floating eye that glows, a semi-transparent large black cat, and a piano that has a habit of playing itself.
This old hag is said to still haunt the ruins here from around the 1850s. Some say that she was conjured up by the fairy folk residing in the area, when the master of the castle cast them out because of their feasts. Or was she the work of the sorcerer who conjured up the castle from thin air? In any case, it was said to be dangerous to sleep in the castle, as those who spent the night woke up mad after seeing her appear in front of them.
Once owners of the building, the de Clares family were haunted by a Gwrach-y-rhibyn, warning them about an imminent death in the family. Now they have moved away, the ghost is still seen – drifting towards the castle only to disappear once she enters the ruins. A figure dressed in green also haunts the building.
Although not so many sources written down about this legend, it is said that the Gwrach-y-rhibyn has been haunting the old castle as well as the surrounding area with local tales dating back to the Victorian times at least.
The little information about her comes from the Ceredigion area, connected to Cors Bochno near Borth. According to T. Gwynn Jones, “Gwrach y Rhibyn” is associated with the Glamorgan area and believed to be a death omen.
Folklorists believe that the Gwrach y Rhibyn may once have been divine once. The word gwrach may have been ancient Celtic, and was perhaps more of a wise and elderly woman, not just the witch or hag the word has become today, mostly with negative connotations.
Interesting though, Bob Curran, writer of vampire books claims that the vampiric element to the witch has been dropped in recent times rather than been added on, as many of the old folkloric had a revamp of in the 19th and 20th century. There is however, a controversy regarding his claims as well as his books.
The Enduring Legend of The Gwrach y rhibyn
Witches are intimately connected with the eve of the Celtic festival of winter (Noson Calan Gaeaf), during which the gwrachod were said to wander the landscape, strong in the dark. Bonfires were lit, ghoulish faces carved into turnips to scare off evil, including witches.
The Gwrach y rhibyn is often fused together with the Cyhyraeth. They have a lot of similarities, but it was the nineteenth-century folklore collectors who fused the two figures.
A leading figure in Welsh mythology, Ceridwen featuring in works by medieval bards, Victorian writers and modern artists. She is regarded as the goddess of rebirth, transformation, and inspiration by modern pagans.
Some whisper that she is a forgotten water spirit, or perhaps a shadow of Dôn, the ancient Welsh goddess of creation and the sky. Dôn has different etymological origins than the Irish Danu; while the latter is perhaps a water goddess (cf. the Danube river and the Vedic Danu), Dôn more likely comes from ghdhonos, meaning “the earth.” In this sense, she can be seen as the Welsh version of “dheghom” from Proto-Indo-European mythology, the primordial Earth Goddess from which all other gods originate.
Others say she is the cursed wife of Afagddu, the misshapen son of Ceridwen, doomed to wander forever as the harbinger of death. But whatever her origin, her purpose remains unchanged. She is the messenger who brings the final warning, the cold breath that precedes the grave.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show.
Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.
Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door.
Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst.
Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks.
Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood.
Unhappy with the lack of beer in heaven, the Bavarian angel never returned when sent on a mission back on earth. To this day, he sits at The Hofbräuhaus bar in Munich, enjoying his brew.
Sometimes called the Devil’s Stone, the ruins of the former Mödling Castle is said to be haunted by a demonic bird-like entity, screeching at night as an omen of death and disaster.
