So now the nights are drawing in ....

[weekendwellies]

and halloween is approaching here is some info on the coming celebration.

Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in') marked the end of the "season of the sun" (Summer) and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold" (Winter).

Halloween comes from All Hallow Even, the eve (night before) All Hallows day. Therefore, Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day.

The celts believed that evil spirits came with the long hours of winter darkness. They believed that on that night the barriers between our world and the spirit world were at their weakest and therefore spirits were most likely to be seen on earth.


Anyone got any good ghost stories to tell the kiddies on the night in question?

[Nicos]

Nope- but I always think of my father on halloween cos he died around that time 32 years ago- and if ghosts did come back on that day, I'd love to have a natter with him

[weekendwellies]

The one that springs to mind from my locality is the Tarbock Fiend

Even to this day the area is mostly fields, the roads long, winding and can be terribly lonely for walkers.

The Brickwall Inn is a pub and stands on Netherley Road, Tarbock, on the outskirts of Liverpool. Built in 1940 it replaced the original inn of the same name, built in the late 17th century. it has quite a history of terrifying supernatural mystery.

once upon a time a creature known as the 'Tarbock Fiend' or the 'Cronton Vampire' and by many other names as well, but to this day no one knows just exactly what instilled so much fear into the hearts of the people who lived in the countryside surrounding the Inn all those years ago.

Around 1838 A group of farmers joined together and called themselves Farmers Rest Lodge. a friendly society that acted both as co-operative group and a charity for worthy causes. They met at the Brickwall Inn and one blazing day in July 1939, two of the members came across an injured 14 year old girl, who staggered along a cinder path, that is now known has Greenbridge Lane clutching her neck, crying inconsolably, her clothes were soaked in blood. The men finally seized her terrified horse, further down the path, which had been badly gored with a knife, it was in an awful state. The whites of the terrified animal's eyes could be seen, its ears pinned back, it quivered with fear. The girl said that her attacker was very tall, muscular and with a mass of unruly black hair, his nose was large and wide, his mouth contained a row of half rotted teeth, his bulging eyes crackling with insanity and appeared to be more like an animal than a human. He wore a long flowing black cape and a pair of black leather gauntlets, and he had used his gloved hands to try and throttle her after jumping out from behind some trees as she rode along the lane. She said that he dragged her off the horse and savagely bit into her neck. She managed to wrestle herself on of his clutches and he vanished into the nearby woods. The girl was taken to the Inn where her wounds were tended by the local doctor.

After this incident the creature was usually seen at night, it was frequently hunted but never caught.

It disappeared for a while but resurfaced in the 1840s, again it disappeared but in 1858/59 it was quite often reported to have been seen in a number of places including, Halewood, Tarbock and Knowsley.

One stormy night in 1898, a local vagrant burst into the Brickwall Inn, gasping he told the pub landlord that he had been chased across the fields by the Devil himself and the landlord was so convinced that this was the creature that he locked - up and loaded his shotgun. Moments later something pounded on the doors and a spine-chilling face appeared at the window, locals in the pub refused to leave the premises until four in the morning. when the grey light of dawn crept over the manor.

[Nicos]

...and now you expect me o get back to sleep????

[weekendwellies]

...and now you expect me o get back to sleep????

You'll be fine all the way over there. Its me that travels that particular area.

[Nicos]

* keeps looking at window -just in case!

[lettucegrow!]

You lot obviously keep strange hours being up until the small hours talking ghosts! Had enough trouble as it was sleeping last night, glad I didn't come on here!!!

[Snadger]

Nope- but I always think of my father on halloween cos he died around that time 32 years ago- and if ghosts did come back on that day, I'd love to have a natter with him

My dear auld Dad died on OH's birthday 27th Oct and was buried on Halloween also!

[Patchninja]

In France, November 1st is a public holiday - All Souls - families clean and put flowers on the graves of the dear departed.

The Bretons also believe that the noise of the wind in the hedgerows is the sound of the dead moaning and rattling their bones in agony so on the night of Oct 31st, you should light a huge fire in the grate and open the front and back doors of your house to let the poor old ghosts come in and warm themselves.

The Bretons also have "Ankou" - the grim reaper who doesn't exist in many places in France. Nicos, do you have him in Normandy?

[Nicos]

We have plenty more than 'an cow' here

* gets me coat!!


...nope- not heard of anything like Ankou here, but I'll certainly ask around and let you know!

[Pumpkin Becki]

I was just on the last paragraph of ww story when there was a loud knock at the door - I leapt out of my skin!! (I'm such a wuss )

[Nicos]

OMG PB....was there anyone there????

[Pumpkin Becki]

Yes, it was the Postman...but his teeth were a bit strange, and he'd got this strange rain mac on...you could almost descibe it as a cape...and it was black not blue...erm, was it a mistake to invite him in for a bite to eat?

[Nicos]

te he!!!!...I hope you kept your neck covered???

[bobleponge]

PN, I learnt the word in French for Mr G Reaper (in my area anyway) just before I came back to work. Obviously I've now forgotten it again, but I will be phoning Mme P this eve I expect, so will relearn it. Pretty sure its not the one you said though.


ETA, apparently the common word is Le Focheuse (sp) which is also what they call a crane fly and a scythe, L'ankou is used a little round my way but there is another word which Mme P cant remember (senile at her age) so she's going to find out from daughter.