In the folklore of Cambridgeshire, the Shug Monkey is a creature that shares features of a dog and monkey, which reportedly haunted Slough Hill Lane (a street that leads from the village of West Wratting to nearby Balsham).[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 broadcaster James Wentworth Day, who first related stories of the Shug Monkey in Here Are Ghosts and Witches (1954), described it as a curious variation of Black Shuck,[1] while local folklorist Polly Howat suggests that both share common origins in Norse mythology.[5]
According to Howat, sightings of the Shug Monkey have not been reported since before World 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. ISBN 0-7434-8254-9.
- Redfern, Nick (2007). Man-Monkey: In search of the British Bigfoot. CFZ Press. pp. 227–243. ISBN 978-1-905723-16-4.
References edit
- ^ a b Wentworth Day, James (1954). Here Are Ghosts and Witches. B.T. Batsford.
- ^ a b Codd, Daniel (2010). "The Weird Animal Kingdom: Black Shuck and Other Phantom Animals". Mysterious Cambridgeshire. JMD Media. ISBN 9781859838082.
- ^ Harries, John (1968). The Ghost Hunter's Road Book. Muller.
- ^ a b Ash, Russell (1973). Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. Reader's Digest.
- ^ a b Howat, Polly (1990). Tales of Old Cambridgeshire. Countryside Books. ISBN 9781853060861.