Black Annis
Black Annis’s Bower by John Heyrick 1742-97
Where down the plain the winding pathway
falls
From Glenfield Vill to Lester’s ancient walls,
Nature or Art with imitative power,
Far in the glenn has placed Black Annis’ Bower.
From Glenfield Vill to Lester’s ancient walls,
Nature or Art with imitative power,
Far in the glenn has placed Black Annis’ Bower.
An oak, the pride of all the mossy dell,
Spread its broad arms above the stony cell;
And many a bush, with hostile thorns arrayed,
Forbids the secret cavern to invade;
Whilst delving vales each way meander round,
And violet banks with redolence abound.
Spread its broad arms above the stony cell;
And many a bush, with hostile thorns arrayed,
Forbids the secret cavern to invade;
Whilst delving vales each way meander round,
And violet banks with redolence abound.
Here, if the uncouth song of former days
Soil not the page with Falsehood’s artful lays,
Black Annis held her solitary reign,
The dread and wonder of the neighbouring plain.
The shepherd grieved to view his waning flock,
And traced his firstlings to the gloomy rock.
No vagrant children culled (the) flow’rets then,
For infant blood oft stained the gory den.
Soil not the page with Falsehood’s artful lays,
Black Annis held her solitary reign,
The dread and wonder of the neighbouring plain.
The shepherd grieved to view his waning flock,
And traced his firstlings to the gloomy rock.
No vagrant children culled (the) flow’rets then,
For infant blood oft stained the gory den.
Not Sparta’s mount, for infant tears
renown’d,
Echo’d more frequently the piteous sound.
Oft the gaunt Maid the frantic Mother curs’d,
Whom Britain’s wolf with savage nipple nurs’d;
Whom Lester’s sons beheld, aghast the scene,
Nor dared to meet the Monster of the Green.
Echo’d more frequently the piteous sound.
Oft the gaunt Maid the frantic Mother curs’d,
Whom Britain’s wolf with savage nipple nurs’d;
Whom Lester’s sons beheld, aghast the scene,
Nor dared to meet the Monster of the Green.
Tis said the soul of mortal man recoil’d,
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
Glar’d in her visage; while the obscene waist
Warm skins of human victims close embraced.
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
Glar’d in her visage; while the obscene waist
Warm skins of human victims close embraced.
But Time, than Man more certain, tho’ more
slow,
At length ‘gainst Annis drew his sable bow;
The great decree the pious shepherds bless’d,
And general joy the general fear confess’d.
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,
Scoop’d with her claws beneath the flinty ground;
In these the swains her hated body threw,
But left the entrance still to future view,
That children’s children might the tale rehearse,
And bards record it in their tuneful verse.
At length ‘gainst Annis drew his sable bow;
The great decree the pious shepherds bless’d,
And general joy the general fear confess’d.
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,
Scoop’d with her claws beneath the flinty ground;
In these the swains her hated body threw,
But left the entrance still to future view,
That children’s children might the tale rehearse,
And bards record it in their tuneful verse.
But in these listless days, the idle bard
Gives to the wind all themes of cold regard;
Forgive, then, if in rough, unpolished song,
An unskilled swain the dying tale prolong.
Gives to the wind all themes of cold regard;
Forgive, then, if in rough, unpolished song,
An unskilled swain the dying tale prolong.
And you, ye Fair, whom Nature’s scenes
delight,
If Annis’ Bower your vagrant steps invite,
Ere the bright sun Aurora’s car succeed,
Or dewy evening quench the thirsty mead,
Forbear with chilling censures to refuse
Some gen’rous tribute to the rustic muse.
A violet or common daisy throw,
Such gifts as Maro’s lovely nymphs bestow;
Then shall your Bard survive the critic’s frown,
And in your smiles enjoy his best renown.
If Annis’ Bower your vagrant steps invite,
Ere the bright sun Aurora’s car succeed,
Or dewy evening quench the thirsty mead,
Forbear with chilling censures to refuse
Some gen’rous tribute to the rustic muse.
A violet or common daisy throw,
Such gifts as Maro’s lovely nymphs bestow;
Then shall your Bard survive the critic’s frown,
And in your smiles enjoy his best renown.
In England
the area of Leicester carries the tale of an old hag woman dressed in black
that lived in a cave, the Leicester Chronicle (newspaper) carried this
description in 1874:
“Little
children who went to run on the Dane Hills, were assured that she lay in wait
there, to snatch them away to her ‘bower’ where she scratched them to death
with her claws, sucked their blood, and hung up their skins out to dry.”
The newspaper ran an investigation to see if the stories were based on fact or fiction.
The newspaper ran an investigation to see if the stories were based on fact or fiction.
The poem
above was written by John Heyrick a lieutenant in the 15th Regiment
of Light Dragoons and was apparently credited as an upstanding man and a
courageous soldier. Heyrick fully
believed that his poem was based on historical accuracy and was a true story.
According to
Heyrick, the bower (cave) belonging to Black Annis lay between Leicester and
Glenfield in an area called the Dane Hills.
Investigations have confirmed that the cave did indeed exist there along
with the oak tree that stood over the entrance.
Sadly it has now all be built over with a large housing estate.
His
description of Black Annis says she was large with blue skin and one eye…sound
familiar? I also wonder (and it has been
suggested by others) whether there is a connection between the name Annis and
the goddess Anu or Danu/Dana – another ancient mother goddess, perhaps Black
Annis being a crone aspect? Although in
the following tale it tells of a dead cat used in a celebration, the cat was
doused in aniseed (anise) which was believed to avert the evil eye and protect
against bad spirits, perhaps there is a link between the name Annis and
aniseed? Cats were believed to transform
into witches…
Many years
before Heyrick’s poem emerged the town of Leicester held a celebration on
Easter Monday where the town leaders would visit Black Annis’ bower to witness
the tailing of a cat before a pack of hounds (ewww) this celebration was to
welcome in the spring. Recorded by
historian Throsby:
The
morning was spent in various amusements and athletic exercises, till a dead
cat, about noon, was prepared by aniseed water, for commencing the mock hunting
of the hare. In about half an hour after the cat had been trailed from the tail
of a horse over the grounds, in zigzag directions, the hounds were directed to
the spot where the cat had been trailed from. Here the hounds gave tongue, in
glorious concert. The people from the various eminences, who had placed
themselves to behold the sight, with shouts of rapture, gave applause; the
horsemen, dashing after the hounds through foul passages and over fences, were
emulous for taking the lead of their fellows. It was a scene, upon the whole,
of joy; the governing and the governed, in the habits of freedom, enjoying
together an innocent and recreating amusement, serving to unite them in bonds
of mutual friendship, rather than to embitter their days with discord and
disunion. As the cat had been trailed to the mayor’s door, through some of the
principle streets, consequently the dogs and horsemen followed. After the hunt
was over, the mayor gave a handsome treat to his friends. In this manner the
day ended.”
The stories
of Black Annis seem to be centred in and around the area of Leicester but all
suggest that she is a hag, a bringer of death and the winter. In all the tales she is described as being
extremely tall with blue skin and usually with talons and/or long teeth and one
eye and generally favours the bad habit of eating people especially children
and was often blamed for the death or disappearance of livestock. She would wait in her cave ready to pounce on
any children that wandered too far from the village. Once she devoured the children she would hang
their skins out to dry. Perhaps this was
a bit of an embellishment on the story to stop children from misbehaving?
I do think
maybe she was the goddess that looked after the souls of those children that
passed away too young. And perhaps also
as the culler for herds of animals, taking the lives of those that were weak allowing
the strongest to survive?
The
townsfolk of Leicester would lock and bar their doors and windows when they
heard the howling of Black Annis, they would tie bunches of herbs above the
windows to stop her reaching inside and stealing their babies.
I find
interestingly that a lot of the descriptions of Black Annis also echo those of
the Hindu goddess Kali. Was Black Annis
the English version of The Cailleach, I like to think so but the decision is
yours to make.
Taken from Pagan Portals The Cailleach
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