They’re going on a WERE hunt…

They’re going to catch a big one…

Maybe. Or perhaps it’ll catch them!

Anyone who follows me on Twitter may have seen earlier in the week that I shared an article from a national (albeit, tabloid) newspaper alerting the public to a werewolf being loose in my neighbourhood!

Now, being a lover of all things paranormal (and believing in it for the most part) I was naturally intrigued! It seems there have been several sightings by local people of a large, upright, dog-like creature near a water source, that has leaped over high fences and seen to be devouring the wildlife.

And it’s not just wild animals that’s on the werewolf’s menu – one witness reportedly saw it gnawing on a German Shepherd – isn’t that kind of cannibalism?!

“Of course, it had to be a big dog didn’t it? I bet it was a chihuahua really…”

That was my mum’s take on the story – not thinking to question the likelihood of a supernatural creature lurking in the woodland, but totally disbelieving the accuracy of witness reports!

She’s all up for going out tomorrow night when, to coincide with the full moon, a group of investigators have been organised to try and track this ‘monster’ down. I have visions of it being like some medieval witch hunt – if they don’t have burning torches and crossbows, I’ll not be happy!

It does seem that ‘officials’ are taking the sightings seriously though, with a Hull Council member keeping a record of all reports… because it could be a ‘known’ werewolf that has strayed from his patch.

You What? Yeah, that was my reaction when I read that. Firstly, I’m loving the fact that there are ‘known’ supernatural anythings to local councilors, that warrant  documentation and aren’t passed off as folklore – I wonder if County Hall has an X-Files division…

Secondly, upon reading about these sightings (which, incidentally have gone viral around the globe), I’ve discovered so much folklore about my local area that I wasn’t aware of.

General feelings are that Wolfy is actually ‘Old Stinker’, an ancient werewolf who gained his name due to his bad breath. Apparently, he used to dig up graves and therefore smelled of decomposed bodies. So, Dracula docked up the road in Whitby, yet we end up with a sweaty mongrel with halitosis… Nice.

But old Stinker is only one in a collection of paranormal characters and weird goings on that are part of the Wold Newton Triangle – it’s like a less exotic (certainly colder) counterpart to the famous three-sided vortex in Bermuda!

Ancient burial grounds, a prehistoric stone monolith (dating back to 1600 BC) within the oldest known, inhabited village in England (3000 – 4000 yrs old) and a meteor landing in 1795 are just some of the scientifically factual events that have taken place.

As they were a superstitious lot in the Dark Ages, we also have accounts from monks who detail how to avoid zombie, vampire and werewolf attack, stories of green-skinned fairy folk and mysterious disappearing rivers. There’s also a screaming skull inside the walls of a nearby stately home, dragons, UFO sightings and ley lines galore.

In fact, during Saxon times (when January was known as Wulf-monath: the month most likely to be eaten by these pack hunters), shelters were built in the area to protect travellers from ominous shape-shifters. I feel I need to get Buffy-d up, just in case another Hellmouth opens up!

No matter what your opinion of the paranormal is, it does make for a great story and gives a fascinating insight into local history and folklore. I just can’t believe it’s taken me this long to find out about it being on my doorstep!

Oh, and NO WORD OF A LIE… about a month ago (you know, when the last full moon was), we were driving past some sparse woodland that is part of the area these recent werewolf sightings have taken place. Sat among the trees was a semi-naked man, getting dressed. He had no camping equipment with him – it’s a) not a camping area and b) was right next to the road so probably not a great site anyway.

So you know what I’m now thinking? It was Old Stinker who had stashed his clothes for when he shifted back to human form! 😉

Do you have any local folklore tales of creatures creepy and supernatural? I’d love to hear about them in the comments if you do. Until then, watch a bit of Shakira – this song has been stuck in my head since I read the story! 🙂

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