Shug Monkey
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 folklorist Polly Howat, sightings of the Shug Monkey have not been reported since before World War II.[5]
Further reading
- Nick Redfern (2004). Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs, and Ape-Men (Chapter 16: "The Final Countdown"). Paraview Pocket Books. pp. 227–43. ISBN 0-7434-8254-9.
- Nick Redfern (2007). Man-Monkey: In search of the British Bigfoot. CFZ Press. pp. 227–43. ISBN 978-1-905723-16-4.
References
- ^ 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, Readers Digest
- ^ a b Howat, Polly (1990), Tales of Old Cambridgeshire, Countryside Books, ISBN 9781853060861