The Witch Of Wookey Hole

Cheddar Gorge in Somerset is the largest gorge in England and is renowned for its caves. Cheddar is also famous for its delicious cheese. The view from the top of the Gorge, after climbing Jacob's Ladder, is breathtaking.

There are two vast caves here, Gough's and Cox's.  The caves are spectacular places to visit. The many stalactites and stalacmites, frozen rivers (turned to stone) and much of the rock looking like melted candle wax.  It is amazing what the power of water can do given millions of years.  The caves are illuminated by coloured lights and it is like a wonderland, you are truly in another world.  I must admit though, I would not like to be alone in them

The oldest recorded skeleton has been found here dating back over 9,000 years. Known as Cheddar Man little is known about him except for the fact he died a violent death, and there are signs on the bones of cannabalism. Going by wall paintings and artefacts found they know the caves have been inhabited for over 400,000 years.  Other bones have shown signs of cannabalism as well.  The people lived in holes in the walls of the caves.  Maybe they ate some of the flesh of their deceased relatives as a way of gaining their strengh and wisdom.  Maybe it was a tribal custom, some sort of ritual magic, or maybe they had no choice but to use other people as a food source when times were hard.  We shall never know.

Wookey Hole is famous for its witch. Here is the story. A witch was once supposed to live in the caves. She was very beautiful indeed but she used the black arts and , as a punishment, she became old before her time, turning from a beauty into a hunched, ugly, twisted and toothless old crone. When she saw young lovers she went into a complete fury for, try as she might, none of her magical arts could restore her good looks.

One days a pair of lovers lingered near her, eyes only for each other. The witch became even more demented and vowed to break their love. She worked in a frenzy conjuring up evil spirits, using every ounce of her powers to bring her plan about. She succeeded and the young couple parted. The young man, heartbroken at being separated from his one true love, turned his back on the world and became a monk at Glastonbury Abbey.

Later, he learned that it was all due to the work of the evil witch of Wookey Hole. She had destroyed his love. So he decided to set about combating the forces of evil and with the blessing of his Abbot, he set out to defeat the witch with a cross of holy wood and a phial of holy water. When the witch eventually showed herself, the young man threw the holy water into her face, raised the wooden cross and prayed as he had never prayed before. The witch uttered one last terrible and blood-curdling scream and turned to stone. Her black, misshapen form can still be seen to this day.

The witch is the black form at the front.

There is a cottage on the Wookey estate that has long been haunted. Strange and unpleasant smells, banging noises, a sound as if someone is crawling along on their hands and knees, doors opening and slamming by themselves, an awful feeling of unease, a shadowy form walking through walls, the touch of a cold hand. No explanation has ever been found.

The legend of the witch of Wookey Hole was handed down from generation to generation over many centuries. A nice legend, a fantasy, something to scare the children with when they misbehaved.  A tale to be told on a dark and stormy night..........except.....

In 1912 excavations on the site uncovered parts of a skeleton of a very ancient female. Beside the skeleton lay a dagger, a knife, a weaving comb, the bones of two goats and a witch ball! The sort of ball that witches used for scrying, seeing into the future.  They do say that all legends are based on truth.  So maybe a witch truly did exist at Wookey Hole and remains trapped there to this very day.

Don't have nightmares.  Unless that lump of black rock suddenly starts moving, you are all perfectly safe.

P.S. My dear Father used to call me "The Welsh Witch"!