"Knockers are the ghosts, the miners hold, of the old Jews, sir, that crucified our Lord, and were sent for slaves by the Roman emperors to work the mines" - 'Yeast' by Charles Kingsley.
As if spending your life in the pitch-black, wasn't bad enough... the Devon miners, according to legend, were also plagued by sounds and sightings of 'knockers', small goblins whose feelings towards them were ambiguous. The Knockers invaded their space, doing good and bad things in equal measure.
On good days the knocks that gave the sprites their name were seen as guides, either towards an ore bearing seam or a warning of danger, akin to a rabbit thumping its back feet.
In some mining communities knockers were even rumoured to appear out of walls that contained a thick seam of coal or ore and indicate personally where the miner should dig.
That, however, only happened when they liked the miner involved, some counted themselves more loved by the goblins than others.
On their bad days though knockers were to be feared. As with most sprites and faeries of legend they could get both mischievous and malevolent.
They were often blamed for stolen candles and lost picks or clothes. They were also supposed to invade miners equipment like a poltergeist and cause it to break...
VOCÊ ESTÁ LENDO
A Thousand Extras -All Things Salty
DiversosAre you in the mood for moonlight and music and love and mermance? I am getting to the stage in my Watty life, where I am finding lots of things I truly want to share with my readers, so I started this little book 'A Thousand Extras'. Also if you ha...
