Cryptid Corner: The Owlman of Mawnan

 For thousands of years, people have been recording sightings of mysterious creatures. Some of these critters may be survivors of a bygone age or even species yet to be properly discovered and named. Others are just mind-bogglingly weird, unexplainable or flat out terrifying like the subject of this blog post.

America has the Mothman. We have...THE OWLMAN OF MAWNAN.

The Story

The beast stood like a man and was as tall as one too, with dark feathers, sharp talons, glowing red eyes and a gaping maw of a mouth. Its appearances were accompanied by spine-tingling hissing and screaming noises, as well as loud hoots while it soared through the sky. While it sounds like a monster from a bad B movie, this potential cryptid caused quite a stir when it was first sighted. 

It was spotted in April 1976 by June and Vicky Melling, who were on holiday in the area with their parents. The two children were exploring on their own and decided to investigate Mawnan Church. As they approached they started to hear weird noises and, looking up, spotted a huge creature flying around the steeple. It appeared to be half-man half-bird, with dark feathers and fearsome glowing red eyes. Terrified, they ran back to the campsite to tell their parents, who were so unnerved by this story that they called off the holiday, going home three days early. The girls' father, Don, would later approach Tony "Doc" Shiels, a local paranormal researcher and magician. While Don was unwilling to allow Shiels to interview the girls, he was eager to share their story and a picture drawn by June. Fascinated by the tale, Shiels would investigate the sighting. The story would be included in a small pamphlet written by Anthony Mawnan-Peller, which was mostly sold locally and was titled Morgawr: The Monster of Falmouth Bay.

The next sighting happened in the July of the same year. Two teens, Barbara Perry and Sally Chapman, were camping in the area and had the shock of their lives when they encountered the creature. It was the eerie hissing noises that drew their attention to the Owlman, which stood not too far from their campsite and was apparently unimpressed by their presence there. Probably because they were laughing at it; Barbara and Sally were aware of the Owlman story and were convinced it was someone in a costume until it took off into the air with a hiss and a screech, flying off over the woods. The shocked girls huddled in their tent for safety and reported what they'd seen the following morning. What they described was near identical to what June and Vicky had seen, but with the addition of pincer-like talons. Like Don Melling, they would go to Tony Shiels with their story.

Sightings have continued over the years, in 1978, 1989, 1995, the 2000s and the most recent sighting was in 2019, by a couple of paranormal investigators.

The Owlman isn't the only thing haunting the location, as there have been quite a few reports of glowing orbs being sighted around the churchyard. Whether these are corpse lights or spirits remains to be seen.

 Mawnan Church - Photo by Tim Green.
CC BY 2.0

The Theories

The Paranormal

It's been suggested that the Owlman is a creature linked to the occult rather than some kind of naturally occurring entity. Some have pointed fingers at artist Max Ernst, who visited the area in the 1930s with a small group of friends and performed summoning rituals there. One of the things allegedly summoned was said to be part nightjar, part human. While there's no real evidence of this creature, Ernst would become fascinated with birds, to the point that his own artistic alter ego was a humanoid bird named Loplop, and it has been said (though not by Ernst.) that these are linked to the Owlman. This fascination with bird creatures would be shared by artist Leonora Carrington, who was dating Ernst at the time of his visit to Mawnan and was believed to be one of the party members there with him. Her works have also included dark bird-like figures, though not as much as Ernsts. Curiously though, by some strange coincidence, the first 1976 Owlman sighting took place around two weeks after the death of Max Ernst. Many people believe that this and Ernst and Carrington's avian fascination are proof that they summoned the Owlman. Whether or not there is a link, the two artists remain synonymous with the Owlman, even after their deaths.

Other theories have suggested that the Church and its grounds lay directly over a leyline. These mysterious and fascinating energy lines have been linked to many hauntings and creature sightings over the years, so if this is true then it's no surprise that paranormal events have occurred there. Another popular paranormal theory is that the creature is of extraterrestrial origins, as Cornwall was a hotspot for UFO sightings throughout the 1970s.

The Hoax

This theory claims that it was all faked by Tony "Doc" Shiels. But with so many people involved, this theory can't be proven. It seems to be based on the fact that he was the only one investigating the sightings at the time. While he may have known some of the witnesses, there's no way he knew all of them, as some were tourists from outside of the UK. Thanks to the pamphlet that was published, anyone living in or visiting the area could have read the story and claimed that they had seen the creature. Take Barbara and Sally, for example. Both of the girls are known to have read about the Owlman. With this in mind and the common knowledge that if you saw something then Shiels was the man to go to, then surely any potential false claims lay with the witnesses, not the investigator.

The Mistaken Identity

It could have been an owl. To be exact, a Eurasian Eagle Owl. 

These birds aren't native to the UK and are one of the largest owl species out there. With a wingspan of 6ft (7ft in some rare cases.), an owl of this breed would look massive while airborne.  They also make a lot of different noises, including hisses, screeches and hoots. Sound familiar? The only difference is that they don't have glowing red eyes, gaping holes where their mouths should be and aren't as tall as a man. However, if seen by those unfamiliar with them or at dusk, it's possible that the eyes could be deceived. It's been theorised that the Owlman was nothing more than an escaped pet, perhaps looking for a place to roost, which would explain why it was so interested in the steeple of the church.

So is the story of Cornwall's Owlman over? Very probably not, but only time will tell when, or if, it will be seen again. Thankfully, if this beast is seen, it isn't a sign of ill omen, unlike its moth-like counterpart in West Virginia. The Mothman seems to have been the herald of disaster. The Owlman is just a jerk who likes scaring people. 

But does it exist? Bird/Human hybrids are common in folklore and appear worldwide in myths, legends and even religious beliefs. It's no surprise that one should appear in the UK. As someone who loves a good folktale or urban legend, I'd love to think it exists, but the sceptic in me wants more proof before I believe in it. What about you, dear readers? What's your opinion on the Owlman of Mawnan? Fact or fiction? Let me know in the comments below, or tag me in a Tweet!

On the Road Again: Top 5 Haunted Roads

Photo by Myself, Wales, 2 years ago,
lost down a creepy country lane.

I really should have named this post "On the Road Again-ish", or perhaps "On the Road Again: Soon", because at the moment I'm unable to be on the road at all. But, like many people in Lockdown, I'm making plans for when I can travel again. Lists of places I dearly want to visit have been written, road-trip playlists have been made and maps have been bought. 

Most of our roads have been the sites of more modern accidents, but many of them have also been built through ancient sites, forgotten settlements, over Roman roads and old buildings. It's no surprise that even the most innocent looking country lane might come with a few spooks attached. And it's those roads that I'm going to introduce you to in this post. There are so many that are apparently haunted, it would have been near impossible to include all of them, so here are my Top 5 Haunted Roads.*

The B3212, Dartmoor, Devon.

Dartmoor is a beautiful place, bleak and full of mystery, So it's no surprise that even the roads have ghosts here, if you can call what haunts the B3212 a ghost.

For decades, drivers and cyclists have been victimised here by a pair of hands that grab their steering wheel or handlebars in an attempt to drive them off the road. No body, just a pair of hairy, disgusting hands with an unexplained dislike of motorists. This spirit isn't always visible either, sometimes not bothering to show itself when it strikes, confusing and terrifying drivers as they feel their steering wheel wrenched out of their control by the spirits steely grip. You could blame these sometimes fatal accidents on speeding drivers, but apparently the Hands aren't afraid to go after stationary vehicles as well. In 1924 a couple camping by the road claimed that the hands had tried to break into their caravan during the night. Then, in the 1960s, a motorist who had stopped to glance at her map found herself confronted by the hands. The creepy mitts were pressed against the windscreen of her car, on the outside rather than inside, much to her relief.

Most hauntings have a cause or story behind them, but the Hairy Hands of the B3212 don't have a solid one. It's been blamed on many things, including witchcraft and the vengeful ghost of a motorist killed in an accident.

Don't worry too much if you find yourself driving down this road though, there hasn't been a sighting for years.** The last one seems to have been in 2008, when a driver found the Hands clasped firmly over hers while driving.

The B1249, East Riding, Yorkshire

Sometimes referred to as a ghost, sometimes as the Werewolf of the Wolds; whatever it is that stalks around the B1249, it's something straight out of a horror movie. 

First reported in the 1960s, this creature made its grand entrance into the paranormal world by trying to break in through the windshield of a lorry travelling along the road. The driver was left shaken but unharmed and described his assailant as hairy, with glowing red eyes. It's easy to consider this a very vague description, but keep in mind the fellow was trying to avoid crashing at the time. I doubt his life or drivers insurance covered Cryptid Attacks. A better description of the beast didn't come along until 2016, when it was spotted by a motorist close to the nearby village named Halsham. She claims that it was a dog-like creature with a human face and that was bigger than her car.

Could this have been a real wolf? Nope. Wild wolves in England were wiped out in the 15th century, and the ones we did have didn't resemble a bigger, meaner version of Houska Castles resident dog beast.

The A75, Kinmount Straight, Scotland

When driving along a road at night you have to be ready for anything. In 1962, Derek and Norman Ferguson discovered that "anything" included a large spectral hen, which flew towards the windscreen of their vehicle and vanished before impact. The duo didn't have much time to recover from this encounter though, as soon they started to witness other phantom animals, including ghostly cats and dogs. These were wandering the road, appearing to be too large and feral to be normal creatures. Derek and Norman also saw another vehicle, a furniture van, swerving along the road. Some versions of the story claim that this van was also a ghost, but I think it's far more likely that it was a normal furniture van and that the driver was experiencing the same things as Derek and Norman.

Other sightings include mysterious figures that wander in front of drivers, a withered hag who runs screaming towards cars, phantom horse and carriages and a group of ragged people dragging a handcart behind them. This last group of medieval-looking individuals have the dubious honour of scaring one lorry driver onto quitting his job. I've not been able to find out just what it was about this gaggle of soggy strangers that spooked him so badly, but I'd love to find out.

The A616, Stockbridge Bypass, Sheffield

With the amount of fatal accidents along this road, a few ghosts are to be expected and, due to all the spooky happenings experienced at this location, it has become known as one of the most haunted roads in the UK. But the thing is, the hauntings started way back in the 1980s, before the road had even been completed. The first people to see anything were a couple of security guards. While on patrol, they came across a group of children in old fashioned looking clothing. They approached the kids to find out what was going on, only for the mischievous spooks to vanish into thin air. What happened the following night lead to the shaken security guards calling in the police. While they were walking the site they encountered a sinister-looking figure, described as a monk, sitting on a half-built bridge. This same figure would later appear again to a couple of policemen who had come to look into the strange happenings. They were sitting in their car and had been sceptical, up until they noticed the hooded figure outside peering in at them. When they got out to confront the Monk, he had vanished, but there was no way for him to run and hide without them seeing him. This encounter left them baffled and even made it into their official police report. Property around the bypass was once owned by monasteries, which could explain a monk's presence since it's possible he lived and worked there. As for the children, some have theorised that they may be the spirits of kids who worked and died in nearby mines. Whatever the cause, sightings continue to this day, with people reporting children running in front of their cars and the monk watching them from the side of the road.

The M6, Mid to North UK

Another one of the UK's most haunted roads, it's known as the longest and busiest in the country, but it's also one of the oldest. The M6 has been built through ancient battlefields, burial sights and over the old Roman roads that used to be there. And while we know the Roman roads are no longer there, apparently nobody told the Romans that. There are multiple reports of people seeing Roman soldiers marching along or across the road and, while that's not overly frightening, it certainly is distracting. Not what you want while you're doing 60mph on a busy six-lane motorway. Other spooks along this road include a phantom lorry speeding down the road in the wrong direction and things watching people from the bushes along the side of the road. What are these things? Nobody knows. Only their eyes have been seen. The road between Junctions 16 and 19 has been called Cheshire's Bermuda Triangle due to it being one of the UK biggest accident blackspots. This has lead some to believe the road is, to some degree, cursed.

Out of all the haunted roads on this list, the B3212 has to be my favourite. I read about it when I was in junior school, and it was the first time I realised that ghosts weren't just limited to creepy old houses. To a child, that's big news.*** I was both terrified and fascinated. When it's safe to travel again, Government guidelines allowing, I'm looking forward to revisiting it.

What about you, dear readers? What's your favourite haunting on this list, or have you got another favourite that I haven't included? Have you ever experienced anything on any of the roads I chose? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or tag me in a Tweet.

*No Phantom Hitchhikers included. As much as I love them, that's a post for another day.

**I had a quick Google and all the news turned up was articles about Easter eggs, dog grooming, hair colour trends and, oddly, Bradley Cooper.

***This information also coincided with my discovery of the Black Shuck, both stories were in the same book. The end result was little me trying to convince my friends that ghosts were following our coach over the foggy Yorkshire moors when we were on a week-long school trip and getting scolded by a teacher. I did possibly experience something paranormal on that trip, but nothing Hand or Shuck related. A tale for another time, perhaps.