The Gytrash
On lonely northern roads, a great black horse or dog, the gytrash, was said to come out of the dark towards travellers. Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre thought she'd seen one.
What was reported
The gytrash, or guytrash, is a spectral creature of northern English folklore, said to haunt lonely roads and moors, appearing as a large horse, mule or dog with glowing eyes. It could lead travellers astray, though in some stories it guided them to safety.
In Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre, Jane, walking at dusk, hears hooves approaching and remembers the tales of the gytrash, before Mr Rochester appears on his horse with his dog, Pilot.
Explanations offered
The gytrash is one of the northern 'shapeshifting' spirits related to the barghest and the padfoot. Brontë grew up at Haworth, on the Yorkshire moors, where such stories were common.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Haworth Moor, West Yorkshire, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Northern English folklore, and Jane Eyre
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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