In the south of Scotland, near the city of Gervan, there is a deep cave in the coastal cliffs, which the locals willingly show to tourists, telling a blood-chilling story. According to legend, in the XIV-XV centuries this place was the abode of real cannibals.
Medieval Scots in Braveheart. / Photo: tvkinoradio.ru.
In the Middle Ages, Scotland was one of the most remote corners of Europe. Numerous clans ruled politics here, and the locals were distinguished by their peculiar, sometimes very cruel disposition.
Contemporary photograph of the man-eating cave. / Photo: clan.com.
In the 14th century, Alexander "Sawney" Bean grew up in one of the families of Scottish commoners. The young man was not attracted by hard work and, having married, he decided to leave home. His life partner, whom people called a witch in a whisper, also did not seek to work with her hands. Together they settled in a cave by the sea.
The grotto, more than 200 meters long, was only accessible at low tide. The rest of the time the entrance was flooded. It was the perfect hideout for a night outlaw like Alexander Bean.
Procession in the cave of cannibals. Seymour Lucas, 1896. / Photo: southayrshirehistory.wordpress.com.
He lived with his wife in a cave for 25 years. The couple raised 14 children. Incest flourished in the clan; many children and grandchildren of Alexander Bin agreed in incest. None of them worked, but they willingly joined the family gang - robbed travelers and made daring raids on local residents. But the prey was still not enough to feed the huge family.
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Bloody kitchen in the cannibal cave. Mary Byfield, 1825. / Photo: southayrshirehistory.wordpress.com.
And at some point, people from the clan of Alexander "Souny" Bean began to eat human flesh. Now they were killing people for a specific purpose. They took the bodies of the victims to their ominous cave, where the remains were pickled and smoked. And some parts were simply thrown into the sea.
The disappearances of people in the whole area did not go unnoticed. Local residents started a real hunt for "ghouls", but they could not find the cave. When King James VI of Scotland found out about this, he equipped an entire expedition. 400 soldiers turned literally everything in the area literally upside down. In the cave of the cannibals, 48 people from the clan of Alexander Bina were arrested. The soldiers saw the place where about 1000 innocent people were killed and eaten. The cannibals were transported to Edinburgh, Leith and Glasgow. Without trial or investigation, the men were tortured and quartered, and the women were burned at the stake.
Still from the classic horror film The Hills Have Eyes, 1977. / Photo: alchetron.com.
Thus ended the existence of the Scottish clan of cannibals. But the memory of this family is still alive today. In 1977 the movie “The Hills Have Eyes” was released on the big screen, the plot elements of which were borrowed from the legendary medieval history.