Bloody Bones

VampireUnited Kingdom · Western EuropeLegendFear 8/10

Description

영국 설화에 등장하는 Vampire. Bloody Bones is a bogeyman figure in English and North American folklore whose first written appeara

Origin & Background

The first documented appearance of Bloody Bones dates back to around 1548, as mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary. The term 'Raw-Head and Bloody-Bones, and such other Names' was recorded by John Locke in 1693, used to frighten children into obedience. In Samuel Johnson's 'Dictionary of the English Language', first published in 1755, 'Rawhead' is defined as 'the name of a ghost that frightens children'. This story originated in England, particularly prevalent in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and later spread to North America, becoming commonly known in the southern United States.

The Legend

Bloody Bones is considered a water demon that haunts deep ponds, the sea, and old bog holes, said to lure children into deep waters. Children were warned to 'stay away from the bog hole, or Rawhead and Bloody Bones will take you away.' Ruth Tongue mentions in 'Somerset Folklore' that he 'lived in a dark cupboard, usually under the stairs', and if one bravely peered through a crack, they could see a terrible creature with blood flowing down its face sitting atop a pile of piers left as a punishment for children who lied or spoke ill. It was said that if one peeked through the keyhole, he would take you anyway.

Variants

Old Bloody Bones is, according to F. W. Jones in 'Old Cornwall', a Cornish version of Rawhead-and-Bloody-Bones. Old Bloody Bones is said to have lived near Knockers Hole in the village of Baldhu, an area known for a massacre. He is considered a ghost or evil spirit drawn by that tragedy. In the southern United States, Rawhead and Bloody Bones are sometimes regarded as two separate entities or two parts of the same monster. One is Rawhead, who bites victims with a flayed skull, and the other is Bloody Bones, a dancing headless skeleton. In one cautionary tale, a chatterbox loses his head to the monster as a consequence of his wicked tongue.

In Popular Culture

Rawhead Rex (1986) is a film set in Ireland that tells the story of Rawhead being unleashed in the countryside. 'Rawhead and Bloody Bones' (1988) is a song featured on the album Peepshow by the British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Laurel K. Hamilton's novel 'Bloody Bones' (1996) deals with a version of Rawhead and Bloody Bones. In the first season, episode 12 of the TV series 'Supernatural', there is a scene where the protagonists Sam and Dean fight Rawhead. The novel 'The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray' (2006) features Rawhead as a lurking presence behind the Green Tack Murders. Rawhead also appears in the Dresden Files series novel 'Cold Days' (2012).

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Bloody Bones" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia