Buggane It’s time for a cryptid here on we are if
and we are heading over to the Isle of Man, a land famous for tail-less cats and motorcycle
racing.
For those unfamiliar with the place, The Isle of Mann is part of the British Isles, found
in the Irish Sea off the northwest coast of England.
The island lies roughly at an equal distant between England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom but is a crown possession (since 1828).
The island is self-governing in its internal affairs but comes under the supervision of
the British Home Office.
The Isle of Man has seen inhabitation since the Mesolithic Period, among its earliest
inhabitants were Celts, and their language, Manx, which is closely related to Gaelic it
may also be home to some stranger creatures.
The Isle of Mann shares many of its legends with the Irish, these legends include wild
men and this brings us to a Bigfoot like creature known as the Buggane.
Let’s take a look Welcome to if……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
The legendary wild men the Buggane are like the many other stories told across the world
of man –like creatures living in the wilds and occasionally interacting with humanity.
Those of us with an interest in cryptozoology know many of these creatures from Genoskwa
to the yeti.
It seems all countries and cultures have a Wildman legend.
The Buggane, in Manx legend, is a robust subterranean creature, again an animal that lives on the
fringes taking residence beneath our feet like I talked about in my recent video “sewer
cryptids” linked above.
The Buggane is said to have many features that would remind you of the underground mammal
the mole.
A hairy version of the Scandinavian troll, having glowing eyes and large tusks.
Bugganes are thought to be magical creatures, sometime hired muscle for fairy folk who use
them punish people who have wronged them in some way.
The story of St. Trinian’s Church offers us a glimpse into the creature’s habits
and behavior.
When St. Trinian’s Church was being built, a Buggane decided that if it was to be constructed
near its home then the church bells would not disturb its sleep.
So, for three nights in a row, it smashed and threw the roof off of the church.
Each time the roof was rebuilt until defeated, the roof was never put back on, the church
remaining roofless until today.
Bugganes like the one at St. Trinian’s; are said to be covered with a mane of coarse,
black hair, have ‘eyes which burn like torches, and sharp tusks.’
However, 100 years ago the Buggane was said to take on any form it chose.
They have been said to appear as smalls cats, horses, fierce bulls and in one story from
near Fistard, or one near Port St. Mary it was a shapeless ‘like a turf stack’!
The Buggane is very interesting story in that it is so similar to the stories of Trolls
found across Europe.
Most Stories of Trolls originate in Norway.
They give us stories of trolls that are big, stupid, enjoy eating humans.
The origin of these Troll stories is difficult to locate, this is because most of the Norse
legends were handed down through oral tradition.
One commonly-held belief about Trolls is that they change to stone when exposed to sunlight.
Norway being a rocky place with plenty of stone crags and outcroppings it doesn’t
take a lot to think that in peoples imaginations these rock formations may just look almost
human-like, especially on wet and windy winters night.
This brings us to a place known as Trold-Tindterne, an area full of these oddly shaped rocks and
home to a legend in which two troll armies battled.
The descriptions of Trolls in ancient Norse legends are similar to the cryptid spoken
about on the isle of Mann.
They are said to be bigger than humans, and have stockier bodies.
They are strong and brutish with prominent noses and heavy brows.
They enjoy eating on human flesh and thought to be slow and dim-witted.
So could there be any basis in Reality for the Buggane and trolls?
Could they be the same creature going by a different name, just like Sasquatch and Bigfoot?
Some cryptid researchers believe that the stories of Trolls may, in fact, have some
basis in truth.
Trolls, many claim, do seem to have a resemblance to Neanderthals.
Neanderthals with their heavy jaws, deep brows, large stocky bodies, and strength make good
substitutes for the creature.
The theory is that modern man, across Europe, encountered surviving groups of Neanderthals.
Early humans would have recognized the similarities between themselves and the Neanderthals but
also observed the many difference.
This could have led them to conclude that Neanderthals were not as advanced as humans
and were more beast-like.
These early humans and their tribes intermingled and when they did they shared their stories
of their encounters with Neanderthals this evolving into the myths and legends we have
today.
What do you think, could Neanderthals or the memory of them go some way to explaining the
numerous wild man legends found across the globe, could there still be pockets of them
surviving this perpetuating the legend into modern times, had you heard of the Buggane
and do you think it could be the same creature as a troll?
Let me know in the comments below As always………………………………………………………………….