25 Creatures in English Folklore and Myth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

What creatures and ghouls can be found in England's folklore and mythology? Black Dogs, Ghosts, Goblins, Faeries, Sprites and Big Cats lurk in our forests, marshes and hills and lakes. This list of 25 creatures will give you a good overview of what the English people believed and in many cases still believe regarding our folklore.

Recorded January 2023, with clips from Yorkshire, Northumberland and Suffolk filmed in 2022 and 2021.

If you'd like to support my work, you can do so via Patreon with a monthly subscription or with a one-off payment via Paypal. Your help is greatly appreciated as it aids me with travel costs and entry fees. Links below:

Music used:
DRAGONS by Vivek Abhishek
Dark Ambient Background Music - Haunted by CO.AG Music
The End is Always Near by Myuu
Phantasm by Kevin Macleod
Road to Hell by Kevin Macleod
Tenebrous Brothers Carnival by Kevin Macleod
Relent by Kevin Macleod
Celtic Impulse by Kevin Macleod
Other songs composed by Albert Schofield for the Jolly Reiver project.

List of Creatures:
1) Will-O-The-Wisp
2) The Barghest
3) Redcaps
4) Hairy Hands
5) Black Annis
6) The White Lady
7) Apple Tree Man
8) Boggarts
9) Knockers
10) The Gytrash
11) Spring Heeled Jack
12) The Brown Man of the Muirs
13) Mermaids
14) Grindylow
15) Bluecaps
16) Herne the Hunter
17) Vampires
18) The Lambton Worm
19) Hobs
20) Dwarves
21) Knuckers
22) Giants
23) Green Children of Woolpit
24) Black Shuck
25) Beast of Bodmin Moor

The Jolly Reiver is my project aiming to preserve and promote the forgotten folklore and history of rural Britain. Primarily focusing on folklore and legends, you’ll not find me trying to deconstruct these old stories or trying to rationalise them with science and psychology. Instead I will present them as they were always told by our forebears, and leave the conclusions up to you. Videos are filmed on location to show you exactly where these stories took place.

[daflondon]

The types of creatures, entities and spirits discussed here are universal within all traditional cultures. They exist in liminal states, which are inaccessible to the mind that has been clouded by modern “education” and stifled by materialism. Jolly Reiver reminds us that they do exist, and to encounter them we must connect with the wisdom of our ancestors.

[thewoodlander]

So much rich history contained within our folk tales. Your work keeping this alive, which you do in a tremendous way, is of the utmost importance, today more than ever.

[jimalexander]

You have a gift for narration and storytelling. Watching your videos feels like being in a pub in Northumberland a hundred years ago while some well-traveled fellow tells you all that he's seen.

[ryantudor]

I'm English and have heard of a few of these myths, but not all of the one this list it's interesting to learn about them.

[mon_moi]

love Europe's folklore, especially from the British Isles and Scandinavia

[benfisher]

Thank you for doing these videos and giving a spotlight to english cultural heritage. I sometimes feel we as a country too easily discard our folklore etc

[RissaFirecat]

I just found you. Black Annis is someone that my mother told me about. Even in Los Angeles, she scared me to death when I was little. Thank you for telling us about her here. You amaze me.

[kitchenskillet]

This was riveting, as the wind howls tonight in county Durham. Loved the narration and accompanying images.

[martintremethick]

I look for English folk lore, myths and folk music but all to often it comes back with Scottish, Irish even American. Thank you for covering English tales. Myths and legends are fascinating wherever they’re from but English ones are too often considered not important. Keep the tales coming.

[anonanon]

1. 0:34 Will-o-the-wisp
2. 1:50 The Barghest
3. 2:49 Redcaps
4. 3:48 Hairy Hands
5. 4:51 Black Annis
6. 5:42 The White Lady
7. 6:59 The Apple Tree Man
8. 8:01 Boggarts
9. 8:53 Knockers
10. 9:33 The Gytrash
11. 10:17 Spring Heeled Jack
12. 11:17 The Brown Man Of The Moores
13. 12:21 Mermaids
14. 13:18 Gryndylow
15. 14:19 Blue Caps
16. 15:08 Herne The Hunter
17. 16:08 Vampires
18. 17:07 The Lambton Worm
19. 17:52 Hobs
20. 18:42 Dwarves
21. 19:25 Knuckers
22. 19:57 Giants
23. 20:48 Green Children Of Woolpit
24. 21:43 Black Shuck
25. 22:23 The Beast Of Bodmin Moore

[happymonk]

I always like to learn about folklore of different creatures from different countries.

[connorricketts]

loved it thank you for keeping folklore alive and you have a great voice and loved the music

[tweenbean]

This video recalls my art class trip to Scotland in 2006, it was absolutely majestic ❤️ Stayed in a rebuilt castle in Arbroath & traveled up the east coast & eventually ferried to the Orkney Islands, saw scara brae underground village.
I love Scotland, beautiful country, history & culture.
(I also enjoyed the haggis :)

[jwilson]

New stories to research and unpack. Thank you Sir.

[anonanon]

Great to see Gryndylows being mentioned, as it's one I've always taught my children about here in Lancashire. It was most famously depicted in the Harry Potter books/films but it doesnt seem to have much awareness around it as an English folk creature beyond that. Thank you for the brilliant video.

[pharcyde]

Superb english history is so rich with folklore, and too easily lost.

I've been reading about this sort of thing for 40+ years, and you've done really well, Out of 25 mentioned cryptids, you've found 6 out of 25 that I'd never heard of! Redcaps, The Apple Tree Man, Gytrash, The Brown Man of the Muirs, Bluecaps, and Knuckers!

[violetmoonofthenorth]

Great video. I’m from the northeast .. funny enough some of my family members have seen the spirit of The Barghest if that’s what it’s called, the black dog we called it, before my grandfather passed away. Love this as it’s adds so much to the area. 👀🐾

[donnyskinglongliveme]

Thank you Mr Reiver! The other videos on youtube about this subject are a bit annoying to say the least, but you've done a brilliant and atmospheric job here! It's also only right that the folklore of England should be honoured and seen as distinct from the other countries within the UK. I got shivers from wandering through the woods with that beautiful tune playing at the start! I have often found myself alone on the moors and i'm sure the brown men must inhabit all moorlands, as his presence is obvious sometimes. I've also seen willo the wisps as i lived close to marshlands as a bairn. You know what shocked me the most though, , no fairies!

[alecwilliams]

As a student of British history and fan of many a weird tale, I thank you for showing this very interesting feature.