MONSTERS, CRYPTIDS AND SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
BLACK ANNIS
Black Agnes, Black Anna, Black Anny, Cat Anna
Black Annis is a terrifying figure from English folklore, whom once prowled the countryside of Leicestershire and had a taste for human flesh (especially that of children). She was said to dwell in a cave, up in the Dane Hills, known by locals as Black Annis' Bower Close, which she carved out of the sandstone with her iron claws. At the entrance stood a great oak tree, which she would climb in to and hide in wait for unsuspecting passers by to drop down on. At night she would venture out of her cave in search of children and lambs to devour, afterwards tanning their skins by hanging them from the tree before wearing them around her waist. Legend tells, that she would reach inside the tiny cottage windows with a long boney arm and snatch babies. This led to parents warning their children that Black Annis would get them if they did not behave. The hag's horrible howl could be heard from up to 5 miles away, giving frightened locals time to prepare for her visit by bolting doors, fastening skins across the window and placing protective herbs above it to keep themselves safe. It is said that you could even hear her sharp teeth grinding together when she was nearby. Her cave was filled with dirt late into the nineteenth-century, possibly burying Black Annis forever and a housing estate now stands on the grounds of the old crone's lair.
Physiology:
She was said to be tall and thin, with long boney arms and spindly, long fingers, tipped with sharp iron claws, that were used to tear her victims to pieces. Her skin was strangely blue and her eyes glowed in the waning light. Her teeth were viciously long and sharp and she is descibed as wearing a skirt fashioned from the tanned skins of the children she devoured.
Etylmology:
Annis is thought to be derived from the celtic goddess Anu, however, as Leicester was settled by Anglo-Saxons as well as Danes, this may be untrue. It may also have derived from Aniseed, which was often used to ward against the evil eye and protection from evil spirits.
History:
The earliest known reference to Black Annis comes in the form of two title deeds, dated May 13th and 14th, 1764, that referrences a parcel of land as "Black Anny's Bower Close"
Territory:
England
Origination:
It is thought that Black Annis could originate from one of two women. In the 15th Century, there was a Dominican nun named Agnes Scott cared for a leper colony up in the Dane Hills. The other is the witch or wise-woman who foretold Richard III's death. As he rode over Leicester's Bow Bridge on his way to the Battle of Bosworth, his foot struck a stone. The woman told how, on his return, it would be his head that hit that stone. When Richard's corpse was brought back over Bow bridge his head did indeed hit the same place.
Nature:
Molevolent and predatory. Will purposefully seek out and abduct children as a food source and means of sustenance. Using their remains as a macabre form of decoration after the act, displays either and absence of humanity or a complete hatred of it. Black Annis is a merciless, sanguinary huntress touched by pure evil.
Modus Operandi:
Waits for nightfall, where she will searchout homesteads vulnerable to attack and, if possible, reach in through unguarded windows and snatch babies. Will also prey on young children that wander the hills too late, those that stray too close to her lair and young farm animals, that are left out unprotected.
Vulnerability:
According to many, Black Annis' cave or Bower as it was known, was filled in with earth towards the end of the 19th Century, silencing her forever more. Therefore it would seem, that as terrifying and supernatural in appeaqrance as she was, she was nevertheless vulnerable to harm, just as that of any normal man, suffering the same fate, when buried alive. That said, Black Annis is still believed to haunt the area of the Church of St. Mary de Castro and Leicester Castle. and some claim to have seen a supernatural black cat around the area of her old lair. Could this insinuate that, although her physical form was easily destroyed, her evil spirit is proving to be a little more resilient.