The Paranormal Database

Giant's Droppings

Location: Cressage (Shropshire) - The Wrekin
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: Angry at the town of Shrewsbury, a giant gathered a mound of earth and set off to dam up the River Severn. After the giant became lost, he approached a man heading home towards the town. The local lied and managed to convince the dim-witted villain it would take months to reach the town. The giant sighed and dumped the earth where he stood, forming the Wrekin.

Thrown from Currabinny

Location: Crosshaven (County Cork) - Boulder on foreshore
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: The boulder which can be found here has a granite plinth nearby, stating the rock was thrown into position by the giant of Currabinny.

Cwm Idwal, copyright Micha Richardson.

Prince Idwal

Location: Cwm Idwal (Clwyd) - Waters of the lake
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Weather Dependent: Stormy weather
Further Comments: While the exact details vary from storyteller to storyteller, the legends agree that a young man named Idwal was murdered at the lake and that birds now avoid flying over the water as a mark of respect. Some variations say Idwal can be heard calling during stormy weather. As a side note, a giant is said to be buried on the nearby mountain.

One Eye

Location: Dalton (North Yorkshire) - The Giant's Grave and mill (no longer standing)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A one-eyed giant once resided in the mill, using the building to grind his human victims into bread. One of his prisoners, a young lad named Jack, managed to escape by plunging a knife into the Cyclops's eye, killing the creature. At least that was the story which was told to explain the long mound which really existed close to the mill.

Sitting Giant

Location: Dunster (Somerset) - Grabbist Hill, the Giant's Chair
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Earthwork still present?
Further Comments: A giant was said to sit here, using the nearby river to cool his feet and Dunster Castle as a drying rack for his clothing.

An old postcard of Eamont Bridge in Cumbria.

Isir

Location: Eamont Bridge (Cumbria) - Cave by the river
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This natural dwelling was once home to a giant named Isir, who enjoyed the taste of human meat. His fate is unknown.

Mount of Frogs

Location: East Brent (Somerset) - Brent Knoll
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Ider the Arthurian knight killed three giants on this hill, known at the time as the Mount of Frogs.

Hugh Cesario

Location: Edenhall (Cumbria) - Isis Parlis cave system
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Caves still present
Further Comments: This cave system was once the home to Hugh Cesario, a giant who either fought on the side of good, or took local men, women and farm animals back to the cave to snack on.

Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh.

Resting Giant

Location: Edinburgh (Lothian) - Arthur's Seat
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The rocky outcrop known as Arthur's Seat was once used as a resting place for a passing giant. In 1836 a group of schoolboys discovered seventeen tiny coffins hidden in the area, each containing a small carved figure inside. Their purpose is unknown.

Ella

Location: Elsdon (Northumberland) - General area
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Legend says the town is named after Ella, a Danish giant who terrorised the area and reduced the city to the village it is now.

Built by the Devil

Location: Exmoor (Devon) - Tarr Bridge (also known as Tarr Steps), River Barle
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: A local giant made a wager with Old Nick that that a bridge could not be built across the River Barle overnight. Old Nick rolled up his sleeves and promptly proved him wrong. The Devil then took ownership of the bridge, refusing to let anyone cross safely until a priest drove him away.

A magic lantern slide of the Giant's Causeway.

Finn's Bridge

Location: Giant's Causeway (County Antrim) - Rock formation
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Rock formation still present
Further Comments: Finn McCool, a hero of Ireland, created this rocky causeway to enable a Scottish giant to cross the sea so they could fight. MacCool won the duel after dressing as a baby; the Scottish giant fled home, tearing up the bridge to prevent the Irish giant from following. Also, the ghost of a boy who drowned here in 1910 is still seen playing on the rocks - he wears a soaking wet sailor's suit and vanishes if spoken to.

Dead Husband

Location: Glanworth (County Cork) - Labbacallee (aka The Hag's Bed), wedge tomb
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Stone still present
Further Comments: Sheela, a giant's wife, killed her husband after throwing their bed at him - he had argued with her and struck her shoulder with an axe. His body still lays under the tomb, and Sheela can be heard in times of national crisis calling out her husband's name. Another story says four treasure hunters arrived at the stone and started to dig beneath it. Before long, a cat appeared with a burning tail. The light blinded the men and they staggered off, one falling into the River Funshion and drowning.

Raura Peens

Location: Greenfield (Lancashire) - Pots and Pans Stone
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Early nineteenth century?
Further Comments: Raura Peens, the last fairy of the area, may have appeared to a local man at these stones during the nineteenth century. The fairy tried to lure the witness to her realm (or at least a cave under the area) but failed. Another story said the stones were once home to a giant named Heywood.

Arrival of Hercules

Location: Hartland (Devon) - Hartland Point
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Mainland Britain was once ruled over by a giant known as Albion, who named the island after himself. Albion the giant was defeated by Hercules, who landed in upon these shores at this location.

Overnight Construction

Location: Hay-on-Wye (Powys) - Hay Castle
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Twelfth century
Further Comments: The giant Moll Walbee, known also as Maud de Breos, built this castle in a single night!

Giant Saxon Warriors

Location: Heydon (Cambridgeshire) - Heydon Ditch. Five foot high at its highest point, runs from Heydon to Fowlmere (3.5 miles in length)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Accounts of warrior ghosts seen at this sight date back hundreds of years, and during the 1950s (or 1920s, according to other sources) several Saxon graves were found around the area.

Goram

Location: Holcombe (Somerset) - Giant's Grave
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: Known as either Goram or Gorm, this giant was buried in the area.

Bel's Grave

Location: Leicester (Leicestershire) - Belgrave
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The area is said to be named after a giant who died in the area - he tried to travel between Mountsorrel to Leicester in three leaps but failed.

Gold Guardians

Location: Lelant (Cornwall) - Trencrom Hill
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This hill was formed when a giant buried his treasure, leaving a troupe of warrior fairies to protect it. They have been called into action at least once, appearing as a would-be treasure hunter arrived armed with pick and shovel.

Angel in the Snow, by Georg Tippel.

Devil's Cheese

Location: Linkinhorne (Devon) - Cheesewring (granite tor)
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Still standing
Further Comments: An old piece of folklore says the Devil would make his cheese using this stack of stones. The tor was created when Saint Tue engaged in a stone tossing contest with Uther, one of the local giants. One of Uther's stones missed the target; Saint Tue picked the rock up and an angel carried it to the top of the tor. Most of the giants promptly converted to Christianity.

Home

Location: Llangadog (Dyfed) - Trichrug (hill)
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The hill, another home to fairies, also claimed to house the grave of a giant - anyone who laid within the hill would be granted incredible strength.

Treasure and Death

Location: Llanymynech (Shropshire) - Giant's Grave (Bedd-y-Cawr), Llanymynych Hill
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A giant buried his wife here, along with a golden circlet. Three brothers looking for the treasure overturned the capstone of the cromlech which once stood here. It is unclear whether they found the circlet, but legend says they all died suddenly soon after their dig.

Moll's Stone

Location: Llowes (Powys) - Moll Walbee's Stone (aka St. Meilig's Cross, on display in the church)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present?
Further Comments: Moll Wallbee, also known as Matilda de Braose and Maud de Braose, was said to be a giantess who married William de Braose, the Forth Lord of Bramber. While carrying stones in her apron (to rebuild a castle), one fell into her shoe. She picked it out and tossed it into the churchyard of Llowes, some three miles from where she stood.

Red Hand

Location: Loch Morlich (Highland) - Shores of the loch
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A giant warrior, Red Hand reportedly walks along the shoreline.