Each nation creates many legends about various supernatural creatures that inhabit the world around it.
Such creatures are divided into good ones and those who seek to harm a person. The latter, as a rule, are more, and the point is not only that the environment in ancient times was dangerous and almost every day promised death, but also that fear always attracts, and there must be something, how you can tickle your nerves and others on a dark evening after dinner.
British folklore is quite remarkable in this regard, full of very sinister creatures.
Boggarts - evil house spirits
Boggart is a kind of brownie. But he is similar to him only in that he lives in a house with people. Boggarts choose a dark, quiet place under a bed or in a closet. They can change shape, taking on the appearance of pets.
It is sometimes said that boggart can also pretend to be human. It is very simple to understand that a boggart has wound up in the house - a large number of different unpleasant incidents begin to occur. People stumble for no reason - the boggart threw himself at his feet. Items disappear or move without permission. Doors make sounds like someone is opening them. The floorboards creak as if someone is walking on them. Food deteriorates very quickly.
Changing your home may not help. Boggart is able to follow the people to whom he is attached. Moreover, the word "boggart" itself cannot be pronounced - these creatures do not like it. Boggart can only be driven away through magical rituals.
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Jack the Lantern and the Swamp Lights
Fires in swamps, visible in the dark, are a frequent phenomenon, and today no one attaches mystical significance to it. But in ancient times in Britain it was believed that these are spirits trying to carry a person into a disastrous swamp.
These spirits came to British folklore from Celtic mythology. Some legends say that swamp lights can indicate treasures. At a later time, a story appeared about a certain Jack, who during his lifetime was so full of anger and hatred that his soul went to Hell. There, the devil himself placed a burning coal in Jack's palm.
Now Jack wanders through the swamps, calling people with the fire of this coal. He was promised that if he could destroy a certain number of people in this way, he could receive deliverance.
Another Jack from British folklore is called the Jumping Jack. They started talking about him in the first half of the 19th century.
He was described as a human-like creature in a tight-fitting black suit, with red glowing eyes, very long clawed fingers on his hands. At the same time, his claws looked as if they were steel.
He received his nickname for making long jumps, including from the roof of one house to another. Jumping jack attacked people, burning them with fire, tearing them apart with monstrous claws. Its last appearance was noted at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Modern researchers believe that Jumping Jack could be one person or even several different people pretending to be a monster in order to satisfy the passion for violence under such guise.
GUSAKOVA IRINA YURIEVNA