Shug Monkey

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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 Howat, sightings of the Shug Monkey have not been reported since before World War II. [5]

Further reading

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References

  1. 1 2 Wentworth Day, James (1954). Here Are Ghosts and Witches. B.T. Batsford.
  2. 1 2 Codd, Daniel (2010). "The Weird Animal Kingdom: Black Shuck and Other Phantom Animals". Mysterious Cambridgeshire. JMD Media. ISBN   9781859838082.
  3. Harries, John (1968). The Ghost Hunter's Road Book. Muller.
  4. 1 2 Ash, Russell (1973). Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. Reader's Digest.
  5. 1 2 Howat, Polly (1990). Tales of Old Cambridgeshire. Countryside Books. ISBN   9781853060861.

Coordinates: 52°08′39″N0°20′00″E / 52.14408°N 0.33334°E / 52.14408; 0.33334