In thefolkloreofCambridgeshire,theShug Monkeyis a creature that shares features of adogandmonkey,which reportedly haunted Slough Hill Lane (a street that leads from the village ofWest Wrattingto nearbyBalsham).[1][2]The creature, believed to have the body of a jet-black shaggy sheepdog and the face of a monkey with staring eyes,[3][4]was believed to be a supernatural ghost or demon.[2][4]Local writer and broadcasterJames Wentworth Day,who first related stories of the Shug Monkey inHere Are Ghosts and Witches(1954), described it as a curious variation ofBlack Shuck,[1]while local folklorist Polly Howat suggests that both share common origins inNorse mythology.[5]
According to Howat, sightings of the Shug Monkey have not been reported since beforeWorld War II.[5]
Further reading
edit- Redfern, Nick(2004). "The Final Countdown".Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs, and Ape-Men.Paraview Pocket Books. pp. 227–243.ISBN0-7434-8254-9.
- Redfern, Nick(2007).Man-Monkey: In search of the British Bigfoot.CFZ Press. pp. 227–243.ISBN978-1-905723-16-4.
References
edit- ^abWentworth Day, James (1954).Here Are Ghosts and Witches.B.T. Batsford.
- ^abCodd, Daniel (2010). "The Weird Animal Kingdom: Black Shuck and Other Phantom Animals".Mysterious Cambridgeshire.JMD Media.ISBN9781859838082.
- ^Harries, John (1968).The Ghost Hunter's Road Book.Muller.
- ^abAsh, Russell (1973).Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain.Reader's Digest.
- ^abHowat, Polly (1990).Tales of Old Cambridgeshire.Countryside Books.ISBN9781853060861.